FFK Newsletter 2006

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November 30, 2006

Father Frank ColaciccoSeptember 22, 1930February 15, 2006

Father Frank

Father Frank was born in San Franciscoand served in the Navy MedicalCorp. When he was discharged, hebought and ran a RetirementHome. Sensing a call to the religiouslife, he became a Brother in the order ofSt. John of the Cross and later studied inRome for the Priesthood. He was or-dained in 1979 at the age of 48 in thediocese of San Angelo, Texas. FatherFrank served several parishes and oftendrove many miles on Sundays sayingMass at the different parishes. Due to illhealth (heart by-pass and severe diabe-tes) he retired at age 66 and was wel-comed by Father Cardelli to live in resi-dence at St. Isidores. Shortly after arriv-ing at St. Isidores, a parishioner tookhim to Mexico for an annual NPH(Nuestros Pequeos Hermanos (OurLittle Brothers and Sisters) meet-ing. There he met Sister Phyllis Kelle-her who convinced him to return to St.

Isidores and develop support for theorphanages. Father Frank answered the

(Continued on page 4)

Our LargestFamilyThe Hernndez fam-ily were found onthe streets of SanSalvador by the po-lice, soon after theirfather passed away.

Their mother haddied a few yearsprior. The children had been eating onlytortillas and coffee to survive. The twoyoungest sisters looked like skeletons andsuffered greatly from malnutrition anddiarrhea.Unfortunately the children were separatedafter the police brought them to the courtof minors. Jose was placed into a home forboys and the girls were in a separate loca-tion. When our social worker, Patricia,

went to investigate thecase of Jose, she thenfound out that he hadfive sisters, one being atwin. The childrenwere reunited andbrought to NPH onSeptember 17, 2002and are now enrolled in

school. The youngesttwo girls are in the pre-kinder programin the babies home.

Honduras Page 2New NPH Exec Director Page 3Nicaragua Page 4El Salvador Page 5New Donation Drop Off Page 6

inside...

This year we lost a saintly man, the founder of

Father Franks Kids. The following excerpts

were part of the eulogies given at his funeral:

In your sermons you did not compromise the

ways of this world

You reminded us of how tenuous our material

world is against the glare of the depravation you

saw in the world.

You liked to portray your Italian tough side as

the Italian testa dura, but we saw you as a softmelted marshmallow on the inside

He held nothing back when he gave his ser-

mons. He would shake his fist, point his finger

and pound on the podium while raising his voice.

It was these actions that spread like wildfire and

caused the attendance at mass to more than dou-

ble in the six months he was assigned to Our

Lady of Lourdes in Andrews, Texas.

Father Frank would end his sermons Will you

be ready when the Angel of Death comes and

taps you on the shoulder?

His love for the Blessed Mother and theEucharist were contagious

There was a group of boys who would camp

out literally, with pillows and blankets, overnight

outside his quarters when he visited the orphan-

age on the island of Ometepe

I am leaving for Nicaragua today to pray at the

tomb of Father Frank. I feel I need to be there

for many reasons, especially for closure for my-

self. I had a deep admiration for what he did

even though he was not well physically.

I first met Father when I was attending a youth

group meeting in Andrews, Texas. We were bob-bing for apples. I went under to bob for an apple

and felt a strong hand behind my back pushing

me into the water. I quickly came up looking for

the culprit and there he was laughing with his

right hand wet with water. I asked Did you do

that? Yes, Priests have fun too you know was

his reply. Little did I know I had just met the

person who would be the most influential person

in my life.


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Honduras (536 Children)

One hour from the nation's capital, RanchoSanta Fe is a thriving community. Almost 600boys and girls reside in this little village nes-tled among the hills of the Honduras country-side.Sprinkled throughout the lovely pines are thehomes of the NPH Honduras community. Theyoungest residents, boys and girls six yearsold and under, live in Casa Suyapa. On a hotsummer day, a wading pool may be set up inits central courtyard and groups of little oneswait eagerly for their turn to jump in andsplash around.Unique to the Honduras family is CasaPasionista, belonging to the Order of Passion-ist Priests. Casa Pasionista is a hospice foradults who are living in the final stages ofAIDS. Ailing parents can be with their chil-dren as their health deteriorates, comforted bythe knowledge that after their death, the chil-

dren will have a secure home with NPH.Another special home is Casa Eva, where the

grandparents live. They are elderly adults whohad no family to care for them until they cameto NPH. These elders make the large familymore complete. The pequeos can often befound chatting or walking with the seniors.In addition to the care the children give to

others, they contribute to their own well beingby attending classes in the airy rooms of theon-site kinder, primary and secondary schools.Some of the children's dreams are simpler;they long to walk, to speak, and to feed them-selves. Casa de Los ngeles, located in Tegu-

cigalpa, houses the children with multiple,severe disabilities. Here, both temporary andpermanent medical care and physical therapyis provided for the disabled children.An open-air auditorium was funded by FatherFranks Kids and built entirely by pequeoswith the technical assistance of a local crafts-man. On days of celebration, the area is filledwith folding chairs made by the pequeos inthe vocational workshops. All of our homes'fixtures and furniture are made by our youths.Pequeos who receive three years of voca-tional training and obtain their certificationhave little difficulty finding jobs.

