Church of the Holy Eucharist, Tabernacle, NJ
and
Parroquia San Judas Tadeo, Quito, Ecuador:
Sister Parishes
Church of St. Jude, Quito, Ecuador
and
Parroquia San Judas Tadeo, Quito, Ecuador:
Sister Parishes
Shortly after Holy Eucharist Church was founded, the parish participated in "Renew" - a two-and-a-half year process which created small faith-sharing groups throughout the parish. An important aspect of "Renew" was outreach. One of the groups suggested that the parish create a formal relationship with a parish in a third world country -- a "sister parish" -- which could use our financial and spiritual assistance. Thus was born a relationship that bridged two continents and several christian communities over the past decade.
Members of Holy Eucharist parish approached the St. James Society of Boston, Mass. for assistance in setting up the relationship. The St. James Society was founded by Cardinal Cushing of Boston to provide priests for parishes in Latin American countries. Diocesan priests volunteer to spend several years in mission parishes. Our parish linked with St. Marianita's, a poor parish in Duran, Ecuador, in the coastal region of Guayaquil. Early on, in the late 1980's, several members of Holy Eucharist parish journied to Ecuador to see first-hand the special needs of our sister parish.
Lenten Soup Nights
In 1989 Holy Eucharist's "Lenten Soup Night" project was inaugurated. Mindful of the Church's call to fast, pray and give alms during Lent, Wednesday's were selected as an extension of the usual Friday penance. Families were asked to share their daily meal with the families of our sister parish in Ecuador by eating a sacrificial meal of meatless soup, and then donate the equivalent of what would have been spent on an evening meal for the needs of our third-world sister parish.
After several years of supporting St. Marianita's parish in Duran, it was suggested that we shift our assistance to another needy parish, namely, Holy Angels in Duran. We continued to provide prayers and alms for this parish until 1995. In 1996 we shifted our aid to another part of Ecuador, namely, St. Jude's parish in the Jaime Roldos section in the northern suburbs of Quito. Father Robert Thomas is the pastor of St. Jude's, and this parish continues to be our sister parish as we move into the new millennium.
Father Bob Thomas, pastor, at a liturgical celebration on the Feast of St. Jude, patron of the parish
St. Jude's consists of several mission parishes and covers a wide territory in a very rural northern suburb of Quito.
In addition to Lenten Soup Nights, Holy Eucharist has conducted several raffles during the Christmas holidays for the benefit of St. Jude's. Hand-carved Nativity Sets crafted by the artisans of Ibarra, the wood-carving capital of Ecuador, have been brought back by Father Joe, the Laufers, and Father Bob Thomas for the annual raffles. As a result of funds raised through Holy Eucharist's several projects for Ecuador, the people of St. Jude's have benefited greatly. The links below will provide you with additional information about the various ministries at St. Jude's.
Kindergarten and Primary School
For further information about the Ecuador SISTER PARISH concept and possible volunteer work in Ecuador, contact Joe Laufer at 859-4042 or by email at:
For information about LENTEN SOUP NIGHTS, contact Joan Donovan at 268-1045 or Helen Mazzarella at 268-1092.
You can learn more about the work of the MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF ST. JAMES THE APOSTLE by visiting their web site: