Hello Friends!
It has been a few months since our last update from Quito. I hope and pray you are all doing well and enjoying the summer heat!
Here are some high-level things I would love for you to consider/remember:
- Save the date for the annual dance to benefit The Center - A Family of Families on Sat., Nov. 11th.
- We are targeting our next mission trip to Quito for June 2023
- Donate here or via our Church Center App
- Pray for The Center, the families, and the mission!
Here are more details on the above:
- Dance: We are always looking for help and it takes many hands to put on an event. So if you would like to participate in the planning and execution of our fun and fruitful dance, please let me know.
- Trip: Same thing for the trip next summer. If you and/or your family and friends are interested, please let me know and I can keep you informed as planning materializes. And if you want to help with the planning, please let me know that as well.
- Appeal: We're working with the C4WF (the parent organization of the Center) to have someone from the center come to St. Gabriel for a mission appeal. They could speak at masses, at youth nights, at ministry meetings, etc. Again, stay tuned for details and reach out if you would like to participate in the planning, execution, or hosting of our visitors.
- Follow the Center on Facebook
- Check out the Center's St. Gabriel's website (yes - it needs rebranded with the new name)
Finally, here are a few updates from Quito since my last update:
- As I mentioned last year, and as you might have noticed above, the Center for Working Families (C4WF) is renaming the Working Boys Center (WBC) to The Center - A Family of Families. The WBC made sense back in 1964 when Fr. Halligan started to support "the shoeshine boys". But the center has changed and grown over the years and the new name more accurately describes the Center's approach to empowering entire families with the wherewithal to escape generational poverty. The ten core values remain unchanged: loyalty, personal formation, family, religion, education, economics, work, recreation, health, and housing.
- In-person classes resumed in February for the first time since the pandemic. That was 695 days of virtual learning! You can read more in the Center's spring update here.
- In March, the National Assembly of Ecuador recognized The Center - A Family of Families and the Ecuadorian Jesuits for their combined efforts and integral work to support and empower those most vulnerable.
Thanks and God Bless!
Mark
972-693-2654