DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Produced by the COMMUNITY OF SAINT PAUL and CREARSA
The ministry of Community of Saint Paul is based in La Sagrada Familia Parish in Sabana Yegua (Azua), where the members of the CSP attend to the pastoral need of the parish and also carry out different social and development programs.
FOSTERING CHRISTIAN LIFE
The Christian life is promoted in the parish territory through regular celebration of the sacraments in the twenty-two villages and communities that make up the parish, which is divided into nine districts. There are alos catechesis for children, Christian formation for adults, Bible and liturgical workshops and the coordination of the community councils.
PRISON MINISTRY AT THE “KM 15” JAIL
The parish offers ministry to the inmates in the “Km. 15” jail, which holds a population of 600 and is located within the parish’s territory. There is a regular presence from the parish team, and periodic mases, as well as retreats and a core group of men who participate in catechesis. HAITIAN MINISTRY
The parish provides spiritual and material support for the more than 5,000 Haitians that live in the parochial territory.
Legal assistance. Different activities take place to help educate immigrants about their basic rights and to help them obtain different legal documents.
Social Assistance. Needs that are addressed are namely medical, but even sometimes for food and for school materials.
Catechism and celebration of the sacraments. The Eucharist is celebrated in Haitian Creole in Sabana Yegua and weekly Liturgies of the Word in other communities of the parish. Formation classes for pastoral leaders are also offered, as well as Bible workshops for catechists.
HEALTH PROGRAM
Health Center in Sabana Yegua. This center offers general medical care as well as dentistry, gynecology and laboratory services. The parish’s pharmacy, where low-cost medicines are offered, also functions in the Health Center.
Rural first-aid stations. Community leaders in several villages have a first-aid station in their homes, with medicines supplied by the parish, so that they can be distributed to areas that do not have easy access to a pharmacy. Currently there are ten such rural first-aid stations throughout the parish territory.
CHILDREN’S PRESCHOOL PROGRAM
From the parish there are 3 centers which attend to a total of 180 children. There are the San Agustín Center in Sabana Yegua, Divina Misericordia Center, in el Alto de Ganadero, and the La Virgen del Carmen in Los Negros. The children range from two to five years of age, and receive breakfast and lung, education and medical attention. There are also regular educational talks for the parents.
PHYSICAL REHABILITATION CENTER
The physical rehabilitation program is opened Monday through Friday in the facilities of the San Agustín Center in Sabana Yegua. An average of thirty patients are treated daily. Once a week, the physical therapist conducts home visits to care for those who cannot travel to the center.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
Nazareth Vocational Center. This center offers different programs to support women and youth from low-income families in Sabana Yegua by training them in skills that will help them acquire jobs. The center offers dress-making, sewing and beautician classes. Around 80 people, mostly women, participate in the Nazareth Vocational Center.
Children’s Libraries. In addition to the library for children open two afternoons per week in the parish in Sabana Yegua, there are already seven other libraries in various villages of the area. The purpose of these libraries is to promote reading habits in the children and to provide them with an appropriate place to study. The parish has also established reading and writing rooms in five communities, to provide reinforcement for children ages 8 to 12.
Scholarship program. With this program, the CSP helps young people from Sabana Yegua and its surrounding rural communities, whose families do not have the resources to provide them with an education. Every year, the program benefits in average 50 youth, mainly university students.
Core Subject Tutoring progam. 150 children in six different classes receive reinforcement in reading, writing and math for eight horas a week, to help improve their academic level in order to finish the year with the proper level of knowledge and skills.
ATTENTION TO THE ELDERLY
Through the San José group, over 100 elderly women and men who are living alone or in vulnerable situations, receive medical aid and help for food.
RECYCLING
A group of youth and women oversee a recycling program for plastic in the municipality of Sabana Yegua, with the collaboration with the local mayor´s office, to improve the cleanliness of the town and protect the eco-system.
OTHER PROJECTS
From building chapels to improving home or constructing latrines when necessary; also the development of water projects for homes or agriculture, the Community of Saint Paul is always in contact with the needs and challenges of the people and group and offers its support and resources for the different initiatives that can be realized for the good of the population.