During 2006, Father Franks

Kids shipped 6,550 pounds to

Honduras which included:

Childrens ClothesChildrens Shoes

Toys1 ping pong table

Guatemala (304 Children)

Washing DepartmentBy Barbara Sigmund

Can you imagine wash-ing clothes for 100 chil-dren? Now can youimagine doing it byhand? Meet MiriamMartinez!Miriam not only worksfor her own children,

but she also works formany of the NPH chil-dren. The woman fromGuatemala washesclothes by hand everyweekday from 8am to5pm for the youngerones, in the Pillas infront of the girls dor-mitory.As a washing machine is a luxury item inGuatemala, it is important for the childrento learn how to wash their clothes, as itmay be necessary in the future. Also, themajority of the employees of NPH washtheir clothes by hand. Miriam cleansitems like the school uniforms of the littleones, who are not yet able to do it them-selves and for the disabled. Her job alsoincludes caring about the other clothesand sheets washed by machine and thendried.Miriam lives in Chimaltenango, which isthe nearest large town to our home. Shelives with her family, which consists of

As you read this a shipment is

on its way and is scheduled toarrive in Guatemala before

Christmas. It contains:

Childrens ClothingChildrens Shoes

140 Bicycles and Repair PartsCommercial Clothes Washer and

Dryer

her husband and her threechildren. Since 2003, shehas worked for NPH andshe is glad to be here. Ireally appreciate Miriamssmiles, which light up herface no matter how tall thepile of dirty clothes next toher.

Father Franks Kids willsoon be making Miriams

job a lot easier. They are

receiving cash donations

which will enable them to

purchase a large capacity

commercial washer and

dryer to include in the next

shipment to Guatemala .

During 2006, Father Franks

Kids shipped a container to

Haiti which included:

50 BicyclesBicycle Repair Parts

Set of Bicycle Repair Tools

Haiti (506 Children)

NPH Secondary School in Haiti.

Many older children are first enrolled in

the primary school because they arrivedwith no previous education.


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The orphaned and abandoned childrenof Nuestros Pequeos Hermanos came tous after losing their parents. Now they aresuffering the loss of the man that has been

the Father of our family for the last 52years. Father William B. Wasson died onAugust 16, 2006 receiving his heavenlyreward at the age of 82.Over these years, more than 15,000 chil-dren have benefited from the love anddedication of Father Wasson. Today, NPHcontinues to care for more than 3,000 chil-dren in the nine countries where FatherWasson established homes. We deeplymiss his warmth, his kind smile and hisvision of giving so many poor and suffer-ing children a second chance in life. Onbehalf of all of the personnel of NPH, Iwant to assure you that the work of FatherWasson for the children continues.Father Wasson had the foresight to makeplans to guarantee that Nuestros PequeosHermanos would continue serving the chil-dren as long as there were children needing

our help. Fundraising organizations inthe United States, Canada, Europe andMexico have worked tirelessly to sup-

Father Bill Wasson

In Memoriam - Father Bill Wasson, Founder of NPH

port our work during all these years andcontinue to support our efforts. The major-ity of our homes are now under the leader-ship of former pequeos who learned the

philosophy of NPH from Father Wassonhimself. They also are committed to realiz-ing his dream.Father founded an organization of serviceand supervision, Nuestros Pequeos Her-manos International (NPHI), to insure thathis legacy continues. The work of NPHI isto help the homes provide the best possiblecare to the children and to insure that thephilosophy of Father Wasson remains themost basic guide for all of them. NPHI willcontinue to supervise administrative andfinancial systems to make sure that each

donation is used for the good of the chil-dren, and will establish more NPH homesas the funding permits. NPHI will preparemore leaders that can take on the work incountries where there is urgent need, untilthe day when, like Father Wasson, we arecalled home to the Lord.

