Encuentro Catolica Mission to Uruguay

Each year, the Saint Anthony of Padua group of young parishioners, Encuentro Católica (in English Catholic Encounter), sponsors a celebration of our faith held at the D.C. Armory.  Each year thousands of Hispanic-American Catholics from all over the East Coast and beyond attend this two-day event.

Funds that are raised during this event from ticket and food sales then are used to fund a mission and aid trip by members of the group to a poor area of a randomly selected country in Latin America.  The faith, hope, and charity of those our young travelers meet in these villages always provides much more than they ever give.

This past year, Uruguay was selected as the country and our own former Youth Minister and now Capuchin seminarian, Manuel Avilés, was one of the travelers along with Norma Chavarria, Carla Medina, and Marta Rivera.  


The narrative below is from his email and pictures sent to his brother Capuchins describing the trip.

Dear Brothers,

I want to thank you for your prayers and support during my mission to Uruguay. Attached are some pictures that transmit a bit of the grace-filled experiences I lived during the trip.

The mission was in the Dioceses of Melo located in the northeast part of the country next to Brazil. Melo is one of the poorest dioceses in the country, but fortunate to have hosted Pope John Paul II in 1988, which inspired the Academy Award movie The Pope's Toilet.

During the mission, I had the privilege of working with three other missionaries from St. Anthony of Padua...Since our arrival and until our departure we were welcomed and accompanied by Bishop Heriberto Bodeant, Bishop of Melo, and by a religious community of woman (MJVV) from Peru. The mission consisted in bringing food, clothing and the word of God to four villages and three towns where the religious community serves. Within these towns and villages, we visited an orphanage and a house of rehabilitation for drug addicts.

The Bishop has also posted pictures and a day-by-day report of the mission in his blog:

http://dar-y-comunicar.blogspot.com

Enjoy,

Manuel Avilés, OFM Cap