In the middle of the large island of Hispaniola, about as far from the beach as you can be in the Caribbean, is a mission of two parishes that the Arlington Diocese has run in the Dominican Republic for 35 years. Historically neglected and even abandoned, the mission is on the border with the desperately poor country of Haiti. Its residents are economically left behind, even as tourism and progress have lifted other parts of the country out of poverty.

Moreover, many destitute Haitian immigrants are trying to somehow get a leg up. One new project for these people, practically without a country (no birth citizenship here), is the visit next month of a team from the Haitian consulate, with the offer of a Haitian birth certificate, a Haitian ID card and – for those who can somehow scrape up the 175 dollars – even a Haitian passport.

Historically, Banica has also been spiritually underserved, without a resident pastor for uncounted generations. Even today, it is a great challenge to get even believers to grasp the need to attend Sunday Mass, go to confession and Communion, or receive the Sacrament of Matrimony. My fellow priest of the Arlington Diocese, Father Elder Maldonado, and I try to get around maybe once a month to the approximately 50 outlying villages to offer Mass and the Sacraments, while trying to build up a bit more infrastructure at the two main parish churches of St. Joseph and St. Francis of Assisi.

One point of hope is our Catholic school which, with the help of the Poor Sisters of St. Joseph, is giving a solid formation in the faith to the students. The school is also positioning itself to offer a special focus and even immersion in English to the students, which would be a huge help to them in terms of career prospects in the future.

Please consider making a sacrificial donation to our Banica mission in the special collection at Masses this weekend. To make an online donation via Parish Soft, see “You’re Invited” or “Parish News” on our website. Or you may use the link below, QR code in the pews or at the church entrance: To support the Banica Mission click "Annual Second Collections" at the bottom of the online donation page. Then click "Mission Cooperative Appeal - Banica Mission."