Centro Santa Catalina: Hope in the midst of chaos.
This year our parish is starting a new relationship with a faith based community called Centro Santa Catalina situated in Juarez, Mexico. Centro Catalina was established by an Adrian Dominican nun by the name of Sister Donna Kustusch in 1996 for the spiritual, educational and economic empowerment of women and children.
Since the inception of this project, sister Donna and several other nuns have made the nerve wracking drive each day from El Paso, Texas where they live to Juarez in order to work with the women and children who come to Centro Santa Catalina to work, pray, laugh and learn.
The cities of Juarez and El Paso are separated by a bridge spanning the Rio Grande which forms the international border between the US and Mexico. Juarez has attracted worldwide attention in recent years because of the violent intensity of the drug wars that impact so many innocent people living in this city of two million. Women are frequently the victims of brutal violence, murders are common place (according to some reports more than 2,400 murders were reported in 2008). Crime and extortion are a way of life.
Juarez is considered by many to be the most dangerous city on the planet outside of the towns and cities situated in war zones.
Centro Santo Catalina is a modest facility situated on the fringes of Juarez on a former municipal garbage dump. It serves the residents in this neighbourhood or ‘colonia’ who have built their shacks from bits and pieces scavenged from the dump. The homes have few basic amenities: no indoor plumbing or sewer system. Water is trucked in and electricity is a luxury few can afford. With the help of sister Donna some of the women of the colonia have formed a sewing co-operative to support themselves and their families. They gather at the centre, spend time in prayer and work diligently to produce attractive products for sale. Meanwhile, the centre offers educational classes for the women and a pre-school for their children. There is also an after school program for school age children offering tutoring and help with homework. The intention here is to help children and youth be successful at school and support them as they try to rise above the poverty and dangers of their surroundings.
Recently, I spoke with Sister Maureen regarding the Parish’s interest in supporting the women and children of Centro Santa Catalina as part of the church’s Outreach & Mission. Sister Maureen explained that the nuns had been car-jacked in June. They had been robbed enroute to the Centre of all the profits from the sale of handmade goods crafted by the sewing co-operative. The money was being delivered to pay the women for their labour. It costs about $350 per month to live at subsistence level for a small family living in the colonia. However, the women could only be paid $17 each from the dwindling reserve fund. The Parish has sent $800 USD and purchased 6 sets of hand sewn Prayer Flags to help the Centre.