Father Cleary was born onSeptember 5, 1953. He was

raised in a middle-class Irishneighborhood on the Northside of Chicago where heattended Catholic schools andthe seminary.During his years in the semi-nary, he worked as a coun-selor for five years at a Chi-cago orphanage, as a dormdirector at a home for delin-quent and troubled youth.

Father Phil was ordained in 1979, and assigned to apoor inner-city parish in a Mexican-Puerto Rican

neighbourhood. A priest friend introduced him toNuestros Pequeos Hermanos and in 1983 he volun-teered to work at the orphanage for a summer. In1984 Father Phil solicited and received permissionfrom his bishop in Chicago to go and serve at NPH.That three-month term of volunteer work became alife-time commitment to the poor, orphaned andabandoned children of NPH.From 1990-2002 Father Phil served as National Di-

rector for the NPH homes in Mexico. He has nowreplaced the founder, Father Bill Wasson, as Execu-tive Director.

Father Philip Cleary namedExecutive Director of NPH

NPH Homes(Year Founded)

Number of Children 12/2005

Mexico (1954)

884 Children

Honduras (1986)536 Children

Haiti (1987)506 Children

Nicaragua (1994)310 Children

Guatemala (1996)304 Children

El Salvador (1999)377 Children

Dominican Republic(2003)

120 Children

Peru (2004)36 Children

Bolivia (2005)40 Children

Father Franks KidsInvolvement

Nicaragua: Chapel built and furnished at

Casa Asis (for the children under age 6)

Nicaragua: Church built at Casa Santiagoon Ometepe Island

Nicaragua: Covered play area and playstructures built at Casa Asis

Honduras: Amphitheatre built to add seat-ing for 600 people attending masses andspecial events.

El Salvador: Funds committed to assistwith building a new chapel.

30 shipping containers to 5 countrieswhich have included:Clothing for Children of all agesBaby Beds and SuppliesHygiene & Medical Equip. & SuppliesSports EquipmentAppliances (laundry, ice making, airconditioning, pop corn making, etc.)

Toys and Bicycles of all sizesComputer EquipmentSewing Machines


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Lords call with gusto. Sister Phyllis ranCasa Asis for children age 6 and under inNicaragua. The first load was to be forher. Father Frank asked for clothing anddonations from the pulpit. The parishionersof St. Isidores, sensing his commitment,responded generously. They have contin-ued to generously support the program.In the next 3 months, Father Franks

Kids will be unveiling a website. It willfeature the history of Father Frank's Kids,current efforts underway, a calendar of ourupcoming shipment dates, special donationrequests, and more. Keep an eye out forthe new site at:

www.fatherfrankskids.org.

(Continued from page 1)

Father Frank is buried in a prominent

place outside the church he built

for the children on the island of

Ometepe in Nicaragua.

Father Cleary, the new Executive

Director of NPH is shown as he spends

time at the grave of Father Frank

Nicaragua (310 Children)

During 2006, Father FranksKids shipped a container to

Nicaragua which included:

Childrens ClothingChildrens Shoes

Garden toolsVideo equipment

Baby CribsTables and Chairs

55 bikes and repair partsKitchen items

A Typical Day at NPH NicaraguaBy Sandy Alizza Omier

Our day begins at4:30 in the morning.We rise, bathe andprepare for school.There is a lot of talk-ing as we eat ourbreakfast in the din-ing room. When weare finished we haveassigned chores tocomplete like doing

the dishes, cleaningour rooms, pickingup the groundsaround our house and starting our laundry. Wehave to complete our responsibilities before weleave for class at 7am. Most of us marchin a line to the school,the youngest onesfirst, accompanied byour Tias.I have my first classat 7:20 and it is eitherSpanish Grammar orMathematics depend-ing on the day.Classes are about 40or 45 minutes long.At 10:30 the entireschool has a 20-minute recreation period atwhich time I go to the patio to relax and pre-pare for my following class.After the midmorning break many of the olderchildren attend vocational classes, while theyounger children continue in their regular classstudy. Our workshops include a beauty school,sewing class, woodshop and computer class.These are things that I did not know how to do

before I came here. Everyday I learn more atNPH. I learn how to be a skilled and educated

person. I have found thatI have learned most inmy computer class whereI am learning programslike Word and Excel. Iam learning many thingsthat will help me in thefuture.We leave school at 1:45pm and arrive at ourhouse at 2:00 pm, about a mile walk. We eat our

lunch from 2 to 3 andalso have time to changeand finish our work from

the morning. Our afternoons are divided into 3time periods. We have time to study and pre-

pare our class assign-ments for the next day, 3to 4. Work time is from 4to 5 and we do things likecut the grass, cleanaround the visitor houseand the clinic, clean in-side the clinic and collectwood for our kitchen.Playtime is the best, it isfrom 5 to 6, and that iswhen we have musicplaying and can playbasketball, soccer, volley-

ball, and other games. After our activities weeat dinner at 6:30 pm and then take care of ourpersonal responsibilities in the house. From 7to 8 we also prepare our clothes for school thenext day and the younger girls go to bed at 8.From 8 to 9, the older girls can study or writeletters or just visit with our friends. At 9 pm itis time to retire. Good night Pequeos.

