March 2023-- Volume III, Issue 2, Florida+ | |
Supporting the Work of Mission Circle Inc | |
Welcome to the 26th Edition | |
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Spring is a time of Lent, renewal, and (drum roll, please) a return to mission trips! We have two trips on the horizon, one to Cuba in March and one to Honduras in June! We are so glad to be able to travel again. And so sad that Haiti is too dangerous for us.
We invite you to put your name on our travel list if there is any chance you would like to participate in a mission trip to Cuba or Honduras. The March trip to Cuba is full as we can take only four and religious visas require a couple of months advance commitment. However, there is a possibility we can plan another trip to Cuba later in the year. There is still a possibility of joining the trip to Honduras, June 20-26. Email gini.eckert@gmail.com to get on a list or learn more about the trips.
To get a history of our organization: From St. Peter Mission Circle to Mission Circle Inc.--A Journey of Faith. click here.
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Rebuilding a chapel in the village of San Antonio in our sister parish in Honduras | |
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To donate to any of our missions, write a check to Mission Circle Inc, and write Honduras, Haiti, or Cuba on the memo line. You can also arrange direct payment from your bank. Or you can use the newest technology--the QR code pictured here! Just point your smart phone camera at the image (square with lots of dots). Donations to all missions are eligible for applicable tax deductions.
To donate to the Honduras mission: mail the check to Mission Circle Inc c/o Donna Kinney, 2218 Discovery Circle West, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442. You may also designate Women's Micro-credit Project, Water Filters, or most needed on the memo line. The Mission Circle Inc Honduras mission is a ministry of St. Ambrose Catholic Church and sister parish to Our Lady of the Rosary in Sabanagrande, FM, Honduras. For questions about the Honduras mission, please contact Donna Kinney, 954-290-7952 or via email rdldn2017@gmail.com
To donate to the Haiti and Cuba missions write the check to Mission Circle Inc, and write Haiti or Cuba on the memo line. Mail the check to: Gini Eckert, 280 Raymore Ave., DeLand, FL 32720.
Mission Circle Inc is twinned with San Juan Bosco Parish in Las Tunas, Cuba, and the four schools of St. John Paul II Mission in Lascahobas, Haiti. For the Haiti mission, we are still requesting $150 per child, per year, or $15 per month, to continue to sponsor your child or children. For the Cuba mission we suggest $300 per year, we but will gratefully accept any amount you choose for any of the missions.
You also might consider using the Alternative Giving form here and make a gift which helps those in need while honoring those you love. If you want to honor someone's memory or give a special gift to loved ones, remember our year-round Alternative Giving (Click the green words to access a form, then send your check(s) for preferred missions as described below, print the form and send it to your loved one).
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Chapels of the Past and Present
By Gini Eckert
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The first project we were asked to help with in Honduras back at the start of Mission Circle in 2008 was building a chapel for the village of Encima.
Encima is relatively close to Sabanagrande, and in 2008 they didn't have a chapel at all. Sometimes they were able to walk to the church in Sabanagrande, but they needed a place to worship. So we were asked to help with that building, and we did. We sent money for supplies and helped them to complete construction in 2010. We participated in a Mass to dedicate the chapel in 2011.
As you see in the photo, we also gave the village a crucifix. We learned they needed one at the dedication Mass. We were in Tegucigulpa the next day and were able to purchase a large crucifix at the cathedral gift shop. We didn't realize members of the community of Encima would be in Sabanagrande for Sunday Mass, so we were surprised and pleased that we were able to give the crucifix to them personally. What we didn't realize until later is that they had walked and had to carry the crucifix for an hour or so uphill on the return.
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The chapel in Encima in 2011 at the dedication Mass | Presenting a crucifix for the chapel in Encima is Dean Calice with Teri Toledo and Rick Jones watching. | |
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Renovating Chapels
So, it seems very fitting that the first major new project for St. Ambrose/Mission Circle Inc is renovating aging chapels in our sister parish in Honduras.
Padre Gustavo, pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary, is responsible for 3 main churches in 3 different municipalities (like our counties), but also 85 villages scattered across the mountains. They each have a small worship place, usually a chapel.
A current need in many of the villages is for repairs of many types for their chapels. We have been sending money, and Padre Gustavo has organized the workers and supplies. He requires that the villagers contribute to their own projects through labor as well as what they can provide financially.
Padre has sent many photos of the work on chapels including in San Antonio, Las Casitas, and San Francisco. Here you can see some of these photos. Check out our Facebook page for more.
You may be wondering how 1 pastor and his assistant can serve 85 parishes. They cannot visit them every week, especially the ones that are most remote. There are also very few deacons in Honduras. Click here to read why: http://diaconia-idc.org/blog/world-cafe/the-diaconate-in-honduras-is-growing-slowly.html. They rely on Delegates of the Word to share the readings and lead the prayers when a priest cannot be with them. These dedicated lay people travel to Sabanagrande once a month for training.
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This chapel in San Antonio had major structural issues. | Here is a look at the major repairs at San Antonio as work was in progress. | |
Here is the restored wall at San Antonio. | |
The men begin the major project at Las Casitas. | |
San Francisco de Asis (St. Francis of Assisi) needs a new roof. | |
Meet the Board of Directors of Mission Circle Inc. | |
In the spotlight: Ann Marie Lewis, our co-chair, was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. She attended St. Mary's grammar school and St, Thomas Aquinas High School. She says, "The nuns were tough, but I received a wonderful education."
