The Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta parish is located on the outskirts of a city of 2 million people, in Guyaquil, Equador, near Canal Ocho. It’s a barrio, where people have been arriving from the poorer countryside in hope of finding work. They come to the Church in a most vulnerable state of heart, and Fr. Tom Oates and his parishioners are really doing all they can to help them to be at home in their new surroundings.
People have come here in order to flee the countryside, where work is scarce. They settle in $400 bamboo houses with no running water. They take a chance to work with no job security and no benefits.
Two lay volunteers from Spain Josefina and Ancelea and the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa’s nuns) help bring the Good News to these needy people. In addition, the local parishioners teach catechism and run a canteen where 125 children get a free hot meal every day. For most of them, it’s their only meal of the day.
It’s only through God’s providence that these people can look forward to living as a community founded on Christian values. At present, the people of Mother Teresa Parish are too poor to build and maintain basic Church facilities. All the construction there is a product of the generosity of people in distant places, who have responded to God’s invitation that they should try to make a difference.
You’re welcome to join that family, even if you live far away. We’re one in the Lord, and we share in both His cross and His joy.
Take a look and share in the youthful vigor of this Church community.
In Fr. Tom’s own words, “We’re not looking for saints; we’re looking for potential saints!”
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