Transcript International Projects in the Diocese of Lexington

International Projects and
Opportunities in the
Diocese of Lexington
Compiled by Maggie Ringe
March 2007
Compassion Across Continents
“We know our brothers and sisters across the
globe have a claim on us, because we
constitute one human family. And we must
respond to their needs. The principle of
solidarity recognizes that loving your neighbor
has global dimensions in an interdependent
world.”
-Catholic Conference of Kentucky
www.ccky.org
“Solidarity” in Economic Justice in 21st Century Kentucky:
Holding Ourselves Accountable
This presentation is designed to highlight
the International Projects that dedicated
people in our Diocese do and to inspire
you to get involved. Maybe you want to
participate in or contribute to a project
that already exists, maybe you want to
create your own. In either case this
presentation will teach you about our
locally-based Catholic international
projects and mission work and suggest
ways you can get involved.
The projects and missions you are about to
see have occurred within the past 2 years
and many of them are ongoing. The
order in which they are presented is
completely arbitrary, and should not be
interpreted as a ranking according to
merit. These are all very excellent
projects which truly show what it means
to live out the Gospel message.
St. Leo and Sr. Amelie
• Through the mysterious
ways of providence, Fr. Dan
of St. Leo met Sr. Amelie.
He had her come to St. Leo
to preach and the
parishioners there, inspired
by her work with refugees in
South Africa, set up a
website to collect funds for
her:
www.abidinghopeinc.com.
Through their generosity, Sr.
Amelie is able to make the
lives of countless men,
women and children better.
Mother of Good Counsel and
Karen Kimsey
Karen Kimsey, who works in
Hazard’s free clinic, organizes
an annual mission trip to
Jamaica in which small groups
from the parish and community
go to Riverton, a slum outside of Kingston, and offer their
service and support to the poor living there. Some
parishioners help with basic medical procedures, others
bring food and medicine to the elderly, still others work
with a preschool; the group tries to fill any need they see.
Anyone who wants to go on this mission trip is welcome;
no special experience is needed.
International Habitat for
Humanity
Most of us are aware of Habitat
for Humanity programs in our
own community, but there is
also an international program.
Several member of our
Diocese, including Fr. Tobias
of St. William and Tom
Johnson of St. John the
Evangelist, participated in
International Habitat for
Humanity helping rebuild
homes after the tsunami.
Catholic Heart Work Camp
Catholic Heart Work Camp is a
service opportunity for youth
groups. Although they have
locations throughout the US,
they also have programs in
Jamaica and Trinidad. Christ
the King’s Youth Group went
to Jamaica in 2005 and had
the opportunity to serve the
community there.
Meghan Leiningher gets her hair braided by some new friends.
Monica Ruscitto’s Romanian
Mission Trip
Every year Monica (l) and a group
of volunteers, with the support
of St Mildred in Somerset,
travel to Romania to volunteer
in a small impoverished town.
They participate in various
building projects, work with
orphans and handicapped
children, teach skills such as
sewing, bring food and clothing,
distribute Bibles and run a Bible
Camp for children.
Missionaries from our Diocese
Several people within the
Diocese have made personal
mission trips. Currently Joe
Sandman (pictured) and his
family are working in Brazil
with Maryknoll Missionaries.
Rich Mier and his wife are
currently in Ecuador working
with a medical clinic. Dr.
Dan Jones and Dr. Joan
Cabreros will be leaving for a
3 year medical mission in
June, 2007.
How Can I Get
Involved?
Now That You’ve Learned About a
Few of the International Projects
Within the Diocese,
Learn How You Can Get Involved!
Ways Individuals Can Get
Involved
• Pray for the missionaries in our Diocese.
• Get involved with advocacy. Writing to your legistlator
lets him/her know what issues are important to you. A
great resource for advocacy is
http://crs.org/get_involved/advocacy/index.cfm
which provides information on what bills are coming
before Congress and how to contact your representative.
Ways Individuals Can Get
Involved
• Make a point of using Fair Trade
Goods and Products. Search for
chocolate/coffee/ etc. labeled “Fair
Trade.” Although you may not
feel that you are doing much, this
assures farmers have been paid a fair price for their labor
and crops and contributes to the Church’s mission of
social justice. A great website for fair trade products is
www.agreatergift.com, which not only has food products
but gifts and crafts.
Ways Individuals Can Get
Involved
• Consider becoming a missionary. Mission trips can
range from a couple of week to several years, but
there are many programs and you are sure to find
one to fit your needs. Here are some programs and
resources:
– Habitat for Humanity Global Village http://www.habitat.org/gv/
– Maryknoll Lay Missioners http://laymissioners.maryknoll.org/
– The Vincent Pallotti Center http://pallotticenter.org/
• This website has a large list of mission opportunities, ranging
from several weeks in the US to several years in a Third World
Country.
