February 2010 - Fr. Jack Vessels, S.J.

We would like to introduce our new priest, Fr. Jack Vessels, S.J. He was assigned by his Jesuit provincial to be our chaplain last year, and we feel very blessed to have him working with us.

Fr. Vessels is a native of Oklahoma who was raised in McAllen, Texas. He entered the Jesuit order in 1944, a year ahead of Fr. Rick Thomas, so they spent several years together in seminary (and Fr. Jack often jokingly says, “I taught Rick Thomas everything he knew.) Fr. Jack is no stranger to El Paso, coming here in 1959 to be the founding principal of Jesuit High School. Fr. Thomas was assigned to Our Lady’s Youth Center in1964 so they spent a couple of years here together until 1966, when Fr. Vessels was sent to Brazil to be a missionary priest in Sao Paulo. Fr. Jack has many great stories he shares of his adventures ministering to the people of Brazil for 20 years.

After his time in Brazil he went to Rome to become the international leader of the Apostleship of Prayer, whose mission it is to encourage people to pray daily for the Church and for the pope’s intentions. He headed that up for ten years then was involved in retreat ministry in the U.S. for 12 years before joining us.

Fr. Jack is 83 years young and full of vim and vigor. He says Mass for us every day, sometimes at our Food Banks in Juarez, Mexico, sometimes in our main center in El Paso, and three days a week at the Lord’s Ranch in New Mexico. He hears confessions for many hours each week and goes with us to the homes of the sick and elderly to give them the sacrament of the sick.

Fr. Jack has a great sense of humor and his joy is contagious. “I’m so happy to be here and love the work I get to do,” he says.

And we’re so happy he is here, too!

January 2010 - Food Bank Christmas Party

You may remember us telling you about Danna, the baby girl who was born without ears, and how we took her to see an ear specialist who discovered that her auditory nerve was intact and functioning. They fitted the baby with a headband containing specialized hearing aids and taught her mother how to use it.

We’re happy to report that Danna, who is now a healthy one year old, is doing great and is learning to talk. She makes all sorts of sounds typical of normal baby chatter and is the pride and joy of her parents and older brothers.

Danna and her family were present at our annual Christmas party held at the Lord’s Food Bank in Juarez last month. Several hundred people showed up on that beautiful sunny day which started with Mass celebrated by our new priest, Fr. Jack Vessels, S.J. (who we will tell you about in a separate letter). Then we all paraded down to the kitchen/dining area where we watched the colorful matachines as they danced to the big bass drum pounding out the rhythm, the wooden sticks on their skirts clicking to the beat.

Afterwards a delicious meal was served which included tamales, turkey, rice, mashed potatoes, and corn. Young girls went around serving hot cinnamon tea followed by slices of cake for everyone. What a great day it was!

As we begin this new year we ask for your prayers as we continue to serve our poor brothers and sisters in the strife-ridden city of Juarez. Several people have been shot and killed within miles of the Food Bank, victims of the drug-war violence; but our people have great faith, hope, and trust in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

December 2009 - Merry Christmas!

As we enter the time of year when we recall the birth of Jesus, we want to thank all of you for your help in 2009. Because of your generous support we have been able to do what the Lord asks us to do in Matthew 25:31-46. We have fed the hungry at our Food Banks in three separate colonias of Juarez, Mexico; we have helped families get water delivered into their 55 gallon drums outside their cardboard and pallet homes in Loma Blanca where there is no city water; we have welcomed the stranger in our midst as more and more needy come seeking help at our center where they receive clothing as well as groceries; we have cared for the sick each week at our medical clinic; and we continue the weekly visits to prisoners in three Juarez jails. All of this is made possible thanks to your donations and gifts.

 
We will be remembering you and your loved ones in our prayers in a special way this Christmas season. Thank you for being a part of this important outreach to our brothers and sisters in need. On behalf of all of us here….

Merry Christmas!

November 2009 - Bishop's Visit to the Food Bank

Recently we had a special guest come to visit the Lord’s Food Bank – the bishop of Juarez, Mexico, Bishop Renato Leon. Bishop Renato had heard about the work we do and had met Fr. Richard Thomas, S.J. several times, but he had never been to the Lord’s Food Bank and he wanted to see it. So a date was set and the people busily prepared for the bishop’s visit.

Bishop Renato joins the crowd who welcomed him to the Lord's Food Bank.

