Tri-Parish ministry works for peace and justice

St. Thomas More, St. Agnes, St. Anthony joined helping hands

- Photo supplied Unsustainable housing conditions in the highlands of Guatemala - focus of the Tri-Parish Ministry and the Fr. Bonner Council Knights of Columbus new partnership initiative.

By ELLEN TAYLOR
Special to the WCR
Edmonton

Actions ranging from refugee sponsorship to construction of an Habitat for Humanity house to an impending house-building project in Guatemala are only some of the fruits of a combined effort by the social justice ministries at three south Edmonton parishes.

Members of the Tri-Parish Peace and Social Justice Ministry regularly write letters to their MPs and MLAs on issues of human dignity and also provide food for the inner-city poor through the Bissell Centre.

In the late 1990s, amid all the changes brought about by the Transformation of Parishes in the Edmonton Archdiocese, the social justice ministries in the parishes of southwest Edmonton began planning to unite to form a consolidated social justice ministry.

The thinking was that a grouping of parishes in the area of social justice would lead to more fruitful initiatives compared to what could be accomplished by the parishes on their own.

In 2000, talk turned to action when the social justice ministries of St. Thomas More, St. Agnes and St. Anthony parishes formed the Southwest Jubilee Community.

Habitat house

Their legacy for the jubilee year was the financing and construction of a $90,000 Habitat for Humanity house. It was built for a family from Sri Lanka who could not have afforded a home.

- Photo supplied St. Thomas More parishioner with elated family - he joined "From Houses to Homes" to help build their home in Guatemala in 2007.

The funds for the project were raised through an initial donation of $3,000 from the Ursulines of Jesus; two special collections at each of the three parishes; donations from individual church groups; a dinner and silent auction event; and the proceeds of initiatives undertaken by schools in the southwest area. Many parishioners from the three parishes participated in the Habitat for Humanity build.

In 2003, the working relationship between the three parishes was formalized through the establishment of the Tri-Parish Peace and Social Justice Ministry. Since that time, the budgets approved by St. Thomas More Parish and the twin parishes of St. Agnes and St. Anthony for social justice are used by the ministry as one entity. The social teachings of the Church guide the work of the Tri-Parish Peace and Social Justice Ministry.

Many initiatives have been undertaken by the consolidated ministry including education evenings for the three parishes, with advocates on local issues and speakers who have worked in the global south; letter writing to members of Parliament and members of the Alberta legislature on issues infringing on human dignity; annually providing food for the Inner City Pastoral Ministry Lunch that feeds 300 inner city residents at the Bissell Centre on a regular basis; preparing and serving five lunches annually at Habitat for Humanity build sites; and offering fair trade coffee for purchase after Mass to help raise awareness about paying fair prices to coffee growers in Latin America.

Ministry members are actively involved in the initiatives of Development and Peace by attending workshops, promoting Fall Action campaigns and participating in Solidarity Sunday initiatives.

Helping hands

The southwest parishes have a history of providing assistance to refugees. From 1979 to 2000, St. Anthony Parish sponsored more than 120 refugees referred by Catholic Social Services. They sponsored at least 500 others without financial assistance over this 21-year period, providing home furnishings, clothing and moral support.

- Photo supplied Funds raised by the Tri-Parish Ministry and the Knights of Columbus through their Guatemala initiative will go towards building lasting homes like this one in Guatemala in 2008.

Fardoussa, a member of a refugee family from Somalia sponsored by St. Thomas More Parish in 1997, was among the recipients of the Government of Alberta's 2007 Great Kids Award. She was honoured for her tireless commitment to her family, having taken on the responsibility of raising her younger siblings since the death of her mother and for her contributions to her school community.

Both St. Agnes and St. Thomas More Parishes provided guidance and emotional support to refugee families from Kosovo over an extended period.

Since the establishment of the Tri-Parish Peace and Social Justice Ministry, financial and social support has been provided for one year to a refugee family of four from Sierra Leone that arrived in 2004. Parishioners donated furniture and household items to help set up the family's apartment and extended family was on hand to provide considerable support.

Passport to Canada

Ministry members have maintained contact with the Sierra Leone community in Edmonton by attending meetings and events hosted by the Sierra Leone's Women's Group. The arrival of a refugee family from Somalia, sponsored by the ministry through a cost-sharing arrangement with the federal government, is imminent.

The Tri-Parish Peace and Social Justice Ministry partnered with the Father Bonner Council Knights of Columbus to host a Texas scramble charity golf tournament Sept. 14 at Cougar Creek Golf Resort ( email fatherbonnercharitygolf@hotmail.com).

Funds raised at this event will be forwarded to From Houses to Homes, a non-profit organization that builds lasting, healthy homes and improves the lives of poor families in the highlands of Guatemala. Parishioners from St. Thomas More plan to travel to Guatemala at their own expense to help build the homes funded by this initiative.

For more information, contact, triparishsocialjustice@hotmail.com

Members of the Tri-Parish Peace and Social Justice Ministry firmly believe that by having three parishes work together in the area of social justice, the whole has become truly greater than the sum of its parts.

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