We Are Neighbors

by Harry Hutzel, St. Ignatius Parishioner

Las Vecinas is a “sister parish” organization that was initiated in 2001 through the goodwill and foresight of the parishioners of St. Ignatius Parish and of San Antonio Parish in Soyapango, El Salvador. Since its inception, Las Vecinas has arranged visits between the two parishes. Delegations from San Antonio Parish have regularly visited St. Ignatius, and delegations of our parishioners and priests have visited San Antonio Parish. I first visited Soyapango in 2016 with Fr. Greg, Fr. John Coleman, and parishioner Maria Boden. At that time, Soyapango was described in international news reports as being on the frontline of gang violence, extortion of small businesses, and neighborhood fear.

Soyapango is a low-income city. Its population mushroomed during and after the Salvadoran Civil War, with displaced persons seeking safety and employment opportunities. However, we soon learned that the popular description of Soyapango described only a narrow view of the city. The city that we encountered was filled with kind, loving, and hard-working people who defied the image of a violent, criminally minded population anxious to exploit others. We met people who defied the image of the “Other” – people we should fear and resent. Instead, we met good people who invited us to stay in their homes. We met people who loved their families and were working hard to support them. We met people who were concerned about the problems in their communities and were working hard to deal with them. We met the loving and talented pastors of the parish – Padre Estefan Turcios Carpaño, who served the parish from 1987 until his death in the spring of 2021 from Covid-19, and the current pastor, Padre Mario Edilberto Díaz Díaz, who has been serving the parish since July 2021. We met people who are very much like our parishioners and pastors. We met people with whom we share a common humanity.

I have visited Soyapango eight times since 2016. I continue to be amazed during each visit how the people in the parish have taken responsibility for their lives. San Antonio Parish has been providing a rich spiritual life while maintaining a focus on actions that benefit those most in need. At St. Ignatius, we have been blessed with the opportunity to experience some of the realities of San Antonio Parish. We have been blessed to be able to commit ourselves to a cultural and educational exchange that has benefitted both St. Ignatius and San Antonio Parishes. The generous financial assistance we have provided to San Antonio Parish has been greatly appreciated and prudently used. Our assistance has reached all demographics within the San Antonio Parish community. The San Antonio parishioners, including youth, can be very proud of how they have applied our assistance in their social service activities.

Our interaction and cultural exchanges with San Antonio Parish are a blessing to us. The love that has developed between our parishes has reduced distance and misunderstandings. Although I am from a different culture and cannot speak Spanish, I have always felt a warm welcome and found that we are able to communicate surprisingly well. I feel great gratitude to the openness and shared learning that Las Vecinas provides to all of us. Thank you, generous and wonderful parishioners of St. Ignatius, and thank you generous and wonderful parishioners of San Antonio. Together, we are helping to make our shared world a little better! 

by Harry Hutzel, St. Ignatius Parishioner

Photo: Spain Stadium, Soyapango. Google Maps / Cristian Fuentes