4 minute read
The Children of God Ministry: Providing Essential Education, Connecting to an Important Need
Nearly half of Guatemalans live below the poverty line, according to the World Bank. Guatemala has a population of about 18 million and is also one of the top countries in terms of childhood malnutrition. The gap between the poor and wealthy is vast. Also, girls in Guatemala are treated as second-class citizens. A group of Dominican Sisters, Dominicas de La Anunciata, in Chichicastenango, Guatemala, is working to ensure girls have access to education from kindergarten to high school at the School of the Anunciata. Some of the girls live in dormitories across the street. Here at Our Lady of Lourdes, we’ve been financially supporting the sisters’ work for more than 20 years.
“Here in the United States, access to education isn’t something we really even need to think about,” says Kathleen DeRubio. “That’s not the case in Guatemala.”
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Our parish’s Children of God Ministry started with a dream and vision of Kathleen’s husband, Allan DeRubio, in the year 2000. Allan was born and raised in Guatemala. He became a United States citizen at the age of 21. For many years, he yearned to do something for the people of Guatemala. Part of his vision was to start with a painting. He traveled to Guatemala and commissioned Sister Donna Korba to complete a painting, which still hangs at Our Lady of Lourdes. This started the relationship with the School of the Anunciata.
“The way out of poverty is education,” Kathleen says. “These girls get to eat decent food, receive room and board, and education. These girls wouldn’t be in school if they weren’t getting support like what we offer. This is all part of taking care of each other. That’s what the Lord asks of us.”
Parishioners at Our Lady of Lourdes have continued to support the school financially. Thanks to generous donations, we continue to send about $6,000 to $9,000 to the school every two months. Unfortunately, Allan could not witness the continued fruits of the relationship, as he passed away in 2012 at the age of 64. But Kathleen knows his legacy lives on through this ministry.
“Allan was so loved by our parish,” Kathleen says. “People have been so generous to this ministry. It’s been a beautiful way to carry on Allan’s legacy.”
Over the years, Allan and Kathleen led many trips to Guatemala. Some were to meet the people, while others were to help with medical and dental needs. Throughout several trips, one of Allan’s dreams — to add on to the school — came to fruition. Parishioners and others on the trip added a teacher’s lounge, office and additional classrooms. The classrooms are used for college preparation for female students. This is an opportunity these women would have never had otherwise if not for the school and the sisters.
The work of this ministry has been impacted a bit by the pandemic — Kathleen previously organized Guatemalan coffee and chocolate sales after Mass. She would love to get this part of the ministry going again, with a bit of help. The money raised went straight to the sisters.
Kathleen would also love to have help in planning trips to Guatemala, with the goal of seeing the trips start up again. The trips serve the purpose of building relationships and helping with the needs of the school and sisters.
“This ministry shows that people in our parish want to connect to a need in a developing country,” Kathleen says. “When we give to the sisters, this is a direct connection. The money goes right to where it is needed, and they send an update every month.”
Kathleen would love to connect with parishioners who want to lend a hand in the Children of God Ministry. It means so much to her to honor Allan in this way.
“When I think about Allan, I think he has got to be pleased,” she says. “He has to be smiling. He knows he did something important in his life and that’s pretty cool.”