Breakfast Time

Cati and Scarleth enjoy a card game

Bikes

You see bikes listed in almost every shipmentwe send. They are provided by the local reuse/recycling program and by Danville Bikewhich is owned by a St. Isidores parishioner.In this picture 25 selected bikes are beingbrought in from Pacific Rim Recycling inBenicia They will be inventoried to deter-mine the repair parts they need and stored forthe next shipment. The parts are purchasedfrom a supplier in Hayward and stored withthe bikes awaiting shipping.


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El Salvador (377 Children)

In 1999 Father Wasson founded the sixthNPH orphanage in Santa Ana, El Salva-dor. As with the other NPH homes, hisdecision was based on the needs of themany neglected

and abandonedchildren. ElSalvador is stilldevastated aftertheir 12-yearcivil war. Therate of violenceand crime isvery high andmany childrenbecame orphansbecause of thewar. As withmany of thechildren in the care of NPH, they havebeen both verbally and physically abused

and have had to live on the streets to sur-vive.NPH El Salvador currently takes care ofmore than 370 children, and every week

new children ar-

rive. In December2004, the last ofthe buildings inT e x i s t e p e q u ewere completedand the family isfinally living to-gether again intheir new home ofC i u d a d e l aSagrada Familia.The property in-cludes a school,clinic, administra-

tive offices, dining room and kitchen;houses for the boys, girls and the babies.

Children of NPH El Salvador attending class

Annual NPH Meeting News

The annual NPH Conference will beheld in El Salvador from February 15 19, 2007. Several representatives from

Father Franks Kids will be in attendanceincluding Father Gerald Moran, pastor ofSt. Isidores Church. In addition, mem-bers of support groups in Europe, Can-ada, Mexico and other parts of the UnitedStates will attend.The conference will include reports from

the directors of the nine countries havinghomes and schools.One of the highlights will be an all-day

visit to the Sagrada Familia home in ElSalvador which will provide the atten-dees with a first-hand opportunity to seethe wonderful work that is being done toprovide for the children.

Father Ron Hicks presiding at masswith the children

Sixty-nine children were baptized in October.Most arrived at NPH in the last year, some justa few days prior to the Baptism.


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Father Franks KidsPO Box 478Alamo, California 94507

Contacts:

Mike Hertel(925) [email protected]

Ann Ferrante(925) [email protected]

Grisell Navas(925)[email protected]

Lauren Rettagliata(925) [email protected]

Dick Sanders

(925) [email protected]

Brent Smith

(925) [email protected]

Our Wish List!Father Franks Kids is providing a link

between families in Northern California andorphanages in El Salvador, Guatemala,Honduras and Nicaragua. Containershipments are planned at least once a yearto each of them. As you can see from thesepages, the donations are a tremendous helpfor the children and the operation of theorphanages.

The following is a list of some of thethings we are looking for to include inupcoming shipments:Baby items including food, diapers,

clothing, hygiene suppliesItems for Personal Hygiene like soaps,

shampoos, tooth brushes, tooth paste,

powdered soap for washing clothes

Childrens Clothing including socks,

underwear and especially good tennis shoes

Sports Equipment:Soccer & basket ballsSchool/Art/Sewing Supplies

Kitchen Equipment: Cooking Utensils,

Pots pans, dishes, food storage, appliances

Financial Assistancefor shipping and topurchase needed items.

Father Frank had the foresight to have a

non-profit charitable organization setup

that will keep the focus on his children

and continue this work long after he is

gone. Father Franks Kids, Inc. wasestablished in 2004.

We ask for your support as we carry out

Fathers wishes so his children will be

healthy, educated, spiritually sound and

have an opportunity to live a

meaningful life.

New Drop Off Location For

Donations ToFather Franks Kids

Father Franks Kids has moved fromthe rectory to the old convent locatedabove the parking lot between thechurch and El Cerro road. If you haveitems to donate (see the wish list onthis page) you can drop them off any-time by the front door. A donation re-ceipt is available.

The new location provides morespace for sorting and preparing

donations for shipment.

Continuing His Legacy

Documents

FFK Newsletter 2006