Mission of Mercy

For more than 40 years, the Friends of Chimbote Mission based out of Fargo has been providing much needed assistance to the faithful who live in poverty on the streets of Chimbote, Peru. The Mission has been supported by dozens of priests and parishes from the Diocese of Fargo, along with Shanley High School, seminarians and parishioners over the past four decades.  

Recent mission visits by groups from Blessed Sacrament, West Fargo; St. James Basilica, Jamestown; St. Mary’s Cathedral, Holy Spirit, and St. Anthony’s (all of Fargo), with planned trips from Shanley High School, Fargo; St. Rose of Lima, Hillsboro; and St. Charles Borromeo, Oakes, have kept Bishop Folda up-to-date on the efforts and evangelization of the mission. There were also regular updates from Father Phil Ackerman and Father Tom Graner, members of the Board of Directors of Friends of Chimbote. Friends of Chimbote managers provided financial and ministry updates as part of their annual submission to the Diocese for approval to fundraise in the Diocese of Fargo.  

Invitations to visit the Mission and experience the transformation for beneficiaries and benefactors were offered over the years to Bishop Folda. While Bishop Folda was interested in experiencing the mission first-hand, he was frequently impeded by schedules, the retirement of the founders, the pandemic, the impending retirement of the Bishop of Chimbote, and more. 

However, in late 2022, conditions changed dramatically. Bishop Angel Ernesto was appointed the new Bishop of Chimbote, and he immediately engaged in the work of our mission serving the poor of his Diocese. These changes renewed Bishop Folda’s interest in experiencing the mission, which peaked with a formal invitation from Bishop Ernesto in late 2023. 

“Your visit would be an opportunity for you to experience firsthand the positive impact of your generosity,” said Bishop Ernesto in a letter to Bishop Folda. “It is an opportunity for us to further strengthen the fraternal bonds that unite us as brothers and sisters in faith.” Bishop Folda enthusiastically accepted the invitation, with Friends of Chimbote and Association Civil Apoyo Familiar, (ACAF) the mission’s Peruvian operations arm, planning and facilitating the dates and arrangements. A quote from ACAF’s Human Resources manager, Roxana Lopez came to mind, “God’s timing is always perfect.” 

After spending decades in Lima prior to becoming the Bishop of Chimbote, Bishop Ernesto wanted to share the beauty and holy sites of Lima with Bishop Folda and to arrange a meeting with the papal nuncio of Peru, who is a personal friend. It was also strongly suggested that Bishop Folda experience the culture and faith of Peru, where 87% of the population is Catholic, to better understand the people of Chimbote, many of whom migrated to Chimbote from the jungles and mountains of the Andes.  

To fully experience our programs, and to explore the needs of the people and interact with faith and lay leaders given the cultural and language differences, we assembled a diverse mission visit team. Friends of Chimbote Executive Directors Mike and Katie Smith led the trip and were joined by Chimbotano and longtime Friends of Chimbote board member Dr. Lucho Espejo, Board Emeritus member and Spanish speaker Father Tim Schroeder, and Randy Thorson, a key catalyst of our successful transitions. 

After a full day of travel to Lima on Feb. 18, the next day started early with a scheduled Mass and breakfast at the residence of Archbishop Paolo Rocco Gualtieri, the papal nuncio to Peru. Bishop Ernesto and Fathers Jertzi and Carlos traveled over seven hours from Chimbote to host us in Lima. While we missed Mass due to a vehicle breakdown, the meeting, breakfast, and tour of the residence were an amazing start to our day. As the representative of the Vatican in Peru, a relationship with Archbishop Gualtieri is very special for Bishops Folda and Ernesto, as well as our mission. Bishop Folda and Archbishop Gualtieri discovered they have many people and places in common. Archbishop Gualtieri has already expressed an interest in traveling to Chimbote to personally experience our mission and programs. 

The breakfast meeting was followed by tours of Lima including the holy sites of Sts. Rose of Lima, Martin de Porres, and Juan Macias. That evening we traveled to Cusco so we could acclimate to the elevation of over 11,000 feet in preparation for travel through the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. The natural beauty of the Andes and the engineering marvels of the Incas were awe inspiring, especially with Bishop Folda’s background in architecture and engineering.  

