Catholic Priest in Mexico Helping Community

Catholic Charity Work in Mexico

We have answered the call to evangelize in Mexico since 1998. The Legion of Christ had long been doing missions in Mexico when they realized they wanted to provide more help. They were offering their priestly services serving the community spiritually, but the people needed physical uplift as well. Today, we are involved in many ways in Mexico from rebuilding schools, to providing spiritual uplift, and bringing food to the hungry.
Explore the tabs to learn more about the mission to end the cycle of poverty and violence and donate to Catholic charity work in Mexico.
Click here to learn more about Evangelizadores de Tiempo Completo
Click here to learn more about helping children at Mano Amiga Mexico

Creating Self-Sustaining Communities through Livestock

ETC shelter in Mexico

The Gift of Chickens

Chiapas and Tabasco, Mexico have suffered tremendously in the past couple of years. The combination of the pandemic and unexpected natural disasters has stripped these two communities of essential needs, spiking homelessness and unemployment. While being deprived of basic needs, it can be easy to lose hope and become spiritually empty.

Fortunately, we have the unique opportunity to partner with two passionate Catholic lay missionaries to physically and spiritually uplift Chiapas and Tabasco.

The Evangelizadores de Tiempo Completo (ETC) missionaries, Andrés Hernández and Leonel Góngora, dedicate their lives to fulfilling the needs of vulnerable and remote communities where Priests cannot go to daily. With the help of Andrés and Leonel, we have an innovative solution to provide these communities with the materials they need to create and maintain a self-sustaining lifestyle.

We are on a mission to supply 25 families with chickens, and the resources needed to raise the animals which will become an ongoing source of food and income!

Thanks to their experience in husbandry and evangelization, the ETCs will oversee and assist each community in raising the livestock while also sharing the love of God through this unique opportunity for evangelization.

Andrés and Leonel are ready to spring into action and help these communities take their first steps towards self-sustainability. Join us as we transform lives in Mexico with chickens, and above all, Christ’s love and hope.

Relief from Rising Rivers in Chiapas and Tabasco, Mexico

Relief from Rising Rivers in Chiapas and Tabasco, Mexico

With pandemic fatigue looming, the humble residents of Chiapas and Tabasco were hit with a catastrophic blow in November of 2020. Storm Eta swelled rivers, causing landslides and floods in these impoverished states in southern Mexico. In the in the city of Tapilula, located on the north-west side of the State of Chiapas, 10 families suddenly found themselves homeless.
ETC, Tabasco, Mexico help for flooding areas

San Patricio (St. Patrick) Catholic Church

Fr. Patrick Butler, LC, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Fr. Patrick Butler, LC is dedicated to fulfilling both the physical and spiritual needs for his community. For the past 10 years, Fr. Patrick has served as a missionary in Playa del Carmen in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Originally, he began as an assistant pastor but has spent the past 5 years as a parish priest for Sagrado Corazon (Sacred Heart).

The Sagrado Corazon (Sacred Heart) parish contains two communities in separate locations: Divino Niño (Divine Child) and San Patricio (St. Patrick). Fr. Patrick deeply cares about the wellbeing of both communities, as he administers to demanding parish needs and humbly provides pastoral care.

Beyond administrative efforts, Fr. Patrick practices corporal works of mercy by feeding the hungry through his Community Kitchen and visiting the homes of the sick through hospital ministry. Fortunately, the local community contains a few Catholic schools available for students in elementary, middle, and high school. By understanding the importance of illuminating the mind through education, Fr. Patrick is also a religion teacher and a chaplain at multiple Catholic schools.

Fr. Patrick’s passionate generosity is evident through his many service efforts. Moving forward, he intends on finalizing the construction of San Patricio church.

Father Patrick having lunch with children at Mano Amiga Mexico School

Due to the unexpected pandemic, he is now in need of your generosity to continue providing food through a local Community Kitchen.

Gospel of Peace

The Gospel of Peace Initiative in Michoacán, Mexico

Catholic priest delivering message in Mexico

The people of Michoacán are fleeing to the United States border to escape persecution and drug violence, and find safety. Bishop Javier Navarro does not want to stand idly by while his city comes to ruin.

