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.