Meeting Archbishop Restrepo 

On Thursday October 8, Teeny Perret, Jose Luna, and Reggie Bollich of St Jules Parish along with Gustavo Betancourt, Ben Bollich, Laurie Ottenbreit of the Fundacion de Merienda met with Archbishop Restrepo Restrepo of the Archdiocese of Manizales, Caldas Province, Colombia in Archbishop Restrpo's office for the purpose of thanking the Archbishop for sanctioning the work of the Fundacion de Merienda and supporting the building of the Casa Charlene.

During the meeting Archbishop Restrepo expressed his appreciation to Fr. Dan Edwards and the parishioners of St Jules Parish for their generosity in feeding the poor and for the building of the Casa Charlene, a hospice to be used in serving the poor of the inner city of Manizales. He blessed his visitors who departed after a brief prayer. The Archbishop plans to attend the dedication of the Casa Charlene upon completion.

Sharing a Meal with the Homeless

Last night was a great opportunity for our classroom community to share a meal with the homeless people of Manizales. Way to 5B! The immense altruism and responsibility towards the poor lit up the night up for many people. I send a sincere "thank you" to the AWESOME students of 5B, our classroom moms, Tali for organizing the food, the dedicated volunteers of El Foundation La Merienda and the Parish of Saint Jules of Lafayette, LA. This final merienda warms my heart and will leave many poignant memories. Thanks for creating magic yesterday evening. I love you all!
Mr B :)

Christmas 2014

St. Jules Parish (Lafayette, LA - USA) feeds abandoned residents who live without hope for future prosperity in 'el centro' Manizales.

On the evening Thursday December 4, 2014 the 'Fundacion de Merienda' cooked and distributed Christmas meals to 1,100 street people, including homeless children and young women who must demean themselves for a livelhood on the streets of the inner city. 

St Jules Parish interprets Pope Francis' core message literally, "We are a church of sinners, we invite all sinners to join at His table, no one is turned away".

Fundacion La Merienda

'Fundacion La Merienda' is a non-profit organization comprising a group of Diocese of Manizales Colombia Catholic volunteers who prepare, cook and serve meals to residents of El Centro Manizales. These meals are made possible by the generosity of the parishioners of St Jules Parish (Lafayette, LA - USA).  

Casa Charlene Hospice - Blessing of the Lot

On Thursday October 8, the members of the Fundacion de Merienda and their St Jules Parish guests joined in the official groundbreaking ceremony of the Casa Charlene Project which included the blessing of “holy ground” upon which the Casa Charlene hospice will be constructed.

Lunch, consisting a delightful local soup called “ajiaco” and many other delicious foods, was hosted by David and Angela in their home which is located only a short distance from the Casa Charlene.

After lunch we drove about 30 minutes to a Chinchina nursing home where abandoned elderly live. These residents do not have family members to care for them nor money to pay for geriatric services. Some residents had difficult testimonies to share and the first elderly man eagerly told of being shot, stabbed, and left for dead on the country he travelled by foot. He was unashamed to show us his wounds.

Mr. Teeny Perret, St Jules Parishioner and board member of the Miles Perret Center, brought a large bag from Lafayette loaded with “Miles Perret Center” t-shirts which we handed out. Each resident donned and proudly wore their beautiful blue-green t-shirt.

Casa Charlene Hospice - Groundbreaking Ceremony

Teeny Perrett, Jose Luna and Reggie Bollich represented St. Jules Church of Lafayette, Louisiana for several days of activities organized by Fundacion de la Merienda of Manizales, Colombia.

A ground breaking ceremony for the construction of a hospice for impoverished people that will be sponsored by the US members was a highlight.

Serving Christ in the Poor 

St Jules Parish (Lafayette, LA) and La Fundacion de Merienda (Manizales, Colombia) bring joy and happiness to poor children in a remote region of the Andes Mountains. 

On Sunday December 14, 2014 my son (Ben), daughter-in-law (Laurie), two of Ben’s 5th grade students, the father of one of the boys (Gustavo) and two Merienda volunteers made it to the village of Letras, located at an elevation of 13,800 feet early today, for a Christmas meal of hot dogs and ice cream, holiday treats, Christmas gifts, and games for the children who live in Letras and other villages in the region.

The children are poor and interact little outside their villages. The climate is very cold. Some of the children came to Letras for the party from their homes located at a much higher elevation by taking the early morning milk truck.

After the party was over, the milk truck had already left Letras to return back to the higher elevation; hence, the children then had to trek uphill to their villages which took two hours to get home. Life is harsh in the higher Andes.

- Deacon Reggie Bollich
 

Children of El Guineo, Colombia

Street people of Manizales, Colombia