Sister Parish Relationship:  Holy Trinity’s relationship with Maria Madre de los Pobres (Mary Mother of the Poor) began over 20 years ago.  Begun in the midst of El Salvador’s civil war, the relationship has included financial and material help from Holy Trinity, common efforts for social justice and dignity, and faith sharing solidarity through visits and friendships developed over the years.

History:  The seeds of Holy Trinity’s sister parish relationship with Maria Madre were set in 1986 when Holy Trinity’s then pastor, Jim Maier, spent six weeks in Maria Madre and shared stories of his visit there.   In 1989 the parish to parish relationship was formalized by a review and approval of the Parish Council.  Every summer since then, parishioners of Holy Trinity join parishioners of Maria Madre in El Salvador to meet and pray together and share our common faith.

El Salvador:  Maria Madre de los Pobres is located in an impoverished neighborhood on the outskirts of San Salvador, El Salvador’s capital city.  Fleeing violence in the countryside as the war intensified during the late 1970’s and 80’s, the original Maria Madre parishioners settled along the railroad tracks in a former garbage dump.  They organized a parish in 1984 and Padre Daniel Sanchez, a missionary from Spain, became their pastor.  The brutal civil war lasted until the signing of a peace accord in 1991 and surviving the violence and the horrific poverty surrounding them was a preoccupation.

Holy Trinity Support:  Since the beginning of the sister parish relationship, Holy Trinity has contributed funds each year to support CAPI, Maria Madre’s “kinder” program that provides education and day care services for small children in the parish.  More recently, Holy Trinity has expanded outreach to the children of Maria Madre by promoting to the Holy Trinity community the Apdrinmiento, or Godparent’s Program.  Through this program an individual or a family is matched with a Maria Madre child in need of financial support for their education.

Shared Reflections on Scripture: Read the Pentecost reflection given by parishioners in El Salvador and Holy Trinity on the Sunday readings. The one from Holy Trinity is sent to Maria Madre.

Information: Jean Johnson, Jmj3614@aol.com; Greg Maggio, gregmaggio@yahoo.com