Capuchin Community Centre
Renovation Project,
Ñaña, PERU

1. HEADLINE:

Capuchin Community Centre Renovation Project, Ñaña, PERU

2. TIMELINE:

NOV 21, 2017 to AUG 20, 2019

3. THE CHALLENGE:

To serve more fully the families of a town in Peru called Ñaña, an upgrade to the community centre owned by the Capuchin Brothers (a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church), was required. The town of Ñaña is located on the outskirts of Lima. It is an impoverished community and is home to about 300 families.

Several thousand dollars had to be raised before any improvements to the community centre (known as Centro Franciscano), could begin. The first order of business contemplated, was to repair the roof leaks and in doing so, ensure compliance with regulatory health and safety standards. Other major improvements and renovations to be performed were designed to ensure the structural soundness of the classrooms and to repair the decommissioned bathrooms which at the time were not serviced properly with either electricity or running water.

4. STORY

After con-celebrating Mass on Sunday, August 20, 2017 at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Vancouver, BC, Brother Carlos Piccone Camere (a visiting priest from Lima, Peru who is a Capuchin Brother) invited parishioners to come forward should they feel inspired in some way to help advance the Capuchin’s mission to serve the poor in Peru. I was one such person.

After Mass, I introduced myself to Brother Carlos. I spoke to him about my Peruvian connections and experiences. I kept things brief as there was a line of other parishioners forming behind me who also wanted to speak to him. During our conversation I asked for his email address, which he provided on a scrap piece of paper, along with a website address where I could learn more about the Capuchin Brothers in Peru and their broader mission.

The next day, I researched all about the Capuchins in Peru. I was humbled to learn how they follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the manner of St. Francis of Assisi. In 1528, a group of friars was given permission to form a new community, seeking to reignite the fervor of St. Francis of Assisi who died in 1226, and live a more austere and contemplative life. They became known as Capuchins due to the large hood of their habit, the capuche. Today there are approximately 11,000 friars worldwide.

Their mission and vision resonated with me. I am a proponent of those who “walk the talk” such as the Capuchins. Why? Because, who they serve, how they serve and why they serve, is in keeping with what Jesus Christ himself taught his followers.

Researching the Capuchins and the deep resonance I felt when learning of their mission and vision, ignited a spark that prompted me to send Brother Carlos an email proposing a meeting with him before he returned to Peru. I wanted to share some specific ideas about how I might be able to contribute to the Capuchin’s mission in Peru. One such idea was to bring the message of The Divine Mercy to the people in their mission zones.

Brother Carlos wrote me back later the same day thanking me for emailing him about my desire to collaborate with their mission in Peru. He also wrote that he thought the message of The Divine Mercy could bring consolation to many suffering people in their mission zones in Peru. He was scheduled to continue his mission appeal at Saint Joseph the Worker Parish in Richmond, BC that coming weekend so, we agreed to meet in front of the church at 10am on Saturday, August 26, 2017. Leading up to our meeting, I informed him that I would bring a friend with me because she was the person who introduced me to Peru back in 2011 and I felt she would have some good ideas about how we might all work together.

The meeting went very well. Brother Carlos later that evening wrote, “May we be able to concretize some projects that God is inspiring you to help (materially and spiritually) our brothers in need in Peru.”

The material project and endeavour that transpired in the months that followed is what this story is about. The spiritual initiative that was set in motion was the evangelization of The Divine Mercy message in the Peruvian Andes (a separate impact story to this one).

Returning to this narrative, the next step to be taken was to travel to Peru. So, I did. When I arrived safely in Lima, a team of us met with Brother Carlos and Brother José Luis at the Capuchinos Fraternidad Padre Santo to participate in a consultation with a few of the community leaders from Ñaña. We learned from the leaders that the two most urgent priorities for the children in the community were to learn English and to acquire computer skills.

By the end of our meeting, it was agreed that a fundraising campaign would be undertaken by our team to help the Capuchin Brothers make the necessary building improvements to their community centre. Even though catechism classes and other community events were already frequently hosted there, it was established that more space could be set aside and utilized to implement an English and Computer Institute.

We also physically inventoried and assessed the 2,000 square foot community centre. It was comprised of a hall (occupying most of the square footage), 5 individual classrooms, a decommissioned kitchen and several decommissioned bathrooms.

The goal of the initial fundraising initiative was to create a facility to be used to provide English and computer technology classes to the children of Ñaña. This was a mission designed to empower the children of Ñaña and to provide them with the tools and education that would work to help them, when the time came, to secure strong and meaningful employment.

The funds raised however, had to be redirected. The main reason for this was due to the extensive time hurdles presented by the permitting process and other regulatory requirements. The second reason was that due to the time required and the escalating price tag, the projected costs ended up surpassing the fundraising goal.

In the end, despite the change in the scope of work, more transpired than we ever imagined possible. The work that ensued at the Capuchin community centre included renovations to the roof, bathrooms, classrooms, and the addition of a janitorial closet with a service sink.

For context, we share two movies with you. The first movie is a compilation of photos taken Before and After the targeted renovations. The second movie shows the Finished Works.