WHO ARE WE?
While many of the participants in the work of Sister Parish Ministry, Inc. are members of Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, mission trips and other Ministry activities have been hosted by several Catholic parishes as well as by other (primarily Catholic) families and organizations. In addition, the Ministry includes participation by a few Baptists, some Methodists, more than one Episcopalian, some evangelicals, and people with no particular faith affiliation. We are from all walks of life. We are mothers, fathers, students, doctors, nurses, lawyers, entrepreneurs, and construction professionals. Most of us speak no Spanish. We are united by a desire to serve, a desire to make a difference in the world.
WHAT IS SISTER PARISH?
The Sister Parish Ministry is a program of faith in action. We are what we do. We have established a partnership relationship between our parish and two Catholic parishes in and near Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. One parish, Domingo Savio, is located in Los Guandules, one of the poorest barrios of Santo Domingo. The other parish, San Antonio de Padua, serves the residents of a small town located east of the capital, as well as residents of a number of bateyes (migrant-worker camps) occupied primarily by Haitian families. These partnerships are active relationships, which involve work, connection, bonding and service from all partners. They are not states of being, they are states of doing.