The festive day arrived and many of our volunteers, the people we serve, and the children from our Montessori school came to greet Bishop Renato. Waving yellow and white balloons, we all lined the dirt driveway that leads into the Food Bank property. The bishop got out of his car and joined us as we processed along. We stopped at each of the buildings so he could get a tour of the medical and dental clinics, the classrooms, the warehouse where we store groceries and supplies, and finally the kitchen/dining area. The cooks had prepared a nice meal which was served to everyone and then the schoolchildren performed some delightful songs that they had been practicing for this special event. We also showed a video of how Fr. Thomas started the Food Bank and other ministries back in the 1970’s.

The bishop touring the pharmacy at the medical clinic.

The bishop was so happy and told us, “I have heard many good things about what you do here. I am so glad to now see it for myself.” Before he left he handed out bags of candy to the children then blessed all of us and promised his help and prayers. “Thank you for your faithful service to the Lord and to His beloved poor!” he said as he waved goodbye. The children ran after the car cheering and singing their farewell.

October 2009 - Church in Juarez update

You may remember earlier this year the letter about the church called St. Anthony Marie Claret that we were helping build in a very poor area in Juarez, Mexico. Several of you very generously sent in donations to help with that construction and the Claretian missionaries who are in charge of the parish are so grateful. We wanted to give you an update.

First we extended the whole structure so that more people could fit in the church.

Then we put up insulation and plywood to cover the walls that were made of wooden pallets. Next came a roof with tar paper to keep out the sun and the rain, and then the women decorated and fixed it all up beautifully inside.

“We are very happy with our church,” said one mother who helped build it from the ground up.“I want my children to know God and having a church of our own to go to each week is helping them a lot.”

Another person shared, “With all the violence swirling around us, we know that God is our only hope. We find peace and strength in this place.”

A few weeks ago several children received their First Communion here. As we looked at their smiling faces and at their proud parents and happy relatives, once again our hearts were filled with gratitude to God and to you for making their dream of having a neighborhood church a reality.

September 2009 - The Bible on the Border

We are very pleased to announce the publication of a book, entitled The Bible on the Border, which was written about the ministries of Our Lady’s Youth Center. The book's author is a Canadian journalist named Richard Dunstan who has been a frequent visitor to Our Lady’s Youth Center over the last twenty years. Fr. Thomas had suggested to Richard that he write a book about what he saw and experienced in his visits, and Richard took up the challenge. That was over 11 years ago. After many years of working on this project -- interviewing people, writing, editing, updating -- the book was finally published this summer.

Richard did a wonderful job capturing the essence of our apostolate, and it’s a beautiful tribute to Father Rick Thomas’s life and work.

Click here to order a copy.

August 2009 - Volunteer Doctors

Each Tuesday we operate a medical clinic at the Food Bank in Juarez, Mexico. We call it “The Lord’s Clinic” and it provides a much-needed service to the poor people in the area. Aurora Alvarado, a registered nurse from El Paso, has headed up the clinic for over 20 years. Volunteer doctors and nurses have come and gone through the years but sometimes she has been the only trained medical person on site.
However two and a half years ago, two doctors started volunteering at the Lord’s Clinic and have been faithfully coming every week since then.

Dr. Guadalupe Apodaca and Dr. Guadalupe Ibarra heard about the clinic at the Lord’s Food Bank and about the great need in the area, and they came to offer their services. “The first time I walked into the clinic, I felt so peaceful and calm – like I’ve never felt before,” shared Dr. Ibarra. She knew there was something special about it and wanted to be a part of this outreach.

Dr. Apodaca first met Father Rick Thomas when she was 7 years old. “He started a prayer meeting at our house,” she told us. She is very happy to be a part of this ministry that he began. Dr. Apodaca’s husband is a pharmacist and he donates a lot of medicines to the clinic.

It’s not easy practicing medicine in such an impoverished area. The challenges are many and the medical staff often face difficult dilemmas. For example, many of the patients have high blood pressure. As most of us know, a person with high blood pressure needs to decrease their salt intake. But salt takes away hunger pangs and some of the patients who don’t have enough to eat put a lot of salt on a tortilla to ease their hunger. This causes their blood pressure to go sky high. So while the patients should be told, “Go easy on the salt,” what do you do about the hunger problem?

These two doctors don’t just stop at giving medical advice and prescriptions. Out of their own resources they bring large quantities of beans, rice, canned goods and clothing to the clinic to be given to those most in need. They have a heart to help the people and go out of their way to do so.

We are very blessed to have them serving with us. They have promised Aurora, “We’ll make sure that one of us will always be here.” And even though they have to juggle schedules and other commitments, we can be sure at least one of them always shows up.