The next morning, we jumped into seeing and experiencing all of our mission programs with ACAF staff leading the way. A highlight was the carpentry shop where we are now assembling the panels for our house building and producing the furniture. We have progressed from building our first prefab wooden home purchased in Lima in 2017 to building 80 wooden homes with concrete floors in Cambio Puente. We reviewed a new operational water purification system, provided by Prior Lake Rotary and initiated by our Board Member Michelle Jirik. The system can produce thousands of 5-gallon bottles of purified, safe, drinking water a day and will contribute greatly to the health of the poorest we serve. The morning concluded with meetings and delivering clothes and diapers from the container to the sisters and residents of Missionaries of Charity of St. Teresa of Calcutta in Chimbote.  

A very full afternoon started with meeting the Daniel and Cynthia Jakelin Sarrin family in Cambio Puente. We built a home with and for the family during the week and started by moving all of their belongings out of the home so it could be demolished. The afternoon progressed with a tour and review of ACAF programs in Cambio Puente. Cambio Puente is a community on the outskirts of Chimbote where thousands of people live in severe poverty. Over the past four years in Cambio Puente, we completed the San Miguel soup kitchen, a daycare, a tutoring/learning center, social services offices, a kindergarten, park and sports field, a water storage and distribution system to each home, and built 80 homes as part of our Better Home Better Life program. 

The afternoon concluded with a joyous, community-wide celebration Mass at Virgin of Mercy parish in Cambio Puente where we’ve completed numerous renovation projects. Bishop Folda and the entire group were enveloped with greetings, blessings, gratitude, and love throughout the day, culminating in the Mass, once again with Bishop Ernesto. The following day, Bishop Folda, Father Tim Schroeder, and Lucho Espejo spent an enlightening morning with Bishop Ernesto and his team reviewing Diocese facilities and understanding the challenges and programs of the Diocese of Chimbote where over 80% of the population is Catholic with the vast majority in dire poverty.  

After witnessing the impact of our work in Cambio Puente, the next day we experienced the needs of the community of nearby Coishco, where we are in the early stages of a community development plan. In following our model to Listen, Learn, Believe, and Serve, community and faith leaders shared the challenges of severe poverty and lack of infrastructure in the community. The interactive session was followed by a fish and loaves distribution and delivery of furniture and home goods to a family. The bread is baked in our bakery and the home goods are from one of our two containers we ship to the Mission from Fargo and Shakopee, Minn. Celebrations and service completed the day as our team prepared dinner for ACAF staff, board members and Bishop Ernesto in gratitude for their service. 

The next day was again a day of faith. A beautiful cross was built in our carpentry shop and installed and dedicated at San Pedro Cemetery where the very poor are buried. The cross provides a place for families to honor and remember their loved ones whose gravesites are unmarked or are buried in mass graves from the pandemic. The Mass at the Cathedral in the afternoon was a celebration of the relationship between the Dioceses of Fargo and Chimbote and the shared commitment to charity and mission. 

A perfect culmination to the week was the despedida (farewell) Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help and the blessing of the home for Daniel and Cynthia and their family. The day was filled with smiles, hugs, blessings, full hearts, contented exhaustion, and an abundance of grace. Their deep gratitude and joy mirrored our transformation from service, faith and solidarity with all of our brothers and sisters in Chimbote and Peru. 

Upon returning from Peru and with days to reflect, Bishop Folda shared some thoughts and feelings. The experience helped him understand why people have encouraged him to visit Chimbote and our mission. It provided an opportunity to grow in his faith as he truly experienced the beauty of the universal church and our responsibility and obligation of charity and service with all that we have been given. He witnessed the spirit, faith, love, dedication, and passion of Bishop Ernesto and the staff of ACAF for the poor we serve who are filled with faith and working to escape poverty and care for their families. 

Bishop expressed confidence that this mission has a singular purpose in the Diocese of Fargo. Relationships have been building over many decades. We can commit to this mission in a direct way to fulfill our obligation to care for our brothers and sisters.