Jesus sent out his disciples in today’s gospel and so today we are sending out Johnny and Cookie Davis as missioners to the Dominican Republic for a week trip beginning June 21. They have been helping a young student Luis Garcia for a decade. Cookie met him while on the ECW Board. Her first mission trip to the Dominican Republic was in 2005 with Bishop Frank Gray.
He visited St Peter’s in Christmas, 2011 where we had two readings of Luke 2, one in Spanish from Luis and one in English from Catherine. His visit led to this this story. His passion was to be a priest and he entered seminary.
Cookie writes of her relationship. "When I met him his grandmother who raised him had died and he was staying with the priest and his family. He still considers us his family too since Johnny and I have been helping him along the way."
He now has graduated from seminary. A description of his current work is described below.
"His current assignment is in Santana Bani, where he is in charge of a school, four churches (one under construction) and a dormitory that can house 30 people. He is ordained, but lacks his college diploma. This means that he is a provisional priest and must finish his education to be formally declared a priest."
Cookie and Johnny have begun two tasks. They are collecting funds for him from St Peter’s ministries to be able complete his education. It will take 2 years and $4,000 to complete his education. Much of the funds are for travel to a distant school and support while in school since he is now married and has his own family.
They will be working on mission projects within his churches. This is the first St Peter’s mission trip by parishioners since Roger and Eunice Key helped out a Moravian clothing distribution in Staten Island, New York and then helped in hurricane relief in a succeeding year.