Ways Individuals Can Get
Involved
• Resources for potential missionaries cont.:
– Monica Ruscitto (606) 423-4052
• Her Romanian mission is usually in early summer and is
always looking for volunteers.
– Karen Kimsey (606) 439-1030
• Her Jamaican mission goes at different times of the year and
is also looking for volunteers. Although it is a medical
mission, no medical training is required.
– Mary Ellen and Kirby Neill (859) 293-2265
• They have done extensive work in Guatemala and are willing
to talk to anyone interested about their experience and what
it’s like to be a missionary.
Ways Individuals Can Get
Involved
• The Sandman Family who are
working in Brazil as missioners
with Maryknoll are returning to
Lexington in January 2008.
Unfortunately, their readjustment
fund has been significantly
decreased due to some financial
difficulties in the resettlement
The Sandaman Family signs their recommitment contracts
program. When they get back they will be searching for house, jobs,
a place to stay, winter clothing, etc. and will have very little money
with which to do this. If you can help them with any of this, please
let them know. Their email is [email protected].
Ways Individuals Can Get
Involved
• Keep learning about global issues
and social justice. The better
informed you are, the better
decisions you make. A great
resources is A Kinder and
Gentler Tyranny: Illusions of a
New World Order by the RivageSeuls, who teach at Berea
College. You can find copies on
amazon.com or at the libraries of
Berea College and Lexington
Theological Seminary.
Ways Parishes Can Get Involved
• Organize a Mission Trip to the Third World
– Fr. Jay Von Handorf (606) 784- 4392 is willing to
help parishes or groups of individuals set up
mission trips to Colombia, Mexico or Nigeria (he
has contacts in these countries). This would
provide an opportunity to witness first hand the
poverty of the Third World and to develop an
individualized international parish project with a
direct connection to the people you’re serving.
Ways Parishes Can Get Involved
• Our Lady of Hope Home in Cartago, Costa Rica
is an AIDS clinic run by Capuchin fathers. The
clinic cares for 19 patients with full-blown AIDS
as well as 40 patients who are still in the
incipient stages of it. However, they are very
short of funding. They have asked diocesan
priest, Fr. Art Molina, to see if anyone in our
community is willing to help. If your parish is
interested, you can reach Fr. Molina at (859) 2717626
Ways Parishes Can Get Involved
• Many parishes in the Diocese already use The
Society for the Propagation of the Faith as a
resource. Through this program they recruit
mission speakers and make contributions to Third
World Missions.
• http://www.missionsla.org/missionprograms/propf
aith/prop_home.html
Ways Parishes Can Get Involved
• Parish Twining Program of the Americas (PTPA)
pairs parishes in the US with ones in Haiti. The US
parish supports their sister parish in Haiti, making
whatever donations they can. PTPA arranges
mission trips to meet the sister parish in Haiti if the
US parish wants to go, and sends donated
goods/money to Haiti. The Haitian parishes send
photos and letters back to the US parish showing
how they are using the contributions that they are
receiving. If you are interested in learning more,
contact Theresa Patterson, Executive Director, (615)
356-5999 or [email protected].
Ways Parishes Can Get Involved
• Sponsor a Refugee Family
– This is actually an easy way to get more involved. Sponsoring a
Refugee Family means welcoming them and adopting them into
your parish community and having members of the parish help
them with the basic needs they have when first arriving in the US,
such as getting around, finding a place to live, a job, weatherappropriate clothing, and learning how to navigate a Super WalMart, etc. With just a few willing volunteers, you can make a big
difference to a refugee family struggling to adapt to US culture. If
you are interested, please call Debbie Goonan of Christ the King’s
Outreach Program (859) 269-3771
Ways Schools and Youth Groups
Can Get Involved
• If you have a mature group of young adults,
consider doing a mission project with them
through Catholic Heart Work Camp. This
can either be within the US or to a Third
World country, but either way it teaches the
value of service. To find out more check
out their website: www.heartworkcamp.com
or talk to the Diocesan Youth Director, Joan
Root, (859) 253-1993 ext 218.
Ways Schools and Youth Groups
Can Get Involved
• Donate used textbooks to
the International Book Project.
Based in Lexington, this group
takes donated textbooks and
sends them to needy schools in the Third World.
They especially prefer to have multiple copies, so
when you replace a textbook with a new edition or
different book, donate the old ones. More
information about the International Book Project
can be found at http://www.intlbookproject.org/
Contacts
• To find out more about any of these projects
or about other projects and opportunities, go
to :
http://mission.catholicweb.com
Contacts
Ruslyn Case-Compton
Secretary for Social Services
Diocese of Lexington
(859) 253-1993 ext.215
[email protected]
Contacts
Simone Blanchard
Catholic Relief Services
Southeast Regional Program Coordinator
(404) 790-3977
[email protected]
www.crs.org