June 2025 – Relationships ~ “Do you have pictures of me when I was young?”
Relationships, an article by Rick & Shelley Mack The Mack Family has been visiting COAR and El Salvador since 2004 From the Mack family visit 2004, L-R: Claire, Valeria (14), Phil, Daniela (13), Rick 2015—Rick and Valeria 2025, L-R: Rick, Valeria, Shelley, Luis COAR is built on relationships: between children, families, staff, its surrounding communities, […]
June 2025 – Mike & Susie Jenkins – Lives well-lived
Epilogos, the organization that Rick and Shelley mention in there article, does great work. Located in San Jose Villanueva, our twin puebla across the highway, it restores and uplifts the entire community. Their founders, Mike & Susie Jenkins, died in early 2025. Their extraordinary story is found on their website: (https://epilogos.org). I know I speak […]
Cleveland Bishop Malesic and companions :) visit COAR
September: Several of the COAR kids (those not in school that afternoon) and our visitors. Bishop Malesic, seated in the center, wearing a large cross on a chain . . . Bishop Malesic shares his cross with Carlos Alberto, who is delighted (and momentarily speechless (that won’t last ) No visit to COAR is complete […]
Self-Care and Care from Others
Health Care At COAR — Adapting to Some Special Circumstances Health care is a priority for COAR, of course. But we have the added challenge that comes with feminine health needs: not to re-traumatize girls who have been traumatized around their sexuality. Our staff helps the girls learn how to do self-exams and to deal […]
COAR in the Community
Bendición de Dios ~ Blessing of God COAR’s parish pastor, Fr. Vladimir, says mass at the big parish in town (see our town’s fiesta, click here), of course, and at the COAR chapel of St. Joseph, on our campus. But as with most parish priests in El Salvador he also has a circuit of small […]
Remembering Fr. Ken Myers
Every March 2nd, the COAR school holds a memorial Mass to honor our founder Fr. Vladimir says the memorial Mass for Fr. Ken in the chapel that Fr. Ken built in 1983The high school students around Fr. Ken’s photo shout, “Gracias Padre Ken y su familia” (Thank you Fr. Ken and family)High school students at […]
More from Susan
Introducing Susan, here Fresh Chicken The first time I heard about El Salvador, a friend of mine in grad school was telling me about a mission trip he’d taken with the Newman Center at our university. I’m sure he’s told me a hundred different things about his trip over the years, but what I remember […]
Kind of New! Programs Director Susan Barnish
Susan joined COAR in January 2020 and we’ve been meaning to officially introduce her ever since. For some reason (perhaps a global pandemic?), we didn’t quite get to it when she first came. But our inside story, about COAR’s transitional program, had us thinking about transition in other areas, so we decided this was a […]
Sept. News – Teaching English, Soccer, the Party! – Solidarity 2 of 3
During a week-long visit in June (the first visitors we’ve had since 2019) the men of St. Edward High School, Lakewood, OH, spent quality time with the students of the COAR high school (teaching English, our standard, and most valuable service!) and quality time with some of our residents. This included a nice sit-down dinner […]
Sept. News – Martyrs and the Beauty – and the Poverty – of the Countryside – Solidarity 3 of 3
Solidarity among the martyrs and the charming town of Teotepeque The St. Edward High School visitors (June 2022) learned of El Salvador past at Park Cuscatlan, which has a wall of names (like that in the US for the Vietnam war) of those who died in the war. Then, at the Chapel of the Four […]