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Updates

Maruja Kitchen

The dedication and blessing by Bishop Angel Ernesto of
the new, expanded Maruja Kitchen was one of the many
highlights of our recent week in Chimbote. It was a glorious joining of past, present and future.
In recognizing Maruja, who welcomed, befriended and taught valuable lessons to Mission Visitors
for decades, we honor and memorialize our past. Expanding the kitchen, creating space for larger
gatherings, designing for food safety and diversity is a major investment for today and the future.
The unifying principle is the importance of our Mission Visit program. Providing a meaningful,
memorable, safe and impactful experience has been instrumental in the success of our Mission for
over 4 decades. Recognizing this, over the past few years we have been investing in all components
essential for Mission Visit success and growth. These investments include expanded and upgraded
sleeping quarters and bathrooms, additional vehicles for projects and transport and ACAF staff and resources. ACAF and
FoC personnel are also engaged in a weekly, dynamic language exchange program to facilitate better communication and
understanding of each other’s cultures and language.
These investments and our inspiring and effective work in community development have created a very high demand for
Mission Visits, honoring our legacies and essential to our future. Aside from some availability in our shoulder seasons of late
spring and fall, our 2025 Mission Visit schedule is full including Bishop John Folda’s visit in February! Interest is already building
for 2026. Responding to the opportunity to impact even more lives, united together across the continents, is guiding us in
exciting plans for the San Mateo Center and other necessary resources. Thank you to all our donors, volunteers and staff for
making it possible to move even further along the path of transforming lives.

San Mateo Center

FoC and ACAF are very excited about the initiation of the San Mateo Center
for Service and Transformation in Chimbote. The renovation of the site that
formerly housed the hospice is an exciting step to utilize the space for Short
and Long Term Mission Visitor teams to augment the space at the parish. In
addition, we are exploring possible collaboration with the Diocese of Chimbote
and Bishop Ernesto to ensure the space is used to its maximum potential.
The first step in the process of the renovation is to completely reconstruct the exterior wall. The
building was deemed uninhabitable by the Peruvian Civil Defense and our team from FoC and
ACAF (which includes engineers and architects) concurred the wall is a small tremor away from
collapse.
Through the generosity of a few donors who strongly believe that the utilization of the building
will increase our impact on the communities we serve, we have secured the funds for the wall
demolition and reconstruction. We will keep you posted on our progress and more detailed
plans for the building's operation. We feel confident that the building will be a key component of
our future and include activities related very closely to the building's initial purpose.

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