St. Cecilia’s Work
St. Cecilia’s Ministry started as a community-based project that seeks to support at-risk youth in Vicente Guerrero an impoverished neighborhood, in San Bartolo Coyotopec, Oaxaca. Vicente Guerrero is located next to the city dump and when one visits, the smells of the rotting garbage are prevalent everywhere.
Many of the families make their living, as garbage pickers, who recycle products from the large municipal garbage collection center that serves Oaxaca City. But at St. Cecilia’s they promote that all work can lead to a dignified life. Their success has largely been attributed to Father Renteria, the parish and Roman Catholic ordained priest. Father Renteria is both a spiritual and social leader who has designed participatory projects together with the community members to promote harmony and peace in what has historically been a conflict zone.
With the help of Tash, they finished building a local church in the town in 2017. In the past years, they also encourage early music to give the children and youth options to get off the streets. Nowadays, the children and teachers have a full orchestra that has been invited to perform concerts across the country. The orchestra is an incredible expression of faith and talent. The early School of Music offers classes to more than 100 children and youth at the current time. Due to recent demand for spots in the music school and with additional help from international and local organizations, the project has embarked on a notable expansion of the music center which should be finished in the summer of 2020.
We invite you to visit the other partner organizations who together with La Clinica del Pueblo seek to take a holistic approach to serve the people and communities in Oaxaca, Mexico.
