Padre Roberto Lacasse Celebrates Golden Jubilee

This past summer of 2009 Padre Roberto Lacasse came back to his Prince of Peace Parish for 3 months to visit his family and parish to celebrate his 50th anniversary of his ordination as an Oblate Priest. His parish and the Holy Cross Knights of Columbus, Council 12652 organized a celebration for this occasion. On Sunday, June 28th a mass was celebrated with Msgr. Marc Caron and Fr. Daniel Greenleaf as co-celebrants with Padre Roberto's family and friends in attendance at Holy Cross Church. A reception followed in the church hall. A display of photos of Padre's history in his ministry was on display. The Knights of Columbus Honor Guards escorted Msgr. Caron, Fr. Greenleaf and Padre Lacasse into the reception hall. Padre Lacasse's brother Paul made a toast in his honor. A buffet was prepared by the Holy Cross Knights of Columbus. Guitarist Derek Thibault provided background classical guitar music while dining. 7 ice cream cake desserts were provided by Cold Stone Creamery.

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OUR NEW NAME!

Since we are now several churches under one Prince of Peace Parish, we asked Padre Roberto if he would consider changing the name from Santa Cruz (Holy Cross) to Comedor Principe De Paz (Prince of Peace) soup kitchen. This would be more inclusive of everone involved. Padre Roberto agreed. On Monday, February 9th, 2009 Betty Turgeon, chairperson of the Social Justice and Peace, met with 35 members of our new parish and it was unanimously agreed upon for the new name. Any posts after this date will refer to the soup kitchen with its new name. Any posts prior will have the old name. We welcome everyone to give ideas, comments and sign up as a blog follower. Because of this the URL for access to the page may eventually change. I will try to give ample notice if this should happen.

Art Auction and Renovation Update

The first two photos show progress of the renovations done at the soup kitchen since our visit in August. The SK was broken into and vandalized, therefore the new metal gate was added to secure the property. The second photo shows progress on the second floor of the SK. Padre and the sisters hope to have rooms on the second floor for classes, studies and research space. Note also in the far left corner of this photo that that the courtyard has been paved with cement. Prior to this the courtyard was dirt.











On November 15th, 2008, Jason Hall, one of the 9 people from the Lewiston/Auburn area, who visited Padre Roberto and the soup kitchen in Cochabamba, held an art auction at Sts. Peter and Paul Basilica in Lewiston. The art was the work of the children from Pardre Roberto's parish. 52 paintings were auctioned and raised $3970.00. This money was sent back to the children to help them with their studies and the soup kitchen. Part of the money will also be used to make renovations to the roof of the former Jesuit Chapel that now operates as the soup kitchen.

Below left is a photo of Miky, one of the artists, with Jason and Padre Roberto. Below center is a painting of Padre Roberto done by Miky. To the right, Jason is holding a portrait of himself also done by Miky.

Padre Roberto is anxiously awaiting his visit to the Lewiston area and the Prince of Peace Parish this summer to celebrate his Jubilee. This will give him a chance to personally thank all those who are helping his parish and the Santa Cruz soup kitchen.

IN THE BEGINNING

The "Santa Cruz" Soup Kitchen is located in Cochabamba, Bolivia in South America. The Holy Cross Social Justice/Peace Commission and the Holy Cross Knights of Columbus Council 12652 undertook the fundraising to help with the start up of the “Santa Cruz” Soup Kitchen. The goal was to have a direct and ongoing relationship between San Eugenio de Mazenod Mission and Holy Cross Church. The partnership has since grown to include all of the Prince of Peace Parish in Lewiston, Maine.

The idea for the project originated with Father Robert Lacasse who is a missionary and pastor of San Eugenio de Mazenod Mission in Cochabamba, Bolivia. A Holy Cross parish native, Father Lacasse spent December 2005 at Holy Cross Rectory assisting Father Dan with parish masses. During his time at Holy Cross Father Lacasse made his wishes known regarding starting up a soup kitchen in his Cochabamba parish.

