Belize Mission

Why Belize?
While there are many places in the world with great need, God does not call us all to the same places. Belize is a place with great need, and a place with great potential for partnership. Some advantages of working in Belize include: the groundwork already done by The Word at Work, an interdenominational group based in Amarillo that has vetted projects and built a mini-infrastructure to assist in outreach; the proximity of Belize to the United States (it is only a two-and-a-half flight from Houston); the ease of communication as the official language of Belize is English. Fr. Scott, the Pastoral Council and the members of our “vision team” have carefully discerned the beginnings of a call from God in this direction. We are excited to follow this path a little farther and see what God has in store.

Who might be involved in this outreach to Belize?
As this relationship develops, we want to make it possible for anyone who wants to get involved to do so. Of course, not everyone can travel to Belize. If we take another trip to Belize, church leadership will be tasked with reviewing applications. However, there would be many opportunities in a “twin parish” relationship for St. Mary’s parishioners to participate right here in Amarillo. Collecting goods that can be sent, providing training and teaching online, praying novenas along with our brothers and sisters in Belize, facilitating pen pal relationships between St. Mary’s and Belizean school children—there are many possibilities!

What is a “twin parish?
Real relationships flow in both directions. The idea of having a "twin parish” instead of just going on a “mission trip” recognizes that our potential friends in Belize have as much to offer us as we have to offer them. In a “twin parish” relationship, we would offer our gifts and resources in service to our friends and receive the gifts and resources that they have to share with us. In this way, we can follow Christ together, learning from each other and helping each other. Pope Francis calls this a spirituality of accompaniment.

What would be the cost of typical church trip to Belize?
While airline fare to Belize varies greatly depending on the time of year, the total cost of a mission trip per individual is usually around $1500 per person for a nine day trip. This would include the cost for the designated project, food, lodging and other needed items. St. Mary’s is committed to making sure that a trip like this would be possible for everyone who is called to this ministry. In time we hope to develop a scholarship program as well as fundraising ideas to lower the cost for each person.

What about all the needy people here in Amarillo?
The church’s missionary activity has always been both a local activity as well as a beyond-our-borders activity. St. Mary’s is already involved in generously supporting various ministries in Amarillo that reach out the poor and needy and must continue to do so in ever-more creative and active ways. Being “Catholic,” however, makes us necessarily “universal” in our perspective, realizing that “our own” is every other person of our faith and even our planet. St. Pope John Paul II challenged the Americas – North, Central and South America – to embrace solidarity with one another and become more intentional in our forging one America by our faithful exchange of gifts and resources. Our expectation is that this “twin parish” relationship would invigorate our parish’s local activity—expanding it and getting more parishioners involved – and bring us more blessings than we can possible offer to others. It is a pattern that has been proven again and again. It’s been heartening to hear our own Bishop Zurek speak about the blessings he’s witnessed in parishes with twins elsewhere and his excitement that St. Mary’s would once again be leading the way in modeling what many more parishes should consider.