As expressed in our parish Pastoral Plan, parishioners of St. Simon shall commit to social justice and we will root our faith in concrete action.
Since 2005, St. Julie’s Parish in San Jose has sponsored this trip, providing an immersive experience for parishioners who work to build homes for families in dire need, and minister to women and children in Tijuana's La Morita area.
2012 Mission Dates: July 7-14, 2012
2011 Mission July 9 - 16, 2011
For the Summer 2011 trip St. Simon partnered with St. Julie’s and traveled to Tijuana. Funds to build one of the three houses was raised through the 2011 PLG Auction and our Cash Calendar program. Your generous support of these activities was greatly appreciated!
Thank you to the 14 St. Simon parishioners who traveled to Tijuana for the 2011 Ministry trip. We completed three houses, provided a week long camp for 200 local children, and served over 60 women in our Mother's Ministry. One of the homes was dedicated to the people of St. Simon Parish community for thier generosity and support of the Tijuana Ministry. Please click the link on the right hand side of this page to watch the video.
House Construction
This year, the Tijuana Mission project will build three houses for families in desperate need. These families are selected by the parish of St. Eugenio in Tijuana. Pre-construction is done in cooperation with Yerba Buena High School shop classes who pre-built the walls for the houses. They also share their facilities with the mission project parish volunteers to join in and build the trusses, which are then transported to Tijuana. Houses will be built and finished with painting inside and out, electricity, plumbing and sewer.
Mother's Program
The mother’s program is aimed at building relationships and community. Many of the families in this Tijuana parish are from diverse places, and may not know each other well. The mother’s program was developed to help build a sense of community amongst the mothers. In addition to craft projects, the mother’s program also provided some lessons on hygiene, nutrition, finance, relationships and catechism.
Children's Programs
The children’s program in centered on providing children in the area with safe, fun activities, as well as some educational content and catechism. We also provided the children with a snack each day, and some donated toys at the end of the week.
Social Justice
As part of the Social Justice ministry, our mission group will attempt to learn about local conditions and interact and gain understanding of the local residents. As part of this, we visited the memorial at the US/Mexican Border, and Casa del Migrante, a homeless shelter for migrants and recently deported men. We also attended mass with the community and hosted discussions with local families.
Logistics
Pre trip planning, organizing, pre-trip construction. Cooking/Kitchen team while in Tijuana.
For more information, please contact members of our Outreach and Social Justice Council at faithjustice@stsimon.org, or visit St. Julies mission site at www.tjmission.org
Join us for a trip that changes lives and communities...including ours!