In 1992, St. Paul Parish was one of the first Catholic parishes in the Milwaukee Archdiocese to establish a sister parish relationship in Guatemala. We were involved with a parish in the colony Juana de Arco in Zone 18, Guatemala City. Thanks to Len Grassmann, our pastoral associate at that time, and Sister Marietta Hanus from the School Sisters of St. Francis (SSSF), for helping St. Paul Parish nurture that relationship for 20 years. As the violence kept on increasing in Guatemala, there were concerns about the safety of our missionaries traveling to Guatemala.. Sister Matilde, who had worked in the SSSF Development office in Guatemala City, was moving back to Peru and no one was taking her place. We wanted to continue our relationship with the School Sisters of St. Francis (SSSF) in Milwaukee. We asked Sister Matilde where our parish was most needed. Without hesitation, she said, "St. Clare School in Paita, Peru". Sr. Matilde and God led us to Paita, Peru in 2013 and that's how it all began.
Our annual involvement:
- 2013 - Three delegates travel to Paita, Peru to gather information of the needs in Peru
- 2014 - First Medical mission trip
- 2015 - Milwaukee School of Engineering tested the city water and installed 25 Berkey water systems.
- 2016 - Second medical mission trip
What next? Sister Monica, director of St. Clare School, has given us several suggestions.
- There's a great need for dental care. Many of the people have decayed and abscessed teeth. In order for a dental team provide services, dental chairs and supplies must be acquired and sent to Peru prior to the team arriving. We hope to acquire these necessary supplies and form a team for a trim in 2018.
- Walking with the students at St. Clare School - The students would like to have visitors. This visit will build relationships.
- Continue providing clean water to those with contaminated water
Our medical team is planning a trip to Peru in 2019.
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