Metro Detroit — There are an estimated 1.2 billion Catholics spread across six continents on the earth.

Even with numbers so large, some still fail to grasp the Church’s true impact across the globe.

That’s part of the reason several local parishes have developed unique ties with their brothers and sisters in Christ half a world away, proving the Catholic Church is one large family dwelling in more than 200 different countries.

“Sister parish” relationships not only provide a chance for local parishes to feel a common connection with those thousands of miles away, but also to lend needed support in the form of finances, material items and prayers.

Judy Moenck, an administrative assistant and parishioner at St. Owen Parish in Bloomfield Hills, said the parish’s relationship with its sister parish in the Dominican Republic is beneficial for both communities.

“We provide them with medical supplies and tools that are needed to improve their community,” Moenck said. “In return, we receive a greater sensitivity and appreciation for our blessings and gifts.”

St. Owen started its sister parish relationship in 2005 through mutual connections with the Adrian Dominican Sisters. Parishioner Laura Bryals partnered with Sr. Carol Groose, OP, to form a small mission group to visit the Church of the Good Shepherd in Haina, Dominican Republic.

“We’ve had people go down there and see with their own eyes what’s needed,” Moenck said. “At first, we were helping them build a room for meetings and could host children and families in need. Now we are working on building a food pantry and providing food and medical supplies.”

Haina is one of the poorest areas in the Dominican Republic, with many of its residents sick with lead poisoning because of the contaminated environment.

St. Owen Parish has continued to send mission trips to the Dominican Republic and raises money year-round for the community.

“We have two primary mission fundraisers each year,” Moenck said. “In the fall we have a basket auction where individuals sponsor a themed basket that we auction off and raise proceeds for the parish in the Dominican Republican. During Lent, we have a Lenten giving tree with our sister parish, where the tree will have envelopes of items needed, and people respond with a dollar amount or items needed for the parish.”

SS. Cyril and Methodius (Slovak) Parish in Sterling Heights has a sister parish relationship with Holy Family Parish in Kagongwa, Tanzania. The relationship started when Tanzanian Bishop Ludovick Minde visited SS. Cyril and Methodius in 2007.

Since then, parishioners have traveled to Africa every two years to help build a church and school as well as the infrastructure needed to acquire clean water and a satellite connection to the Internet.



In 2010, Fr. Benjamin Kosnac led the first SS. Cyril and Methodius mission trip of around 30 people to Africa, including some of its Slovakian parishioners.

“We worked on two projects: the building of the convent and the construction of the dormitory for the girls’ school, which was the original fundraising project,” said parishioner Brendan Newell, who helps coordinate SS. Cyril and Methodius’ sister parish relationship.

“I had a different role,” Newell said. “The bishop had a need for computer labs in his schools. So I conducted my own fundraising project and was able to get funds for computers sufficient for two schools. Generators were also need, as electricity was not yet available.”

Since the first mission trip, parishioners at SS. Cyril and Methodius have built upon that physical and technological infrastructure, while also teaching lessons at rural primary schools and baptizing more than 40 new Catholics in the region.

“The mission trips have made me recognize how global and diverse the Catholic Church is,” Newell said. “If you go to rural Tanzania, there are Catholics there. It shows we are really one global family. I recommend people take at least one trip to Africa in their lives; to me it’s the perfect spiritual retreat. You put in an honest day’s work for people who appreciate your help, and at night it’s quiet and you have time for God.”

Parishioners at Holy Family are thankful for the support from SS. Cyril and Methodius, saying the experience has created a positive image of Americans abroad.

“What we admire here is the generosity and simplicity of the people of SS. Cyril and Methodius Parish,” said Sr. Flevy D’Souza of the Poor Sisters of Our Lady, an order that works in the Diocese of Kahama, Tanzania. “The vacation time for the Americans is in August, and the people normally go to visit tourist attractions. But this group practically comes every year to Kahama, one of the poorest dioceses in Tanzania, and render their service in the diocesans schools and parishes. We are grateful to them and we look forward for their next visits in the coming years.”

From the American perspective, two-time mission trip participant Megan Wolf said the visits can be a source of inspiration.

“You go to church in Africa, and you are getting the same sacraments,” Wolf said. “They have so little in their lives, but their faith is so great. From them, I have discovered I have so much to learn about my own faith and spirituality.”

Wolf believes SS. Cyril and Methodius Parish is better off with a sister parish relationship, giving parishioners a chance to have a personal connection with their brothers and sisters in Christ, even if they live on a different continent.

“People are now more willing to travel outside the United States for their Catholic faith,” Wolf said. “When people send money overseas, they know it’s going to a member of our community. There is a face to go with a name.”