Cochabamba is a city of 800,000 people in southern Bolivia. Fr. Lacasse’s parish ministers to 30,000 people in an area 3 miles long by 1 ½ miles wide. The children are in greatest need, over 60% are undernourished. Father Lacasse says, “We would like to start a soup kitchen to give these children ONE hot meal a day. I expect 50 of the neediest children to benefit initially and to expand as resources become available.” And so it was, the "Santa Cruz" Soup Kitchen became a reality and was named after Holy Cross Church.

FUNDRAISING AND SUPPORT

The fundraising for "Santa Cruz" Soup Kithen started and continues mainly during the Lenten season. During this time frame members of Holy Cross and Holy Family Social Justice/Peace commissions and members of Holy Cross Knights of Columbus Council 12652 collect donations at the church doors after every weekend mass. Some of the monies donated to the annual "Rice Bowl" program are also made available for the soup kitchen.

Since our original appeal generous parishioners and friends of the soup kitchen have made anonymous donations throughout the year. This past Easter funds in the amount of $300 were collected and pooled by "Trinity Catholic School" children and donated towards this cause - children helping children.

To get the soup kitchen up and running $1,000 was needed and supplied to Father Lacasse in Spring of 2006 to purchase kitchen appliances, pots/pans, dishes, utensils, and other supplies. Once off the ground it was estimated that $200 per month would be needed to maintain Father Lacasse's soup kitchen. The number of children being provided with a daily hot meal has increased since the first meal was served. With the purchase of additional food and inflation the cost of operation has increased to $300 per month - $3,600 per year - and the cost continues to climb.

The money collected is processed through Holy Cross Church and monitored by members of the Social Justice/Peace and the KofC Council 12652. The Knights have a bank account designated specifically for the "Santa Cruz" Soup Kitchen from which a check is sent to Father Lacasse on a monthly basis.

If you would like to make a tax exempt donation to help Fr. Lacasse's children, you can do so by sending your donation to:

HOLY CROSS KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS COUNCIL 12652

ATTN: SANTA CRUZ SOUP KITCHEN

c/0 Holy Cross Church

P.O. Box 1040

Lewiston, ME 04240-1040

Checks should be made out to:

Holy Cross Knights of Columbus Council 12652.

Be sure to indicate SANTA CRUZ SOUP KITCHEN on check.

Indicate if letter and/or receipt is needed to confirm your donation.

COCHABAMBA;Where is it you might ask?

(click on the map for a larger view)

Bolivia is sort of in the center toward the west side of South America, west of Brazil. It is a little less than three times the size of Montana. Cochabamba is located just southeast of La Paz. Bolivia has tall mountains, the Andes, and flat plains. It is one of the poorest countries in South America. They grow soybeans, rice, potatoes, corn, coffee, cotton, and cocoa. Bolivia has some mining and natural gas industry. Their seasons are the opposite of ours here in the U.S. as they are south of the equator. When we have summer, they have winter. The primary language is Spanish; 95% of Bolivians are Roman Catholic.

Our last day of work and play!

This will most likely be the last post until we arrive back in Lewiston on Monday around 4pm if all goes as scheduled.
We had an early breakfast this morning so we could head out to the soup kitchen and finish our paint job. We actually took the bus by ourselves without Papa Roberto with success. Here you see Martha, Diane, Betty, Matt and Norm painting the bottom of the soup kitchen.




Mateo the team captain is being watched by his young teamates. They didn´t want him to paint. They wanted to learn how to play lacross. We soon releived Matt so he could go coach.






Betty and Norm are showing off our finished product.








After the work was done the rest of us joined in the fun. Here you see us showing them the new jump ropes we brought with us. At 8000ft. above sea level it did not take us long to loose our breathe. In the background are the mountains which surround Cochabamba. There was snow this morning on the peaks.




