Mission Cooperative Appeal

+ Mission Coop Appeal +

"It is not enough to concern

ourselves for the poor;

we must involve ourselves in their plight."

Cry of the Land,
Guatemalan Bishops’
Pastoral Letter

"As Sinsinawa Dominican women,

we are called to proclaim the Gospel

through the ministry of preaching & teaching

in order to participate in the building

of a holy and just society."

(Sinsinawa Dominican Mission Statement)

"Let us set out for any place

where the work is great and difficult,

but where also with the help of the One who sends us,

we shall open the way for the Gospel."

Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP
Founder Sinsinawa Dominicans

This year’s Mission Cooperative Appeal will directly support five missionary groups: The Sinsinawa Dominicans, The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, The Missionary Servants of the Blessed Trinity, The Carmelite Missionaries and The Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity. The missionaries will benefit equally from our parish tithe and the parish collections in this diocese. This is our way of showing our care for the missions.

Father Samuel Mazzuchelli, an Italian Dominican, founded the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation. The small community began in Southwest Wisconsin in 1846. The first sisters were daughters of Irish lead miners and farmers who sought to serve people, as Jesus did. In 1849, four women made their profession of vows. From these "four cornerstones" has risen the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation of today with about 930 vowed members, 157 Associate members and 23 Apostolic Volunteers.

Since 1960, at the request of Pope John XXIII's appeal for religious to work in the mission fields of Latin America, the Sinsinawa Dominicans have responded to his plea. Some 35 Sisters have served in Bolivia. They have served in parish related programs such as catechetical instruction, sacramental preparation, establishing cooperatives with the poor and building lay leadership. They also have promoted basic Christian communities and are encouraging local vocations.

The Sinsinawa Dominicans have committed themselves to working with and among the poor. For many years, one Sinsinawa Dominican has worked in Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies. She now has nine Associates assisting her. The Guatemalan bishops wrote in their pastoral letter, Cry of the Land, "It is not enough to concern ourselves for the poor; we must involve ourselves in their plight." Three Sisters are currently on mission assignment in Guatemala.

Sr. Christine Feagan, O.P.

In September, 1979, I arrived in Santa Cruz, BOLIVIA, where I spent the next eight years involved in parish ministry . . . mainly in youth work . . . and seven more years in Riberalta, in the northernmost part of the country, bordering on Brazil. During my last two years in Bolivia, I worked in the Church-sponsored radio station . . . Radio San Miguel.

For my first three years after my return to the United States, I worked in Chicago, in a parish that is mainly composed of people of Mexican origin. This is my second year working in high school ministry in Clinton, Iowa.

My life has been totally changed since the first day I met some of the Bolivian people. I truly had the Gospel preached to me by the people I shared my life with. During the fifteen years that I was in Bolivia, I saw many changes in the government, in the economy (at least in the printed money!) and in the coming of modern technology. Yet, the people’s hearts and spirit never changed from their faith-filled beliefs for they were continuously open to the way that God works in this world and in their lives.

I will always be impressed by the clear vision, which they are able to be hope-filled in the midst of what would give many of us cause for despair. Bolivia is an extremely poor country (second only to Haiti in the Western Hemisphere). In spite of what might look like "economic development" (a friend tells me that McDonald’s has finally arrived in Bolivia!), there are still not adequate jobs . . . educational structure . . . or medical care to meet the needs of the Bolivian people.

Each person that I came to know during my time in Bolivia has left an unforgettable story written in my heart. I can only hope and pray that I will be able to adequately tell and retell how they left their impressions of faith and friendship on my heart.

Fast Facts of Bolivian Economics

Bolivia is the size of California & Texas combined
Population: 6 million
80% of Bolivia lives in poverty
70% have no drinking water
86% have no toilet at home
74% have no electricity
$35 per month (Minimum salary set by government)
Bolivia is the 2nd poorest country in the Western Hemisphere
36% of population is illiterate, with even higher rates for women & children!

Propagation of the Faith

The Society for the Propagation of the Faith fosters the universal missionary spirit of the Church, sensitizing Catholics to the universal implication of their baptism into Christ. Through World Mission Sunday, the Propagation of the Faith encourages prayer, collects funds, and catechizes on the missionary dimension of the Catholic faith. Through the Missionary Cooperation Plan (Missionary Cooperative Appeal Sunday), missionaries speak in parishes. In a wide variety of written and audiovisual materials, the Propagation of the Faith focuses on the proclamation of the Gospel, the building up of the Church, and authentic human development. For more information concerning the Society contact:

The Birmingham Diocesan Director
for Propagation of the Faith
Rev. Raymond Murrin
(205)-838-8304
Internet: www.propfaith.org