On February 19, 2006 Fr. Richard was officially inducted as the pastor for the Parish.  The ceremony was conducted by the Provincial, Very Rev. Terence Kristofak.

Fr. Richard pledged to serve the people of God in the Parish of St. Ez and with them, to reach out to the needs of the Poor.  To accomplish this he asked the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Paul of the Cross, and all of the Passionist Saints.

          


Health Clinics

Saint E'z cooperates with doctors and the Franciscan Sisters of Allegheny to provide emergency healthcare for the poor in our area.

  

 
Saint E'z hosted 3 clinic days in September. Doctors and nurses from Bridgeport, CT came and examined patients from morning till night, writing prescriptions and prescribing various medications. The poor people who came to the clinic cannot afford medical care or to pay for medication.


 

Saint E'z cooperates with the local clergy. Our parish hosted a number of deanery meetings for the Church leaders of the area. On Dec 11th, Saint E'z hosted a Deanery Youth Mass and Christmas party for inner-city churches.





Interfaith Action and Intervention

Saint E'z works with pastors, civic leaders, and government officials  of the inner city to bring jobs, training, education and encouragement to the poor of the community. Here a group of pastors, civic leaders and representatives from government agencies work together with "Lift up Jamaica" to bring jobs to the unemployed. Saint E'z, as a participating member in the project, coordinated a week long education program for 80 young men and women who were then  employed in a short-term environmental clean-up program.


  Gynecologists from Sacramento, California diagnosed and treated 50 patients here at Saint E'z on Tuesday, December 6th. They also provided free surgery for women at St. Joseph's hospital.

Employment and Collaboration with Government Agencies

Saint E'z has helped over 100 people from our local neighbourhood, and over 600 from South Saint Andrew, get part-time jobs this Christmas. In a joint effort with Minister of Parliament, Dr. Omar Davies, HEART (Human Employment And Resource Training) Trust, NTA (The National Training Agency), "Lift up Jamaica" and the pastors of various local churches, Saint E'z worked hard to provide employment for the poor at Christmas time .  At the same time the project has helped clean up the neighborhood. In the photo below, some of the workers listen to instructions before starting to work. Shortly after this picture was taken the workers went out to the different neighborhoods to begin clean-up and we heard a dozen shots ring out. We went out to make sure our workers were not hurt. They were safe but we arrived at a nearby area only to see a car taking away the body of a young man in the trunk of a car. He had been killed in broad daylight by thugs trying to control the neighborhood.


 

Poor unemployed neighbours want  work!

Here you see part of the crowd of about 100 of our immediate neighbors who participated in the "Lift up Jamaica" environmental clean-up project. They attended 5 days of training and then worked 5 days, 8 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. each day, in the sun cleaning streets, clearing debris, hauling trash, etc.  They worked hard yet enjoyed working together. Some people have criticized these same people, saying they are lazy and won't work even if offered a job.  That is far from the truth. The fact is that these people have just completed two weeks of training and work. How much did they receive?

US$1.20 per hour

At today's rate of exchange, they received US $71.43. That's for the entire 10 days of training and work! For the 5 days of training each person received only $23.81 for the week or less than 60 cents an hour. For the 5 days of work in the sun each received a weekly salary of only $47.62 That's $9.53 per day or about $1.20 per hour! Would you work for that kind of a salary? Our people are willing to work when given the chance. They are desperate for work.  They showed they are willing to work inspite of daily reports of killings and the sound of nearby gunfire.

Visit us!

We are happy to have people visit us and experience the love, faith and courage of our little Christian community. Come and see for yourself! Call us at 876-926-7248. Below, Mrs Pamela Ferreira, the sister of Fr Peter Grace, visits from Bermuda and enjoys a laugh with Sister Gloria Aikman.

 

Above right, the Saint Elizabeth Mens Fellowship group relaxes after one of its monthly meetings. The group is a great asset and blessing for the parish.