A celebration at Don Juan

On September 18th Sr. Rosario, superior of the nuns in Don Juan, arrived for a ten-day visit from Argentina.

La Madre Rosario

The principal reason for her visit was to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the presence of the Daughters of Misericordia of Argentina in mission here in Don Juan, Dominican Republic.
There was a four-day celebration that culminated with mass by the Auxiliary Bishop of Santo Domingo, Mons. Pablo Cedano.

Bishop welcomes soon to be sister Maria Josefa

Some of the young people put on a play depicting the life and vocation of St. Maria Josefa Rossello, foundress of their congregation.

Sisters and actresses
Young actresses

All in all it was a wonderful, well-attended celebration of the generosity and commitment of these women and their work with the poor and needy, especially with the children these past ten years.
Sr. Maximina, who initiated the mission here in Don Juan, also came for the celebration. She is well remembered and loved by the people.

Sr. Maximina
Maxie is one of my favorite people. She is six months older than me.
Her heart and spirit is that of a young adventurer in the spirit and love of the Lord. Maxie is a person always open to life. Her generosity and concern for others is second nature to her, and she is always available for the needs of others. Words fail me to express adequately her simple and natural beauty as a person of deep faith and as a loving human being.

~P. Ron

Summer in review

Well I 'm back at it again after a full summer.
I traveled to the USA on June 4th. I was kept busy participating in two weddings, one in California and one in Ithaca, baptisms, graduations, and visiting family and friends. I also attended the funeral of my successor at St. Catherine‘s in Ithaca. I returned to the DR on the 20th of July.

Haley Meagher, a recent graduate from Mercy High School in Rochester, NY, came for the week of July 26th to teach English to parishioners and young adults of the parish in Don Juan.
Her students loved her and she they. It was a first time experience for Haley and was very successful all around, with both students and teacher having great fun and learning a lot. She is eager to repeat the experience.

Sr. Chris Teichel and seven women parishioners from Sacred Heart parish in Auburn, NY arrived on the 29th of July for a week long visit.

The group spent time painting the two new classrooms in the school, with some help from some of the local students.




They also visited the projects the parish has done in the last three summers, including the chapel they are building in the community of Peluda, which is about 70% completed. We had mass there Saturday the 29th.

Mass was held at the chapel in Los Lanos Thursday, near where the previous year parishioners of Sacred Heart had painted some of the houses.

The parishioners of Sacred Heart have each selected a child that they are now supporting for their schooling. On Friday the group met and took pictures of the school children, as many wanted updated pictures of their “adopted” children.


After the photography session was complete, it was time for a party for the children.


Friday night was an evening of folk music and dancing in the parish of Our Lady of the Rosary in Ceuta, a barrio in the outskirts of Santo Domingo.


The women’s group left on Tuesday, August 4th. Once again, this was a very successful and enjoyable trip for all concerned.
Sacred Heart parishioners contribute more than $23,000 a year for the support of the school in Don Juan which this coming school year will have about 400 children, most of whom are poor and disadvantaged.
~Padre Ron

Visitors from Cornell University

On May 25th Mike Schafer, Cornell University Hockey Coach, Mike’s son Luke, friends, Mark and Mason Bishop, masons, Scott Howard, Tony Eisenhut, his daughter Lindsey and her friend Nicole, Cornell students from the hockey team, Joe Scali, Shane Hynes ,Taylor Davenport, Brendan Nash, Dan Di leo and John Nitti, Cornell football, arrived in Don Juan. The group of 14 arrived from Ithaca, NY to do some projects connected with the School, Santa Maria Josefa Rossello.

The group kept busy with many projects during their week of work. They helped to lay the foundation for a nurse's office, built protective walls around the well and cistern openings (the future pump house for the new water system to be put in this fall), and prepared the field for new, coming park for the school children, who will soon number over 400.
The present area for the children outside the school is a wholly inadequate space. The boys at the school, most in single parent households, are very aggressive. The additional, large space is most needed.

They all did great work, interacted with the children of the school and town, and even got to know the local scene in the evening. Much good work was completed and many good memories were made. It was a very successful week for all involved!
Showering dominican style - outside in the rain


~P.Ron

Center of Development of Skills Graduation

Friday, May 15th the First Lady of the Dominican Republic, Doctor Margarita Cedeno de Fernandez, was here in Don Juan for the graduation of more than 400 students from our Center of Development of Skills. The sisters here, with the support of our foundation, bought the property where the center is located, and the nuns direct programming at the center. The building itself was designed, constructed and equipped by the government.Programming at the center includes classes on computer use, cooking, sewing and beautician skills.
The center is one more example of where your contributions to the Portal de Belen Foundation are at work helping the poor better their livelihood.
Doctor Margarita is the first, First Lady of a republic to whom I have ever been able to give a welcoming kiss (may there be more).
She is a very warm, gracious Lady indeed.

My life is never dull here.
~P.Ron

Putting a personal face on the world financial crisis

Like many, my personal income has decreased recently, while my expenses have increased. Tourism, which is the number one industry here in the Dominican Republic, has decreased by 25%. Off-season rates are now en vogue during what is actually the height of the tourist season. I spent two days after Holy Week in a principal resort in Punta Cana. There seemed to be more employees working than guests staying at the resort.

The third largest source of income here is money sent home from family members abroad (principally the USA). Even this source of financial support for local families is down more than 20%.

Previously we were able to cash a check and have it covered in 15 days, the time required is now 50 days. This delay is making projects here difficult to proceed with and to manage, and thereby causing increased unemployment.

A young man, whose nickname is Darling, came to visit me two weeks ago and told me that he was sick and had anemia. At 18 years old, Darling is still growing. He has always been thin, but now Darling seems malnourished more than he is just thin. The only source of income for his family right now is an apartment they rent out. I asked Darling if he had gone a clinic to be examined. He said no, so I gave him the money he needed to do so. Darling was right. Because of malnutrition, anemia is so common here that an 18 year old knows the symptoms and can correctly diagnose himself.

My life here is never dull, could use a vacation from it, at times.
~P. Ron

Sister Maria Arileida

A young woman from the parish here in Don Juan, Arileida Basarte, made her first profession as a nun in the Congregation of the Daughters of our Lady of Misericordia. Sister Maria Arileida made her first profession in the city of Rosario, Argentina. I was invited to attend and celebrate this wonderful event with her, and celebrate we did, with gusto!
~P. Ron

Questioning Sr. Maria Arileida's readiness

Reading her profession

Celebrating with friends!

Children's Olympic games

The children at the El Portal de Belen Daycare Center participated in a day of Olympic games on the last Wednesday in March.

The children played games and completed challenges according to their age and capabilities.