PTPA February 2025 Newsletter:
TOGETHER, WE CAN DO GREAT THINGS!
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Dear PTPA Friends,
As we’ve said before, 2025 promises to be a time of growth and transformation as we devote ourselves to our vital mission: to live the Gospel by seeking, promoting, and supporting the formation, growth and development of twinning relationships between Catholic parishes in the U.S. and Catholic parishes in Haiti and Latin America. Our sole purpose is to support the important work you do to help sustain impoverished Catholic parishes in poverty-stricken countries.
We want to share some bittersweet news with you. Executive Director David Siler is moving to a new career opportunity. We have been blessed to have David lead PTPA over the past few years, and now he will be using his skills as an experienced social worker to assist those seeking help for their mental health. We wish David great success in his new work.
You can rest assured that our important work will continue. We move forward with great faith, hope and confidence as we begin our search for the right person to fill this important leadership role. As we search for a new Executive Director, we will continue to do all we can to serve and support you in your work on behalf of your twin parish. PTPA Executive Assistant, Karen Schecter, is available to assist you and coordinate with PTPA Board Members in supporting you. Karen can be reached via email at kschecter@ptpausa.org.
With your continued support, PTPA will continue to serve as an essential resource to help the poorest of the poor, sharing God's love in Haiti and Latin America. If you know any mission-driven Catholics with leadership experience who might be interested in the position of PTPA Executive Director, please send an email to PTPA Board President Steve Schmitz at info@ptpausa.org.
We pledge to do all we can to remain faithful to our commitment to work together to share God’s love in Haiti and Latin American. We must remember always, with God, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!
God bless you,
PTPA Board of Directors
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Twinning Highlights and PTPA Services
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To help us live our story and provide services to help the poorest of the poor, continue reading for more information about some of the latest and greatest work that US parishes are doing to support their twin parishes, new PTPA resources, and upcoming events.
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The Legacy and Faithful Commitment of PTPA Continues
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PTPA serves approximately 300 US-based Catholic parishes already twinned with sister parishes in Haiti and Latin America. Our passion to serve and their passion to twin is still alive and burning.
We pledge to continue our commitment to support our twin parishes. As you may know, PTPA provides a wealth of valuable information regarding twinning “best practices.” We recently launched a resourceful website and a multi-media, content-rich Membership Portal with everything you need to know about parish twinning, including:
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PTPA Twinning Fundamentals, including fundraising, finance, accounting, do’s and don’ts, how to start a twin parish, etc.
- Parish Support and Program Services, including information about
- Education support,
- Health, sanitation and clean water,
- Agricultural/farming
- Solar energy
- Starlink internet services
- Spirituality of Mission
- Country and Travel Information
- Additional Resources, including stories and updates from parishes and other helpful resources.
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One of our most important goals and successful outcomes is to connect mission-minded parishioners who want to learn, exchange information, and network at our National Conferences and monthly Zoom Gatherings. We are hosting Hearts on Fire, the 2025 PTPA National Conference at the Catholic Pastoral Center and Inn at Opryland in Nashville, August 15 – 17. We hope you will plan to attend.
Click here to learn more about the conference. Also, you can view the most recent and upcoming Zoom Gatherings here, as well as a library of recorded Zoom gatherings here.
PTPA has been in existence for 47 years since our founder, Theresa Paterson, went on her first (of 100+) mission trip to Haiti in 1978. With 200+ years of PTPA twinning experienced by our board members and our founder, we have proven knowledge to support our mission and collaborate with sister parishes, as well as a history of accompanying them as they begin their twinning journey and take their first mission trip to visit their sister parish.
PTPA is guided by the Gospel of Matthew 25: “What you did for the least of my brothers, you did it for me.” We are committed to working in collaboration with you to alleviate the misery and suffering of our sister parishes in both Haiti and Latin America. PTPA is richly blessed by your support and commitment to our organization and your twin parishes in Haiti and Latin America. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. God bless you in your inspiring work for your twinning mission.
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January 2025 PTPA Newsletter Corrections and Additional Information from Parishes as They Continue to Help Others
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Last month, we shared two stories about, “What PTPA Member Parishes Continue to Accomplish During These Challenging Times.” Regrettably, we discovered an error in the names of the U.S. twin parishes featured in these stories.
In the story, “Disseminating Information to Help Others,” the correct name of the parish twinned with Saint Therese in Marbial, Haiti, is Precious Blood Parish in Milford, CT. In the story, “Visiting Their Twin in Haiti,” the correct name of the parish twinned with Saint Jacques le Majeur in Plaine du Nord, Haiti, is St. Joseph Parish in Evansville, IN. Please accept our apologies for these errors.
Precious Blood is sharing new Haiti highlights to help inform other PTPA members about best practices. Its twin, the parish of Saint Theresé in Marbial, Haiti, is celebrating its centennial anniversary on February 9, 2025. As part of its ongoing aid to its brothers and sisters in Haiti, Precious Blood Parish has sent $4500 to help with food, teacher salaries and other needs as requested by the pastor, Father Herol. The Haiti Ministry is grateful for the continuing generous support of the parishioners of Precious Blood Parish.
In case you missed it in our last issue, read a detailed report about the twinning work of St. Joseph Parish in their newsletter here.
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View Past Newsletters with the following articles about Best Practices and PTPA Resources and Services by Clicking Here:
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- Sharing Best Practices:
- January 2025:
- Accomplish Miracles: Become a PTPA Ambassador - We Need You!
- A Way to Raise Funds for Your Twinning Activities
- October 2024:
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If your parish is struggling to keep the passion alive for your parish twin mission, you might consider your own newsletter; view an example.
- Water Purification Systems
- Working together with other parishes: the CINCH conference
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New PTPA Resources & Services to Help You Twin:
- January 2025:
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Transforming Haiti's Classrooms: P4H Global --- a resource to help train teachers in Haiti and throughout the world
- Updated PTPA MEMBERSHIP PORTAL Service
- November 2024:
- Honduras Bound: PTPA trip to Honduras to promote and improve twinning
- October 2024
- IMG Travel Insurance
- Create a Catholic Will
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February Monthly Zoom Gathering |
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Thursday, Feb. 27, 7:30 PM ET |
Presenter: P4H's Education Director, Grace Zelaya-Reyes, and Administrative Director, Kayla Courson
Read above for more information about P4H.
Click here to REGISTER
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PTPA is a Catholic, non-profit organization. Our mission is to live the Gospel by seeking, promoting, and supporting the formation, growth and development of twinning relationships between Catholic parishes in the U.S. and Catholic parishes in Haiti and Latin America.
“I assure you, as often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me.” Matthew 25:40
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