The Family of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus started in 2005 at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Portland Oregon USA with a group of friends of Deacon An Vu. It was recognized as a Private Association of the Faithful on Dec 8, 2009 by Archbishop John G. Vlazly, Archbishop of Portland in Oregon.
The Mission in El Salvador started from 2014
The Establishment
I am Deacon Jose Gonzalez of the Portland Diocese in Portland Oregon, USA. It is truly an honor for me to be able to be a part of this great family which under the hospice of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus helps in the mission of serving the elderly and the poor.
In 2014, I was in retreat for permanent Deacons, when I was invited by Deacon An Vu to join this mission for El Salvador. Today I am part of the Boards o Co-Founders.
I coordinate the delivery of rice in: El Salvador (my native county), Columbia, Dominican Republic, Congo and Tanzania, Guatemala, Honduras, Uganda, people who collaborate with me in the United States and a group of 12 people in El Salvador, among them transitioning Deacon (Cruz Martinez) soon to be ordain. He is the coordinator and the rest are collaborators.
With the help of Therese Charities we started helping 50 elderly and with the collaboration of friends and family we now help 130. (We plan on this number to be growing)
Every 2 months I deposit money in an account established in El Salvador, the assigned person will then withdraw it to buy at wholesale so it can be more cost effective.
The group meets once a week to read the bible, share their faith and pray. They use one of the weekends to pack food which are delivered after one of the masses. Some people are unable to pick them up because they are ill or very elderly. In that case them a group of at least 2 members will bring those meals to their residence.
Each time the meals are delivered, a picture is taken, then it is delivered to me. I forward these to Deacon An Vu. Some uploaded to a Facebook Page (San Mateo Community) created specifically for this mission. In addition they are filled away in a folder.This group of people has been selected by the coordinator and collaborators based on their necessities and available sources. We have taken their names, address and identification number.
I also coordinate the delivery of meals in Dominican Republic, where we help 50 peoples. The Local Coordinator is Father Juan Carlos Gonzalez and his collaborators.
October 19 –29, 2015
Teresa Charities |24
GUIDELINES FOR DISTRIBUTION OF FOODS FOR TERESA CHARITIES
1. Each groups must have a coordinator and at least 5 other people who will be collaborating. The group must have approved by the local priest, the food will be delivered after one of the masses, people who cannot collect food for the reasons of health or because they are advanced in age, will received food at least two members of the group.
2. Each group will received a specific amount, determined by Deacon An Vu or Deacon Jose B. Gonzalez provided they meet the requirements by Teresa Charities, each coordinator will be responsible for maintaining communication via telephone, e-mails with Deacon Jose B. Gonzalez, Responsibilities include but not limited to:
Maintaining a list of names, address and identification number of each beneficiary
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- Address where the supplies delivered.
- Identify with the help of the group to new beneficiaries.
- In each delivery photos will be taken and these will be sent to Deacon Jose B.Gonzalez (no money is sent until a report has been received).
- Submit report with stories of how impacted the lives of some beneficiaries
- Submit names, photo and description of the role of each group member..
- Pray as group for members and benefactors.
