Mission and Values
Mission
To inspire a lifelong commitment to a faith that works for justice through transformative, intercultural experiences living the Gospel of Christ in solidarity with marginalized communities.
La Misión
Inspirar un compromiso de vida con una fe que trabaja por la justicia a través de experiencias transformadoras e interculturales conviviendo el Evangelio de Cristo en solidaridad con comunidades marginadas.
We ground ourselves in these core values:
Shared experience of faith: We believe in a faith which is transformative and hopeful, which celebrates the unity and diversity of God’s creation. We desire to see Christ in each person and to communicate Christ’s love through our actions and words. We are grounded by our Catholic faith which calls us to a radical openness to and trust in God’s unconditional love and mercy for all.
Serving in solidarity with those on the margins: We choose to live in economically impoverished communities, to enter into these communities with humility and partner with local efforts that respond to their basic needs and seek to understand the causes of the injustices in which they live.
Mutuality: We recognize the dignity of every person and the diversity of the human family. We commit to fostering interpersonal relationships of mutual appreciation, respect, and accountability. We do this by honoring each individual’s unique identities, inclusive of their gender, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, and status, as we open ourselves to learning from them and sharing ourselves authentically in return.
Build intercultural community: We commit to living in an intentional Christian community supporting each other’s spiritual and personal growth with love, acceptance, and understanding; and sharing resources to ensure that each person has what they need to thrive.
Living simply: We prioritize authentic relationships with God and others. We recognize the limits of our common home, and act to end the unjust distribution of wealth and opportunity.
Hospitality: We believe that opening our hearts and homes to others is an opportunity to receive God’s blessings and to share Christ’s love.
Where We Are
There are two neighborhoods in the Guayaquil area of Ecuador in which RdC has houses: Arbolito and Monte Sinaí. These neighborhoods have their own unique features and are in different stages of community development. While the houses and neighborhoods are quite different, the desire to progress and work together in faith unites them. Arbolito is located in Durán and Mt. Sinai is in northern Guayaquil, about 45 minutes driving from Durán or about two hours by bus.
Ecuador has a large amount of internal migration. Thousands of people are continuously flocking to the cities, especially Guayaquil, which is Ecuador’s largest city, in search of access to resources, such as education, employment, transportation, healthcare, etc. This leads to “invasion communities” where large areas of government or privately owned land are taken over by groups of migrants who build homes on the land. The process of legalizing the land is often complicated and tumultuous. The areas, for example, are often plowed over and taken back by the owner, but may eventually be sold to the squatters and legalized when migrant populations return time after time. Many residents of Durán, Monte Sinai and the outskirts of Guayaquil have moved from other provinces in Ecuador in this way. They thus do not consider themselves from Durán, Monte Sinai or Guayaquil, but instead they still have connections to the Ecuadorian province where their family is originally from.
Explore an interactive map of our communities, programs, partners and project sites.
For an in-depth look at each location, go to
Recent Ministry Placements.