Sister Parish Ministry, Inc.
a 501(c)(3) charitable organization
In the early fall of 2012, several men from Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church (OLSS) gathered at the Ponte Vedra Beach home of Bob Hart to discuss the general idea of a service project, a meeting inspired by a challenge from Parish Vicar, Father Frank Iacona. These “co-founders," listed to the right, knew very little about parish partnerships or organizing foreign mission programs.
Internet searches and email solicitations for information eventually led the group to Catholic Relief Services. Catholic Relief Services forwarded the inquiries to the Jesuit Refugee Service in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Father Mario Serrano, SJ, the Executive Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service, was at that time also the Director of Centro Bono, a Jesuit social action center that focused, among other things, on the problems of Haitian immigrants in the Dominican Republic.
In January 2013, four months after the first meeting of the group, Don Barnhorst and Bob Hart flew to Santo Domingo to meet with Father Mario, where they met the two parishes that would eventually enter into a partnership with OLSS.
Over the course of the next several months, five different “fact-finding” teams flew from Jacksonville, Florida, to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Tentative relationships were established with two parishes: Domingo Savio, a Jesuit parish located in Las Guandules, one of the most challenging urban ghettos in the capital city of Santo Domingo; and San Antonio de Padua, which 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 by primarily Haitian families.
Ministry Co-Founders:
Don BarnhorstÂ
George EstevezÂ
Victor GonzalezÂ
Bob HartÂ
Fr. Frank IaconaÂ
Jim MooreÂ
Javier SalinasÂ
Terry Williams
Sister Parish Ministry was originally established in 2013 by Dr. Donald “Don” Barnhorst and Robert “Bob” Hart as a parish ministry of Our Lady Star of the Sea. Combining Don’s background as an accomplished physician and Bob’s background as a successful businessman, these two courageous and faithful men set out to develop an organization that would bring missionaries to the Dominican Republic’s most impoverished areas. The framework would involve creating teams of medical, family and school missions to help as many people as possible. Today, Sister Parish Ministry continues its work of providing support to communities in the Dominican Republic that lack basic services. Included in the objective of Sister Parish Ministry is to evangelize and witness Catholic values while also providing lifesaving and life improving support to those communities. Support consists of medical, pharmaceutical, dental care, nutritional support for the elderly, education for pre-school aged children, training for young mothers to build work opportunities, and support community and infrastructure improvements.
Since its inception, Sister Parish Ministry has organized and supported 30 medical missions to the Dominican Republic. Our teams consist of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, and many professional and non-professional roles. The medical care provided during and in between these missions is vital to these at-risk communities. The dental team provides basic dental care and hundreds of fluoride treatments to adults and children.
Sister Parish Ministry’s family and school missions are organized to allow groups of adults and children to experience service in action as well. These missions can include building projects, visiting, and serving food to the elderly, and serving the needs of mothers and children through various projects.
Even when Sister Parish Ministry’s missionaries are not “on the ground”, work continues with a supply of daily meals to the elderly, transportation to hospitals, healthcare visits and ongoing lifesaving medications for those in need.
Sister Parish Ministry continues to exemplify faith in action through its various missionary initiatives. It’s goal is unite people through a desire to serve and make a difference in the world.
HISTORY
How Did It All Begin?