International Opportunities

In addition to working with organizations in the DC metro area, Holy Trinity maintains relationships with two sister parishes:

St. John Baptiste, Ansdeno, Haiti
The St. Jean Baptiste Committee is a part of the social justice ministry of Holy Trinity Parish.  Holy Trinity began “twinning” with St. Jean Baptiste Parish after Haiti’s catastrophic earthquake in 2010. The parish is in Anse d’Hainault, which is on Haiti’s rural southwestern coast. In October 2016, Hurricane Matthew -- the worst disaster to affect Haiti since the earthquake -- severely impacted this area. Holy Trinity parishioners visit St. Jean Baptiste once or twice a year.

Mission Statement

To accompany the people of St. Jean Baptiste in the hope of deepening our relationship with them, promoting the well being of the community and enriching the spiritual life of parishioners in both parishes.

Making a difference in the lives of young people so that they can lead purposeful and faith-filled lives: Holy Trinity provides financial support for the parish school and materials: books, sports equipment and musical instruments. When visiting, we interact with students at all grade levels by playing games, reading books and engaging in art projects. In the summer there is a trip for teens and their parents to visit St. Jean Baptiste.

Actively listening to the needs and solutions identified by the St. Jean Baptiste community: Regular visits to St. Jean Baptiste, where we meet with members of the parish council and other key community groups, give us an understanding of how best to support their needs. In the past we donated 36 wedding gowns, which were shared by more than 100 brides. We have been integral to rebuilding the school, creating a library, providing a solar electrical system and a computer lab for the school, installing two wells, and creating an agricultural mill. These projects were the result of taking the time to get to know our sister parish by visiting and by staying in regular contact between visits.

Regular visits to Holy Trinity by the pastor of St. Jean Baptiste: Visiting Holy Trinity fosters friendship and a better understanding of each other’s lives and culture.

An active scholarship subcommittee: The subcommittee looks for parishioners to sponsor students pursuing post-secondary studies. Committee members visit the students and monitor their progress.

An active Just Haiti Coffee subcommittee: The subcommittee sells coffee after mass to support the work of our sister parish’s coffee growers. Proceeds help fund scholarships for coffee growers’ children to attend post secondary schools. In 2014 Holy Trinity hired an agronomist to organize the local coffee growers to begin exporting fair trade coffee.

Engaging with the Holy Trinity School Community: Students from both parishes exchange letters. Holy Trinity students have given sports equipment, e-readers and solar lamps for students at their sister school.

Enriching the spiritual life of parishioners at both parishes: We pray for each other and attend each other's masses and religious celebrations.

For more information: StJeanBaptisteHaiti@gmail.com  & stjeanbaptiste.shutterfly.com

 Maria Madre de los Pobres, San Salvador, El Salvador
"Maria Madre" has been Holy Trinity's sister parish in San Salvador, El Salvador since 1989. Parishioners go on a delegation every summer where they share in the life and liturgy of the parish. Holy Trinity also supports at-risk children at the parish school, called CAPI (Center for Attention and Promotion of Children), through the social justice tithe.

In 2008, we built on this commitment to the poorest members of our sister parish by providing Trinity parishioners the opportunity to become a “Godparent” and support a child to stay in school. There are now over 40 Trinity parishioners supporting some of the poorest children in Maria Madre, who attend a variety of Catholic and public elementary schools within our sister parish. See Sponsorship Program information for details on the commitments required and the benefits to the children.

In 2011, we became involved in working on one of the major concerns in our sister parish and in El Salvador, the prevention of violence. The 2011 delegation included a program for the training of first to third graders in CAPI, along with their teachers, to become peace-builders. We have begun, and will continue, a dialogue with the Maria Madre pastor and parish council, on how to design such programs so they are sustainable within the community.

For more information, contact Margie Legowski at margielegowski@gmail.com or Jean Johnson at jmj3614@aol.com