St. Pius X CATHOLIC Church

Our focus continues to be on the community of Consolacion, a small mountain village just west of Lepaera in the Department of Lempira in Honduras.  However, that focus has led to a broadened scope as Consolacion develops into a regional center for nine surrounding mountain communities.

Our team's recent (February 2026) visit to Consolacion highlighted just how important they have become to this remote, mountainous, region.  People walk for up to two hours to attend classes in the Work Center and liturgies in the Our Lady of Fatima Chapel in Consolacion.  The retreat house (Emmaus House) finalized last year has hosted religious workers, medical personnel on medical missions to the area and a variety of other professionals.  There is a retreat scheduled to be held for some Religious Sisters and Consolacion is hosting a regional youth camp where the leadership will stay in Emmaus House.

There are a couple of dramatic outcomes that have surfaced as the community has adapted to its new reality.  First off, the people, who once asked "why do you visit us, we are the bad people?", now are evangelizing and leading hope and change for the entire area.  A community of 400 people that used to be invisible in so many ways now offers Christ's light to others.  Their leadership, joy and hard work are inspiring. 

Last Christmas children from Consolacion took Christmas toys the families purchased to children in the other villages wishing them a Merry Christmas.  Those who received, now give, returning blessing with blessing.  Incredible.

The second outcome is one of scale and capacity to serve.  While Union de Amor was formerly organized to serve this small (400 population) impoverished community, we now are serving 10 communities of 5 to 6,000 people.

An example of the need is that we attended the first Mass held in Consolacion in 2018 and well less than 200 people attended.  Last year, the local Bishop presided over a Mass of over 800 attendees where first communion was given to 200 people.

   Our goal for 2026-27 will designing a new church and a medical dispensary building along with some other incidentals important to continued development of the region.

• 2014:  Dr. Rene & Marisol adopt Consolación; invite Diana Sanchez to accompany them.
• 2017:  Luisa, Maria & Sofia Becker visit from St. Pius X Church in Coeur d'Alene.
• 2017:  Luisa invites St. Pius X to walk accompany our Honduran partners on their walk with Consolación.  Deacon Chris gets input from St. Anthony of Padua in Texas (hondurasmissionstaop.com) which is: start slow, do what you can do well.  Let locals do the work, invest in their economy.
• 2017-18 Money raised at Pope St. Pius X to build Kindergarten; school and other supplies collected at Holy Family Catholic School and in the community.
• July 3rd 2018:  Feast of St. Thomas.  Father Luis Gonzalez celebrates first Mass in Consolación, declares St. Thomas their Patron Saint and this their Feast Day.  Team checks on progress of construction of kindergarten, delivers school supplies, dental and first aid kits and some clothing.  Team meets with Bishop Darwin. Celebration!
• 2018:  After July visit, St. Pius sends LCD projector & laptop requested by teachers.  The US & Honduran team purchases a truck for Diana to use as she continues leading the effort.
• 2018-19: 
  • Diana celebrates “Dia de Los Niño” in Consolación
  • Christmas food and gifts delivered with Delegates of the Word to 82 families
  • Cleft-palate surgery for three children of the village
  • Completed kindergarten, first class graduates; Dr. Rene installs playground for kids
  • Water tank installed with pump, piped to kindergarten to supply wáter
  • Monthly stipend started for Diana
  • Chapel remodel funded and started in Spring 2019
  • St. Thomas joins effort – statue of St. Thomas the Apostle
• July 2019
  • Returned to Consolación with school & other supplies; personal wáter bottles
  • Reviewed chapel renovation
  • Processed into the village with statue of St. Thomas the Apostle and installed both the statue and a Tabernacle in the chapel
  • Celebrated sacraments with Father Flores and Father Luis (20 Baptisms, 21 First Communions)
  • Review Project lists and facilitated meetings with coffee producers and community leaders
• Other 2019-2020 accomplishments
  • Coffee producers have written and signed a cooperative agreement
  • Union de Amor helped producers buy seeds which have become seedlings ready to replant to replenish their crops damaged by drought and blight
  • Significant research has been done to design a water system collaborating with World Vision to finish the design and bring that vision into reality (water project put on hold during pandemic)
  • Two months of food provided for 150 families in Consolacion and neighboring communities during the COVID pandemic
  • Emergency support given to communities hit hardest by the November 2020 hurricanes.
• 2020-2022
  • Completed community water project
  • Sent 25 sewing machines, fabric and supplies to Consolacion to begin a sewing cooperative
  • Send 15 computers to a hearing-impaired school
  • Planted over 100,000 coffee seedlings to replace farms destroyed by blight
  • Provided food and medical support during COVID
  • Built homes for families in the Baracoa region of Honduras and helped refurbish a parish in that area after hurricanes
• 2022-2023    
  • Completed construction of community Work Center where community education and events can be held.
  • Completed installation of water tank in Santa Rita, a neighboring village to Consolacion and funded another tank in Brisas de Ocotillo.
  • Provided an interpreter for deaf-disabled kids in a school in Tegucigalpa that hosts the performing arts program "Rompiendo El Silencio".
  • Began fundraising for retreat center/lodging for professionals who spend time in Consolacion providing education or other services.
• 2024
  
  • We continue to establish services/classes in the work center and work out the details of its day-to-day operations.
  • Added public restrooms and a storage facility for furniture and supplies needed in the chapel, kindergarten and Work Center facilities.
  • Worked on transfer of title for some land donated by a local leader for the Emmaus House Retreat Center and on building design and plans.
  • Funded a new pump for the community-wide water system.