Madelyn is pictured here with our young amigos just before we had to say our final good-byes.







Jen, Norm and Betty saying good-bye to the others after the games were done.

Team Bonita! Work Before Play

After a hard day at work painting the outside of the soup kitchen the temporary Bolivianos´ youngest team member, Matt Adams, takes time out to teach the sisters, Rosa,Narcissa and Lida, how to play lacrosse.They were naturals and Matt has high hopes that they will head the next Olympic team to be sponsorsed by Bolivia.



There were smiles all around the Santa Cruz Soup Kitchen as Team Bonita under the expert guidance of Coach Matt Adams really caught their groove and soundly defeated the opposing team the score was an overwhelming victory for the sisters.






Chaos and confusion ran rampmant at the beginning of the painting project due to the language barrier and complete misunderstanding ofwhat the sisters´desired. Here team members are contemplating purchasing a better Spanish/English dictionary.

Langauge school and Cristo de la Concordia

Hello all at home in Lewiston ,Maine,
We started out the day the morning as usual with breakfast of bread and coffee and tea. I certainly do miss some protein in the morning. We all went up the mountain where the Christ statue is located. The drive up the mountain was a little bumpy but the sites from the top were tremendous. We could see all of Cochabamba, which I never would have believed was so large a city. We went to the top, which was the outstretched arms.Getting to the top was stairs,no elevator.
Next was a visit to the Maryknoll learning center.They had the most beautiful grounds we´ve seen so far. The Father Tom (pictured to the left of the picture) was very gracious and informative of what they do at the center which is to teach langauges(a 5 month course) and courses in ¨social ethics,responsibilty,etc.´
In the afternoon we went to the Oblate house and had tea with Padre Robert and other priests that reside there.It was very interesting to see their house and all the stories they had to tell.
Since this is the first time that I´ve written in the blog I just wanted to express how happy I am to have come here to be with the people,the children in the parish and the soup kitchen. These kids are as happy to see us every day as they were the first day and I enjoy seeing them as much as they us. All the people here are very curious about us and I really like watching them too. The days in the marketplaces and the bus rides are always a new experience.

Norm

Work and Play!

Thanks for all your comments. We´ve been reading them and passing them along.

Things are a bit busy throughout the city today with school children off from school preparing for tomorrow´s Independence Day celebration, demonstrations, and parades. We had breakfast, shopping with Padre, lunch at his parish residence, painting at soup kitchen, and meeting with the some of the young artists.

Meeting the young artists one made a painting of Jason. What a great job he did!







Padre Roberto with some of the young artists.








Matt, Martha, and Norm showing sister how to put together the lacross net.







Preparing the soup kitchen exterior walls for painting.








Padre and Martha toasting with Padre´s favorite drink(Shoofly)...job well done!

Here are Diana and Betty being greeted by the children when we arrived. Sorry but we are having more technical difficulties with computers in the area. They are dial up and slow. We will try again tonight.

Today we went downtown to exchange money and visited gift shops. Then we came to Padre Lacasse´s parish house for lunch.
Tomorrow they are celebrating their independence and we expect many if not all businesses to be closed. There are many parades, protests and excitement. We are blessed to witness this way of life. It is a true growing experience.

Our first day with the Santa Cruz children!

This morning we celebrated mass with Padre Roberto at his residence chapel. We then tried to hail a taxi for all of us and our suitcases of donated items. When we arrived we were greeted with open arms. There was no school today due to a teachers strike, so many of the children were there early. We had a meal with the children, staff and some parents. After the meal we were entertained by the children with local custom dances. We soon found ourselves dancing with them. After the dancing we distributed the rosaries, medals, crucifixes, toys, clothing and more to the children and families.

It did not take long for us to get emotionally attached to them and them to us.

We took many photos and the children were so amazed with our digital cameras. We let them use the cameras to take photos of us and each other.