She met a man from New Jersey on a singles cruise to Greece. When they married, she moved from New York to New Jersey. Unfortunately, they divorced after 10 years. At the time of the divorce, Ann Marie was working for a major pharmaceutical company in Human Resources, so she decided to remain in NJ. Her retirement goal was to move to Florida. She has been a resident of DeLand for the past 10 years. She enjoys horseback riding, volunteering, and hanging out with her two dogs, Abbey and Lukas.
Ann Marie has been very active with both St. Peter Mission Circle, working in the gift shop when we managed it, and traveling to both Honduras and Cuba.
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Ann Marie Lewis is co-chair of Mission Circle Inc. | Board of Directors of Mission Circle Inc includes Gini Eckert, Chair; Ann Marie Lewis, Co-chair; Diane Saffran, Secretary; Cas Crownover, Treasurer; Donna Kinney, Team Leader-Honduras; Mary Donovan, Team Secretary-Honduras; Mary DeLouis, Team Leader-Cuba; Camille Nasbe, Team Secretary-Cuba; Tracy Vass, Team Leader-Haiti; Open, Team Secretary-Haiti; Fr. Dariusz Zarebski, S.D.S.-Pastor Member. | |
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Prayer suggestion from Gini Eckert: Dynamic Catholic's Best Lent Ever. Click here and subscribe for their daily email with short video and ideas for Lent: https://www.dynamiccatholic.com/lent.html
If you have a suggestion for how to pray, please share. And please pray for all our missions!
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Cuba--
Last month we learned of Padre Alex and Padre José Luis receiving new parish assignments. Now we learned they are actually pastoring 5 parishes: San Juan Bosco and La Inmaculada (The Immaculate) in Las Tunas; Nuestra Señora de la Merced (Our Lady of Mercy) in Delicias near Puerto Padre; P. José Luis's former parish; San Antonio de Padua in Chaparra; and San José de Jababo south of Las Tunas.
Each of these parishes has multiple communities in the countryside that require visits also. The shortage of priests is a challenge.
In addition, Cuba is suffering from lack of food and medicine. Toilet paper cannot be bought for any price.
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This map shows Holguín, seat of the diocese and city to which our groups fly, and Las Tunas and Puerto Padre. Padre Alex and Padre José Luis are serving a large swath of the Diocese of Holguín. | |
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Honduras—
There are changes in assignments in Honduras also. Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga resigned as he turned 80. Pope Francis named a parish priest, Fr. José Vincente Nácher Tatay to succeed him as Bishop of Tegucigalpa. Also, a third priest will join Padre Gustavo and Padre José Ramon at Our Lady of the Rosary in Sabanagrande. We look forward to meeting Padre Wilson Canizales.To read more about the new bishop, click here: Vatican News
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We wish Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga well in his retirement and thank him for his support of Mission Circle Inc over the years. | |
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Haiti—
David Siler, Executive Director of PTPA, the organization which supports our twinning, wrote that he was able to travel to Haiti safely recently by flying to Cap Haitien in the north. This is a small glimmer of good news in a generally dire situation. Cap Haitien is about a 7-hour drive from Lascahobas, and not a trip we can take at this time.
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The Good Garden: How One Family Went from Hunger to Having
Enough
by Katie Smith Milway, Illustrated by Sylvie Daigneault
Recommended by Donna Kinney
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"This is a beautiful story of community and tenacity. The illustrations are amazing. I loved it." Donna
In this space we recommend books and films that we have found that "take" us to Honduras, Haiti, or Cuba vicariously, or, inspire us for mission work. We would love to hear from you about these suggestions and your recommendations.
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The Good Garden addresses the realities of Food Insecurity and the poor farmers who struggle to grow enough food to feed themselves and to make extra money for health care, rent, seeds, farm tools and education. It mirrors challenges that our missions in Cuba, Haiti, Honduras and many other countries face, including our own.
The story is based on the life of a real Honduran teacher, Don Elias Sanchez, who worked throughout his country and life to inspire each of us to use our heads, hands, and hearts to grow good gardens and build food security in our communities and countries around the world. The Durantes are a real-life family living in the region of Intubuca; and much like the Francisco Morazan region we travel to, it is comprised of 17 municipalities and 126 Aldeas/villages in the most mountainous region in Honduras.
This book from the CitizenKid series (22 books) offers children ways they can be part of the movement to grow "good gardens" and foster food security. These books inform children about the world and inspire them to be better global citizens.
Reading age 8-12yrs, Grade level 3-7.
Available at Amazon, Thrift Books, and on Hoopla and Kindle.
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We did it! Mission Circle Inc is now a 501(c)3 nonprofit and we have established a bank account! What does our nonprofit status mean for you--our friends and supporters? Two things: we can now receive tax deductible donations as Mission Circle Inc for our work in Haiti, Honduras, and Cuba. And we will not be able to request donations from anyone who doesn't live in Florida, Arizona, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, or Wyoming--but we can receive their donations. So this newsletter which includes information about how to send checks in addition to the articles about our mission countries is labeled Florida+ and is for people living in one of these states. If you don't live in a listed state, please let us know our error and we will put you on the other contact list in order to comply with all the restrictions for nonprofits.
Please continue to pray for the clergy and people of San Juan Bosco parish in Las Tunas, Cuba; Our Lady of the Rosary parish in Sabanagrande, FM, Honduras; and St. John Paul II Mission, with four schools in Central Haiti. They are praying for us.
Also, please share our newsletter with your friends and family, and tell us what you like and what you would like to see in future issues!
Our next meeting will be April 13. Details TBA. We may set a time and location to meet in person between Deerfield Beach and DeLand.
May God bless you abundantly.
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