 “The people of Michoacán, Mexico constantly live in fear. Michoacán suffers from the highest rate of homicide and kidnapping in all of Mexico. The children are bought and sold by traffickers while mothers are kidnapped and abused. Leaving the house at night means risking your life. Gangs and drug cartels doing the devil’s work are gaining power.”
– Bishop Javier Navarro

But the route to flee is just as dangerous as staying home for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Gospel of Peace is an initiative to combat the violence that plagues the world starting with those in Michoacán, Mexico.

Building up the body of Christ: Corpus Christi Parish in Playa del Carmen

Catholic priest performing missionary work in Mexico

“We cannot attend people’s needs without a church.” – Fr. James Hogan, LC

Fr. James Hogan, LC has served in Playa del Carmen in Quintana Roo, Mexico (Yucatan Peninsula) for 14 years. The current population of Playa del Carmen is about 280,000, not including tourists. 64% of the population is Catholic, meaning there are about 180,000 people who need a place to worship.

Fr. James is the pastor of Corpus Christi parish. His work there is completely pastoral. He attends to the needs of families, young people, and the sick. The parish community of Corpus Christi grew into existence about nine years ago.

There are two main groups of people Fr. James ministers to: local residents who work long hours at resorts, and the tourists who visit. Because of the long shifts and long commutes to and from work, most of the parishioners who work in the resorts spend a lot of time away from their families and are unable to attend daily, or even weekly, Mass. As Fr. James pondered this problem, he was inspired to build five perpetual adoration chapels where parishioners could  spend time with Jesus in the Eucharist and grow their relationship with him as their schedules permitted.

These chapels have been tremendously fruitful. Fr. James tells us, “[The fruits] are unbelievable! People are there 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Before they started coming to Adoration, they saw Jesus just as a picture or a statue, someone remote and far away and unfeeling. But as they spend more time with him in the chapels, they learn to see him as ‘my friend;’ they discover he is a person who loves me.”

There is an enormous need for churches, schools, classrooms, a family center, soup kitchens, etc. Fr. James is steadfastly ministering to the needs of his flock. He tells us, “We cannot attend people’s needs without a church.”

See photos of each of the five adoration chapels established by Fr. James below:

Mayan Chapel

Mayan Chapel

Fr. Bernard Quinn, LC, first brought this project to us. Originally, Fr. Quinn asked us to rebuild a church in Playa de Carmen, Mexico, after it was damaged in Hurricane Wilma several years ago. What started as a restoration project for the church has expanded from disaster relief to evangelization, and education projects.

Catholic Chapel in Mexico

Medical Mission to Chiapas

Helping Hands Medical Missions teams up with full time missionaries to offer medical relief in Chiapas, Mexico.

Medical Mission volunteers collaborated with fulltime lay missionaries, or Evangelizadores de Tiempo Completo (ETCs) on a trip this past July to offer aid to some of the poorest and most remote areas of Chiapas, Mexico. The effort was authorized by the Archbishop of Tuxtla Gutierrez and coordinated through the local parishes.

About 900 residents of Copainala, Coapilla and Ocotopec were treated by volunteer doctors, nurses and even an orthodontist. ETC and volunteer missionaries offered spiritual guidance and support for these people, many of whom are suffering due to poverty and lack of health care.

The residents were given checkups and physicals, as well as medicine and vitamins to help alleviate their most immediate and treatable ailments. Basic dental equipment was given to patients to take home.

Some of the sick who were too ill to travel received home visits

Many of the volunteers were inspired by the residents’ tremendous attitudes and resolve despite being plagued with various incurable diseases and handicaps. Along with the medical personnel, Fr. Dominic Pham, LC was also on site to offer spiritual guidance and prayer.

Much was done during just a week’s time, but it still is only a drop in the bucket. More importantly, however, is the light shed on the harsh realities that plague these areas. The knowledge of these conditions and the great need will hopefully generate more awareness and support for these people going forward. A commitment has already been made for another mission next year.

Help doctors treat patients in Mexico
Catholic missionaries visiting the sick in Mexico
Catholic Missionaries medical team helping people in Mexico
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