Norm and Larry then went downtown with the soup kitchen handiman, Eilio. What an experience that was to try to buy a wheelbarrow, hand tools, propane tank, wire and saws. We didn´t speak enough Spanish and he didn´t speak any English. We had paper and pen to communicate and negotiate prices. Then we had to put all this in a taxi to bring back to the soup kitchen.¨

Unfortunately the computer being used at this time does not allow for photos to be uploaded. I will try again in the morning on a different computer.

Photos from Monday!

Pics from yesterday...Johnny & Freddy playing with our cameras and taking pictures of each other and us. Padre Roberto with his children. Us dancing with the children.

This is the Day!

Above left is Padre Roberto celebrating mass at his church. Center is Padre introducing Martha and Matt to his parishioners. Right is the Shrine of Urkupiña.

Today is the big day we have all been waiting for. We are meeting with the soup kitchen children and staff. We are also visiting the local school.

Mass celebrated with Padre Roberto and his parishioners

Today we had breakfast at the hotel and then took a bus to Padre Roberto´s parish. We celebrated mass with them. Padre Roberto introduced each one of us to his parishioners. We then handed out many of the rosaries and medals donated from Prince of Peace Parish. I wish you could see the look on their faces. They are so appreciative of this small gesture. We take so much for granted. They treat these rosaries with great reverence. I don´t have time to post photos as everyone is waiting for me. I hope to have some by this evening. The weather is beautiful. This is their winter? I´ll take this anytime.

We are going for lunch and then visit the Shrine at Our Lady of Urkupiña about 12 kilometers from here. Got to go. We´ll try to update this evening.

We finally made It!!!

After a 2 hour delay in logan we almost missed our connecting flight and were told we would have to stay in Miami for 2 days. We prayed and we made it. As a matter of fact the same plane that brought us to Miami also took us to Santa Cruz. With so many delays we never got to our hotel until 3 am on Saturday. We are now in Cochabamba and resting before dinner. To the left you see us rocking with Fr.Mark from the Boston Diocese waiting for our delayed flight.













Betty had special T-shirts to keep track of her ducklings. To the right Fr. Lacasse is given his shirt. It says "Comoder Santa Cruz" (Santa Cruz Soup Kitchen) and the dates of our trip. Pictured with Padre are Diane and Matt.















Here is our friendly feathered freeloader at the hotel in Santa Cruz.

This is Cathedral San Lorenzo. Its a minor basilica. I had to show this to you as I am called Lorenzo here in Bolivia.

Padre Roberto took us to visit "Nino Feliz" soup kitchen in Santa Cruz. This kitchen feeds 2000 children per day. It also teaches values, life skills and trades. Padre Roberto hopes someday to have our kitchen grow to this level.

Pictured here are Martha, Matt, Jen, and Norm with some of the children from Nino Feliz comedor.

Donated items for Padre Roberto's parishioners

Parishioners of the Prince of Peace Parish churches in Lewiston have generously donated numerous rosaries, icons, prayer cards, crucifixes, and other items for us to bring to Padre Roberto for distribution to his parishioners. This photo is a small sample of the items collected.

Pictured here helping sort out donated items being brought with us to Bolivia are seated on the floor Martha, Madelyn, and Jen. Rob is standing. Seated on the sofa are Betty, Matt and Norm. Diane was sorting in the other room and Larry took the photo. Sorting and packing through all the items took the group over 45 man hours. We filled 9 extra suitcases. Yikes!

Meet the staff. A team beyond compare!

Pictured here is Father Robert Lacasse, OMI. Known to his parishioners as Padre Roberto. Raised and having attended schools in Lewiston, Maine, Padre Roberto is the founder of the Santa Cruz Soup Kitchen. It can be said he is the "Founding Father". During the school year he makes every effort to have lunch with the children at the soup kitchen. Next year Father Lacasse will be celebrating his 50th Jubilee as a priest. He hopes to come back to the Lewiston area to celebrate.

