Read about John Paul II Peasant House (Casa Campesina Juan Pablo II), run by the Marianists in Ecuador, which began its mission in 1988. The house serves the needs of the poor by offering a night resting place, food, and medical services to those in need.
The John Paul II Peasant House (Casa Campesina Juan Pablo II), run by the Marianists, is a work serving the poor. It attempts to illustrate the phrase of Jesus in Jn 12:8, which is still relevant today: “the poor you will always have with you.” It is a mission which began on August 28, 1988.
As a guest house, it provides a dignified and hospitable place for peasants, shoe shiners, and homeless people to rest at night. In the morning, a breakfast prepared in collaboration with the Marianist Family is served to them. And in order not to have an empty house during the day, it was decided to offer medical services whose scope of coverage gradually expanded to respond to the most urgent needs detected in our surroundings, taking into account the serious health problems of the population. This is how we started with the general medicine dispensary and the dental dispensary, then added the clinical biochemical analysis laboratory and, in collaboration with the Cotopaxi scouts, the scout pharmacy. Over the years, the Ophthalmology Dispensary was added with an operating room for minor surgeries such as cataracts and pterygium and then, finally, the ultrasound service. After the COVID pandemic, the clinical psychology service was added.
We always ask for a small contribution from all patients because “free money does not educate.”
May the “Virgin of El Salto,” godmother of our Casa Campesina, bless those who continue to support her!
View a video with images from John Paul II Peasant House (Casa Campesina Juan Pablo II)
[Source: Marianist Magnificat Newsletter, May 2024]
Hooray for Marianist Hospitality!! Good work!! God will bless it and all those it helps!! Aloha, Tom Spring, SM