Our parish, through Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Global Solidarity Partnership, has begun a partnership with the Parish of Santa Cruz in the diocese of Santa Rosa in Guatemala.  This unit of CRS strives to promote the development of direct and mutually enriching relationships between the people CRS serves in the US and overseas that lead to the immediate and long-term transformation of people and the world in which they live.  CRS can demonstrate that these relationships create a strong base of solidarity from which personal dispositions can be changed and tangible actions can take place for the common good.  Individuals are transformed by a spiritual awakening that occurs in engaging directly with people from a distant place; groups can engage in concrete activities such as advocacy and support of projects that will improve living conditions for their partners.