This parish is essentially rural serving poor communities. Rio Dulce has a large indigenous population. This community was also recently affected by a small cyclone that caused flooding and mudslides in August.

Main church is easily accessible by car. The village chapels (there are 25 chapels in the parish) are remote with difficult access. Most are accessible in 4-wheel drive vehicle. Some can only be reached by foot. Currently there are 2 people who help with catechisms for the main church and 12 for the chapels. There is a need for bibles, songbooks, etc.

In the area of the parish there are 28 government schools and no Catholic schools. There are only private medical clinics in the community of the main parish. There are no medical clinics in the area of the chapels. There is a need to improve medical services; the most serious problems women and children face are: intra-family violence, health issues, and lack of employment Unemployment rate is 20%; many are subsistence farmers. The daily average wage is about $7.50 per day.

Beginning with our monthly outreach collection at Masses February 6-7, the outreach cash donations every-other-month (February, April, June, August, October, December) will be designated for San Antonio Maria Claret. We will also plan trips in the future to visit and will exchange letters and photos. Please remember our sisters and brothers from San Antonio Maria Claret in prayer, as they will be praying for us, too.

For more info on Missions International, visit: http://misisterparish.org