Year Joined MKLM: 2004 Country: Bolivia City: Cochabamba Focus: Civil & Human Rights, Education, Pastoral Ministry Project(s): a. The Congress of Bolivian Religious (CBR); b. The Maryknoll Center for Mission in Latin America (CMMAL) c. Our Lady of Lasalette Parish; d. Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns; e. Consultant to social justice advocates People Served: a. 25 young men and women in religious formation; b. 50 language students and foreign missioners each year; c. 130 children 6-12 years old from 15 impoverished communities, 40 youth from the parish and Catholic University Teachers College, and approx. 100 associated families; d. More than 30 missioners of the three Maryknoll entities who are serving in Bolivia, and those who benefit from the work of the Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns; e. The 12-15 delegation members and the hundreds of people associated with their groups. Project Goal(s): a. Teach young men and women in religious formation a practical Spirituality of Mission;   b. Contribute to the efforts of CMMAL in providing a gospel-based mission formation experience for missioners from Latin America and for those serving in mission in Latin America by researching the social and environmental impact of mining operations affecting the communities in which missioners work and by supporting the Cultural Orientation Program for language students;  c. Provide a gospel-based experience of community through a summer camp program for 130 children between 6 and 12 years old and enlist more than 40 youth and young adult volunteers, and other programs which are on-going throughout the year;   d. Support the efforts of the three Maryknoll entities by providing a critical analysis of the social reality from Bolivia as we work together to build a more just and sustainable world;  e. Guide and facilitate delegations interested in the political, social and economic implications of US policies on Bolivia.

Personal Data
Evan joined MKLM in 2004 with his wife Sue and their two children Mary (born in 2000) and Rose (2002). Sue and Evan were members of St. Mary’s Parish, Shrewsbury, MA in the archdiocese of Worcester.  Prior to joining MKLM as a missioner, Evan had worked extensively as a Campus Minister, a Youth Minister, and in Religious Education.

Evan’s volunteer and community service prior to joining MKLM included service with Jesuit Volunteers International from 1989-1991 in Tacna, Peru. He was also Associate Program Director for Jesuit Volunteers International from 1994-1996.

At Boston College, where he received his BA in Psychology, Evan was a Campus Minister, and he has served as Director of the Ignacio Volunteers, and has directed six international service and immersion programs for students, staff and faculty. Evan also earned a Masters of Divinity degree from Weston Jesuit School of Theology in 1999.

Current Ministry
Evan currently serves in mission in Bolivia. His ministry work includes service with The Congress of Bolivian Religious (CBR), The Maryknoll Center for Mission in Latin America (CMMAL), Our Lady of Lasalette Parish, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, and as a Consultant to delegations of activists visiting Bolivia, such as Witness for Peace.In his direct service the youth of Bolivia, Evan trains volunteer camp instructors and coordinates summer camps for more than a hundred children ages 6-12. The two week summer camp session of 2008 provided the youth with interactive activities on themes such as “who am I?,” family, community, faith, and the environment. Evan also arranges field trips which foster the spirituality of Christian community.

In his direct service the youth of Bolivia, Evan trains volunteer camp instructors and coordinates summer camps for more than a hundred children ages 6-12. The two week summer camp session of 2008 provided the youth with interactive activities on themes such as “who am I?,” family, community, faith, and the environment. Evan also arranges field trips which foster the spirituality of Christian community.  

“I want to create a fun, memorable, and meaningful experience of Christian community for the children and youth here,” Evan says of the The Summer Camp Program at the Our Lady of Lasalette Parish where he and his family live. 

The parish is located in a marginalized neighborhood in Cochabamba’s southern zone. Many of the parish’s impoverished families have recently emigrated from rural areas looking for better opportunities for their children. During the summer months, children are often left at home while their parents work in the informal economy as day laborers or street vendors (80% of Bolivians work in this sector). Many youth are also looking for ways to The Summer Camp Program provides the children a constructive use their time, and a positive place to learn, have fun and build community while they are on their summer break. In addition, the city government provides a certificate for the Camp’s youth volunteers which can be used toward college credit.  

In his advocacy-related ministries, Evan hopes to provide the people of powerful countries with the information they need to be affective advocates for change of foreign policy in Latin America.  “In my ministries,” he says, “I seek to connect people of good faith and a sense of solidarity who live in the powerful countries of our world with the people with whom I work and live so that they will be empowered to work for a sustainable and just world for everyone.” 

While living in Peru as a JV, Evan came to see firsthand the devastating effects of foreign imposed political and economic policies on impoverished countries. Because of his witness of the devastating effects the policies had on the poorest communities, Evan evolved his focus in mission from providing basic needs to changing structures in addition to direct service. He recognized that all his efforts to help impoverished people meet their basic human needs was never going to be enough without also working to change the political and social policies that help to create and exacerbate inequality and poverty.  

Some of the activities of Evan’s ministries include teaching classes on the “Spirituality of Mission,” introducing to the students a gospel-based vision of non-violence as part of a integrated mission spirituality; planning and implementing a Cultural Orientation Program for language school students; and researching and reporting the effects of foreign mining firms operating in Bolivia.  

Evan actively pursues alternatives to environmental, and hence economical, degradation of Bolivia through his research of the effects of foreign companies operating there. In addition to his written contributions to increase awareness, Evan visits policy makers in Washington, DC including members of congress and the senate, U.S. State Department officials, U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference, and human rights organizations working on Latin America issues and policies. Evan shares the findings of his research and offers perspectives of indigenous Bolivians on the effects of foreign policy. 

In 2008, Evan facilitated a successful two week delegation for 13 Witness for Peace delegates and leaders that covered four regions of Bolivia. He provided analysis of Bolivia’s political reality and arranged meetings with various political and social movement leaders. 

“I want the people with whom I live and work as a Maryknoll Lay Missioner to know and understand that I support their struggle for economic and social justice, that I appreciate and understand their culture and experience of God, and that I serve them with the goal of global solidarity among all people irrespective of where one lives.”  ~Evan Cuthbert, MKLM missioner in Bolivia