Saint Martin DePorres

at 1119 W Bancroft St, Toledo , 43606 United States

1. Catholic Church
2. Religious Organization

St. Martin de Porres is a vibrant multicultural parish celebrating 25 years of presence and influence in the Central City of Toledo, Ohio

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General Info

We are this community of St. Martin de Porres, Rooted in the Word and the Eucharist, A Prophetic Presence, Energized by racial, social and cultural diversity; Fired by the Pentecost Spirit, Dedicated to spreading the Gospel of Christ in the Toledo central city and beyond. About Us We are this church. We are faith-filled. Jesus will get us through. In the gospels he said he came so that we might have life abundantly, so that our joy might be complete and so that we might all be one. We aren't afraid since he's with us always. We preach, sing and celebrate well after lots of preparation. Liturgy is our priority. We like each other. We enjoy being together. We worry about each other and help each other out. We spend a lot of Sunday time catching up; we miss each other when someone doesn't show. We don't judge and we're quick to forgive. We're hospitable. We welcome newcomers. We celebrate together the great moments: birth and baptism, death and funerals; first communions and confirmations and marriages. And we celebrate the ordinary moments: raising kids and paying bills and growing older year by year. We reach out. We're like our biblical forebears who were always sent on a mission. So our neighborhood and its people are brothers and sisters to us. We join them in the deliberate pursuit of a better life for all our neighborhood people and their families. We share with them a responsibility for the needy among us; we've come to recognize that it's among our poorest neighbors that Jesus awaits us. And so we share what we have. We want to be a drum major for justice. We want to be an active reliable partner in the struggle to make our city a gentler, kinder place to live and raise a family. So we work to eliminate racism, sexism, ethnic bias and religious bigotry. We cherish cultural distinctiveness. We seek very deliberately to include all manner of race and color and nationality. We try to express ourselves in the style and culture of each. We cherish our members with disabilities. They enrich our parish by their special experience of life. We pray and work in partnership with them particularly to assure that the disabled can participate fully in the life of our community. In the Lord and his Spirit, we are this church. Our History St. Martin de Porres Community sprang from the combined determination, perseverance and trust in God of two dedicated Christian parish families. We are proud to embody the spirit of the former St. Benedict Parish which is kept alive by a number of families who were former members. Our community is honored by our member's deeply rooted traditions and cherishes our innate diversity. We are of Hispanic - European - Asian and African descent. We are Christians. We are Catholics. The St. Martin de Porres Parish of 2004 is the most economically, culturally and racially diverse congregation in the Toledo Diocese. In the spring of 1989 the Parish Councils from St. Ann and St. Teresa met to assess the state of our respective parishes. The two parish schools had been merged with apparent success. Both parishes shared a single pastor. Each parish was also experiencing a profound decline in membership. Meeting the monthly expenses was placing a strain on both parishes. At the urging of the Diocese a year-long process began. The task was to discern whether the two communities would be a healthier and more effective church if merged. A committee of 19 emerged from a September afternoon program of retreat and planning; over 100 attended. The committee reported regularly through the year and brought recommendations to the parishes. Both communities gathered together again the following May for a final retreat. As a result it was determined that St. Ann's and St. Teresa's would cease to exist as separate parishes. There would be one place of worship. Additionally both communities came to a realization that this must not simply be a merger of the two old parishes, but a rebirth. It was essential that a distinctly new parish with a unique identity, style and personality would need to be created. The joint Parish Councils were then charged with selecting the place of worship and determining the name of the new parish. After many meetings and long discussions, the Bancroft street location was selected and the name decided on was St. Martin de Porres. Bishop James Hoffman met with 12 parish leaders in July, 1990 and accepted the proposal. He officially established our parish on November 4, 1990. The Central City Ministries of Toledo (CCMT) have had their offices housed in this parish facility since they were organized in 1969. CCMT exists for many reasons, one of which is to help the central city Catholic parishes and schools operate together more effectively and efficiently. In 1999 extensive improvements, costing over $1 million were begun, restoring all of the campus structures including the Church, Community Center and the School. While the 100-year-old buildings were structurally sound they were in a state of disrepair. The windows, gutters, downspouts, roofs, heating system and the campus grounds desperately needed attention. A Mass celebrating the 100yr anniversary of the Church structure was held on November 21, 1999. Bishop James Hoffman delivered the homily and made the observation that, “through its history and its mother parishes, St. Martin de Porres has been a beacon at the corner of Bancroft and Detroit for a long time – a beacon of faith, a source of hope and a witness to the works of charity for these many years.” Father Martin Donnelly said, “Our mission now is much different than that of most American Catholic churches. We serve the neighborhood rather than the needs of local Catholics.” In the fall of 2002, St. Martin’s Catholic school became a charter school and was renamed Englewood Peace Academy, and as it has for the 100 years, continues to provide a safe learning environment and quality education for children of the neighborhood. At the same time a major renovation process had begun to restore and modernize the interior of the worship space. The entire parish family was invited to enter into the renovation planning and execution process. By the spring of 2004, after years of meetings and planning sessions the process neared completion. Finally after celebrating Mass outside, in the church courtyard, almost every Sunday during the summer of 2003 the whole community looked forward to the end. The re-dedication Mass will be held May 30, 2004 after the delivery of our specially designed and hand carved Altar and Ambo. Both feature three strikingly different colored woods interwoven into one single piece of furniture, symbolizing the racially diverse complexion and solidarity of our faith community.

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Summary

Saint Martin DePorres is Toledo based place and this enity listed in Catholic Church category. Located at 1119 W Bancroft St OH 43606. Contact phone number of Saint Martin DePorres: (419) 241-4544