The Sister Parish experience is unique. The opportunity to experience another culture and build long-term relationships can be life-changing. Below, members tell us how Sister Parish has affected them.
“For us, the sister parish relationship has awakened our conscience. We learn and look for solutions together in solidarity. We realize that there are people in the U.S. that work for peace, not just war, that people advocate for an immigration reform that could affect our families, and that we can work together for a more humane world.” ~Tierra Nueva II delegates, Guatemala
“Because of the relationships we build, we become catalysts for change in the systems that produce poverty of the spirit and the flesh.” ~Meghan, United States
“With our sister church we share our feelings, our spirituality, our history… The bonds of friendship strengthen our communities.” ~Marleny, El Salvador
“While I like to think that we were able to make an impact on people’s lives in Los Ranchos, what I know for sure is that my experience with them deeply affected my life, enriched it, and set me on the path where I am now.” ~Leah, United States
“We know that we are all brothers and sisters, united through the same God, together in the same faith. It doesn’t matter if we’re from different countries, if we’re rich or poor, if we’re indigenous or not, we are all children of God- and Sister Parish helps us to know that.” ~Emilio, Guatemala
“It was like God’s unconditional love came in and swept us off our feet and held us there for the entire duration of our stay… I grew a lot, both in my faith and as a human being.” ~Abby, United States
“The Sister Parish El Salvador trip was one of the deciding factors for my enrollment in seminary to pursue ordained ministry. As we learned about Archbishop Oscar Romero and how God took this relatively soft-spoken, bookish priest—hardly one to rock any boats—and led him to encounter the risen Jesus Christ among the Salvadoran people who were experiencing such hardships, so much that his heart was changed and his heart became one with the heart of the people, I found that if God could take this imperfect man and change the world through him, God could certainly work through me.” ~B.D., United States
“Sharing the eucharist with my family at Iglesia San Marco Evangelista fed my soul with the true Bread of Life, helping me see beyond my own shortcomings to the fulness of God’s grace, and strengthened my desire to live fully with Christ at the center of my being.” ~Vicki, United States
North-to-South delegate and one of her hosts tour a coffee cooperative in Guatemala.
For more information on the impact of Sister Parish, please follow these links:
sisterparishinc 