By Anne Marie Amacher
Twinning partnerships with parishes around the world can be short or long term and can even have micro enterprises. Ken and Cathy Miller of St. John Vianney Parish in Bettendorf have given presentations on such partnerships. Their topic is “Twinning Partnerships, the Road to Social Change.”
The Millers gave the talk first at Diocese of Davenport offices last month and again at St. John Vianney. The couple attended the One Table-Many Partners conference on Haiti solidarity in Washington, D.C., earlier this year and shared what they learned. They are willing to take their talk on the road throughout the diocese.
Ken Miller said the conference taught them how to apply twinning in general, and not just toward relationships with Haiti. The purpose of solidarity is to raise the standard of living in the poor parishes and to bring a relationship with Christ closer.
He noted that twinning projects can follow the same social model as the Two Feet of Social Action developed by Msgr. Marvin Mottet of the Davenport Diocese.
One foot represents charity, which includes direct social services and help. Related to twinning, this would include donating food, clothing, money, tutoring and mentoring projects. The second foot represents justice — social change and correcting long-term problems. In twinning projects, this would be developing local community enterprises so that communities can earn money and reinvest it within their local communities….
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