RESTORATION OF PARISH HOUSES IN NAVARRE
26 residents of the Colegio Mayor Goroabe have been at work this summer restoring various parish houses in the Navarre region.
It all started at the end of May, when several Goroabe residents brainstormed about volunteer work that could be done right here in Navarre. They contacted through the archdiocese Don Jesús María Sotil who is responsible for several parishes in northern Navarre. He explained that many churches in Navarre, some dating back to the 13th or 15th century, are maintained thanks to the income made from renting parish houses. “But, in order for the houses to be rented, they needed to be in good condition. And the reality was they weren’t” residents said.
Goroabe formed a group of twenty-six university students from Navarre, other regions in Spain, as well as the Ivory Coast, Kenya, Switzerland, and the United States. The group got to work cleaning and restoring the parish house of Aldatz.
“When we arrived, we realized it was going to be more complicated than expected because of the deteriorating state of the house.” But with optimism and hard work, the group finished restoring the parish house in Aldatz moved on to the parish house of Astitz.
But the parish house of Astitz was in worse condition than the first—additional funds were needed to restore the deteriorating roof.
The group of volunteers were delighted with this summer volunteering opportunity. “It was extremely gratifying—not only to offer our help, but also to get to know better and delve into the realities faced by the people of Navarre”.