PLAZA AMISTAD

Mission: In Spanish, amistad stands for friendship. Plaza Amistad brings together multiple change agents in a spirit of friendship around a shared mission: to create opportunities that give people a hand-up and build our community. Inspired by the wisdom and vision of Pope Francis, we realize and embrace his current broad call of encounter and service.

Purpose: To create and continually refine a P3 model (public-private partnership) with the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville leveraging the expertise of other partner institutions: from education to healthcare, and from recreation to farming. The community comes together to build community, meeting people where they are and creating sustainable solutions, offering hope, and inspiring collaboration and innovation.

A partnership among the Diocese of Brownsville, businesses, and other community partners aims to create a self-sustaining space where area residents can learn, play, find services, and meet others from different backgrounds. “My intention is that this be a place where you can encounter and enjoy knowing other people,” Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville said at a November 29, 2017 dedication ceremony at the project site. “My hope, especially for the families that are here, is that this land will continue to be a land that bears fruit – fruit of hope, of joy, of laughter and learning, especially for our young people.” The project, called Plaza Amistad, will include a health care clinic and education center, retail stores, a farming field school, a farmer’s market, and a community garden.