Every day, about 60 of the poorest students from the parish gather in a newly-constructed building several blocks from the church known as the "Comedor Popular" - the people's dining room. Here the school children are fed a hot meal at around 1:00 o'clock prepared and served by volunteers from the parish. Some of the food has been donated by local supermarkets (generally left-over foods from the day before). This will be the only hot meal the kids will have on a given day. After the meal, the students are assisted with their homework. This is the only appropriate place they have to do their homework, as their homes (simple one-room sheds with dirt floors) are either overcrowded or unlit at night. Occasionally high school students from the city travel to Jaime Roldos (the area where the Comedor Popular is located) to tutor the children. Our recent contributions assisted in the construction of this new Comedor Popular which was dedicated early in 1998 to replace a smaller, inadequate one across the street from the church.

Approximately 120 elderly people of Saint Jude's parish are inscribed in this group. Every second Sunday they participate in the morning Mass, and afterwards they are served breakfast by a group of ladies who start cooking at 6:00 a.m. They also have an annual outing coordinated by one of the parish priests. The elderly of the parish look forward to the activities of the group, since the church is the only agency which reaches out to them in this manner.

The sisters of the Italian order of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Side run a kindergarten and primary school in an area called Vista Hermosa near the parish church of Saint Jude. Sister Alberta is the Director. Only the poorest children are given "scholarships" to attend the school, which is located on a hill overlooking the region. We recently presented Sister Alberta with a check for $1,000 from our Lenten soup Night program to assist in purchasing playground equipment and needed supplies for the school.

Through the help of the Archdiocese of Cologne, Germany, Saint Jude's administers a medical center at the service of the poorest people of the parish. It offers services in general medicine, dentistry, gynecology, and programs of education and nutrition. Volunteer health professionals visit the facility and offer their services at scheduled times. The director of the center is Sister Maria Filomena of the Italian order of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Side. Father Bob Thomas recently presented Sister Maria Filomena with a portion of the funds raised by Holy Eucharist for some of her special projects.

Saint Jude's boasts of a very active parish family. They have established Christian Base Communities similar to what Holy Eucharist has through Renew 2000. These are five groups of parishioners who gather weekly for prayer and Scripture study. There is an active youth group which meets regularly and is very involved in parish life. The parish has an Afro-Ecuadorian group which conducts an African-style liturgy once a month. There is also a parish AA society which supports those in the parish community whose lives are affected by alcohol, a major problem in this part of Ecuador. In addition, a Charismatic group from surrounding parishes meets regularly at Saint Jude's.

Our financial support through Lenten Soup Nights and other fund-raising activities affects all aspects of parish life at Saint Jude's, and the members of the Holy Eucharist parish family who have visited there have been impressed by how far our money has been stretched and how grateful the parishioners are for our help.