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Most Holy Trinity School invited me to the annual visit from Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos early last month. Some 16 youth (children to early 20s, I think), came from El Salvador for a bilingual Mass, intercultural dialog and cultural dancing.

The goodwill tour served as a thank you to groups, including 10 diocesan schools, that support Friends of the Orphans. The organization allows the schools to sponsor individual students living at the Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos network of homes spread across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Here is a video recap of last month’s visit:

Many diocesan schools encourage each grade level to sponsor a peer through Friends of the Orphans. The students gets regular updates from their orphan and grow with them as they advance to each grade.

I just ran across some profiles of orphans that students at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Scottsdale are supporting. Take a look:

• 

  Friends of the Orphans helps OLPH kindergarteners in Scottsdale be "godparents" to Ivone in Latin America.

  Students in kindergarten through seventh grade recently collected $1,127.55 for their sponsored orphans. The school newsletter said the eighth-graders will hold a collection for their student later in the year.

• The kindergarten orphan, Ivone,  joined the NPH family in April alongside her sister and two brothers after their mother and grandmother couldn’t care for them. She is six years old
• Maria has been living at NPH since age three after her mother abandoned her and her sister. She’s now seven and the second-grade class sponsors her.
• Gustavo, age 11, came to NPH last December with his brother after their grandmother died. The sixth-grade class now helps provide for his needs.