Missionary's request for first Communion dresses brings in dozens

Published: 2005-12-20

ST. LOUIS (CNS) -- Jesuit Father Dick Perl, a missionary in Belize, had no idea what he was getting into when he mentioned to volunteers from Missouri that the parish he serves could use a few first Communion dresses to share with families. The Mayan girls in the villages wear white dresses for their first Communion, and it takes about a month for their parents to earn the income to purchase the dresses, he told a group from St. Charles County, a St. Louis suburb. Father Perl's goal was to have some dresses available to rent to the families for a nominal fee that would be used to cover cleaning costs. "We always try to help Father Dick with his needs," said David Billing of St. Patrick Parish in Wentzville. Billing and his wife, Chris, lead the St. Joseph Medical Brigade out of St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake St. Louis. The group takes a couple trips a year to rural Belize where Father Perl, a native of Affton, Mo., serves as a pastor. With help from others, the Billings collected nearly 100 dresses.

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