Charlotte NC - St. Peter's Catholic Church
In 1990 members of the congregation of St. Peter’s Catholic Church began working with Salvadorans returning from the refugee camp in Colomoncagua, Honduras as they established their new community, Comunidad Segundo Montes. Over the years, the St. Peter’s Congregation has provided significant support to the community’s development efforts.
St. Peter’s has identified a clear mission:
As children of God, we seek to grow in faith and in union with Jesus Christ and with one another. Through ecumenical outreach, education, and action we seek to accompany the people of El Salvador in building and sustaining a nation of peace and justice. We endeavor to support the people of Comunidad Segundo Montes, in particular, in rebuilding and sustaining their community. By developing intentional relationships between the community of St. Peter’s and the community of Comunidad Segundo Montes, we hope to raise the awareness of our parish and the people of Charlotte about El Salvador and its connection with the United States.
In service of this mission, they have identified a number of goals, which include:
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Solidarity support with our brothers and sisters in Comunidad Segundo Montes
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Send delegations to El Salvador
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Support pastoral team in Comunidad Segundo Montes
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Educate ourselves/parish on El Salvador issues
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Instill awareness of El Salvador and other 3rd world country farmers through sales of Fair Trade products (Buying Fair Trade enables families to support themselves)
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Fundraise to support activities and needs of Comunidad Segundo Montes and to help with delegations
In addition to their support for Comunidad Segundo Montes, St. Peter’s has been an integral part of the Voices organizational structure. Members of the St. Peter’s congregation have been on Voices’ board and held leadership roles including president of the board. Voices' in-country staff works closely with the St. Peter's community to facilitate communication, implement projects, organize delegations, and provide regular updates. In 2009, Voices' staff has organized several tele-conferences between youth in the CSM and youth at St. Peter's.
(Youth from Charlotte visit with kids from CSM during a youth delegation in August 2009)
For more information about the St. Peter’s Catholic Church partner community, please contact Jan Valder at janbarn@earthlink.net, or Roddy Hughes at (voices@votb.org) or (202) 529-2912.