Also, sitting at the table with Padre Roberto is Sister Lida, the administrator of Santa Cruz Soup Kitchen. She is in charge of buying the needed food after she and Dona Benita plan out a menu.

Dona Bonita, serving beverages, is the Santa Cruz Soup Kitchen cook. She is also in charge of planning out the menu with Sister Lida and keeping inventory. She was instrumental in helping Padre Roberto furnish the soup kitchen.

Sister Rose, in the background serving the children has also been instrumental in helping Padre Roberto with the organizing of the soup kitchen. She helps Dona Benito with the cooking and serving.

Preparing for our visit to Cochabamba!

In 2006 we were invited by Fr. Roberto Lacasse to visit his parish in Cochabamba, Bolivia. It sounded like a great idea; soon to be a great reality. We are leaving for Bolivia on August 1st and returning to the States on August 10th. Hopefully, we'll post daily updates so you can follow along on our journey.

Little did we know the challenges we would face in coordinating such an undertaking.

After many months of planning and promoting the trip; we are nine traveling companions who have been bonding and anxious to share the memories of our upcoming adventures. Our group will be introduced as we move along.

Betty, God bless her, has tirelessly researched and coordinated what we had to do and get in order to be able to travel to Bolivia. She found we each needed a passport, visa, and several vaccines from yellow fever to typhoid and more. She also researched who was authorized to give these shots and provide travel papers.

Our biggest fear was not being able to get our visas on time. Until two years ago one did not need a visa to travel to Bolivia. Finding out what the Bolivian Consulate's office required and providing them with the necessary information was a challenge for us since for most of us this was a first. Fortunately, Madelyn, who has had traveling experience with these issues joined our group and has helped put our minds at ease.

Asking for donations of religious items from the Prince of Peace Parish churches the response has been overwhelming. This Sunday, the last Sunday before departure, we are getting together and sorting through the many items. We hope to have photos showing some of your donations.

Padre Lacasse has been busy on his end finding accomodations for us. It sounds like he has quite the itinerary for us.

This week will be busy packing, sorting and preparing.

Comments, Observations and Why?

I thought I would add a few photos of Cochabamba outside of the Santa Cruz soup kitchen to give you an idea, although only a small one, of how different life is from ours. Although poor, hungry, and having limited clothing, the people here are very happy and proud. They are not materialistic as we are because they haven't been exposed to luxuries and spoiled like us. In a way I envy them for not knowing the spoils that surround us. Isn't it sad when we worry about whether our Ipods, cell phones, computers, cars, etc... will function and yet so many in our world, including here in the U.S go hungry and without basic necessities. We have learned to block it out. We have become desensitized to people hurting and starving.

Here in the U.S. we have programs and resources which help a little. Unfortunately they don't solve or eliminate the problems completely even though we like to try to convince ourselves that they do and therefore we don't feel the need to get any more involved in helping our fellow neighbor, because the government will take care of them. We also have those who like to bleed the system and not help themselves.

In places like Cochabamba, Bolivia there are no resources, programs or government help. The help they receive is from each other and us through church programs. The following are photos of the street life in Cochabamba. Note there is no refridgeration for the eggs, fish, poultry, pork and meat.

One observation was that of a man sitting on the sidewalk selling fish. The fish was placed on a tarp on the sidewalk while he sharpened his filleting knife on the curb.

You will notice that most merchants sitting on the ground and many of their items are on the ground level. Some did have a stool or other small chair if they were lucky.

Another observation we all made is that there seems to be plenty of food for sale and plenty of people to consume it, but very little money to purchase the food. Where does it all end up? Rotting? Wasting? Why?

The people we met at the Santa Cruz soup kitchen did not waste anything. They even salvaged the bones from the chicken after we ate.

The purpose of these photos is not to exploit or embarrass anyone, but rather to show the need for all of us to care.

You can double click on any photo to enlarge it.