2010 Year of the Padre!
Come Celebrate With Us - Please join us to honor Father John Halligan S.J. as we celebrate his 80th birthday and his 50 years of service in Ecuador!
Easter Message from Padre
Watch a special Easter message from Padre.
80th Birthday Celebration for Father John Halligan
On Friday, August 13 and Saturday, August 14, 2010 a gala celebration with be held at Marquette University in Milwaukee to honor Padre Juan Halligan. This celebration commemorates Father Halligan’s 80th birthday and his 50th year serving the poor in Ecuador.
The Friday evening event will be a casual gathering at the annex. Saturday’s events will feature a mass at 4:30 pm in the Chapel at the Union followed by a dinner and birthday party for Father Halligan.
Take a Spiritual Journey to the Working Boys' Center!
Have the experience of a lifetime on a truly unforgettable trip to Quito. On this guided group trip you'll experience everything from the natural beauty of the Andes to the bustling capital city of Quito, in addition to visiting this well-established family mission. You'll see how the Working Boys' Center provides education, job training, healthcare, meals and life skills to help hundreds of families in need.
Click here for more information.
Center Featured in the National Catholic Reporter
A recent article published in the National Catholic Reporter is bringing light to the Working Boys’ Center by documenting how the Center got its start and the impact it has on Quito’s “shoeshine boys” and their families. The article illustrates how the Center grew from Father John Halligan serving a free lunch to a small group of boys in the attic above the Jesuits' Gonzaga High School to the thriving organization it is today, providing education, healthcare and religious services to some 1300+ people a day.
View the article on the National Catholic Reporter’s website to read the entire story or contribute a comment.
Jane and Bob Gleeson Start the Matthew Manger Lynch Young Chefs Fund
Jane and Bob Gleeson of Milwaukee, Wisconsin have started a special fund to benefit the baking program at the WBC. The fund is in honor of their son-in-law, Matthew Manger Lynch, who died on February 24, 2008.
Jane visited Quito several years ago and she and her husband Bob became loyal friends of the Center. Helping to fund the baking program is meaningful to Jane and Bob because Matthew was an accomplished chef and true to WBC values, worked and played hard. Read more about Matthew Manger Lynch in an article by their daughter, Elizabeth Lynch.
To donate to the Young Chefs Fund, please contact Patricia Parks at 262-797-8988, 262-784-7448, or click here to use the contact form.
WBC To Present Case for Working Children
It might not have made the world news, but Ecuador is in the midst of a Constitutional Assembly, a group formed to write the 21st Constitution for the country. Groups and individuals are invited to present their issues for inclusion in the text of the new Constitution. The WBC was given a space for presentation of the case for “working children”, insisting on the value of their work and asking that the new constitution include a clause that guarantees “protection in the work place” for children who work, along with respect for basic human rights. The Center was represented by Carlos Gomez and Jorge Borja, two of the first members of the WBC, Edgar Coral and Luis Murillo, current members, Susana Yepez, our development director, and Ines Aguilar, her assistant. They were very satisfied with the reception of the delegates and on Saturday, Susana was able to present the case a second time at a session presided over by the president of the Assembly.
International Organization Formed By Current and Former "Working Children"
An international organization has been formed by “working children” and those who were working children in their youth. This group opposes the movement to eradicate children working and proposes, instead, that international groups make clear that work is a value that children should be taught, but that exploitation of children in the work place should be done away with. They are meeting in Bogotá, Colombia during Holy Week to discuss issues and strategies.
Since Ecuador is not officially represented in this organization, the WBC hopes to be the first voice raised from this country by attending this conference. Once again, Carlos Gomez is our representative, along with Fabricio Guerrero, a recent Center graduate.
Carlos is presently a member of a city commission on issues dealing with children and adolescents.