Mass Stipends

Mexico is a land of contrast. Some parts of the country are popular tourist destinations, while others are torn apart by drugs, abduction, murder, and theft. And though the country has a relatively strong economy, large swaths of the population still live in deep poverty. The Mexican Diocese of Tapachula has its own unique challenges, too. It shares a border with Guatemala and is crossed by many migrants on their way to the United States. The Church offers pastoral support ...

The apostolic vicariate of Yurimaguas in Peru is largely covered by the rainforest and is home to a number of indigenous tribal groups.  The people are very poor, and the roofs of their huts are made of palm leaves. Most of their small riverside settlements can only be reached by water. There are no roads to speak of, and medical care and education are mostly provided by missionaries.  Roughly 270,000 Catholics live here, scattered across an area larger than that ...

The Diocese of Lolo is in a primarily rural part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There are no major urban centers, and most of the population is poor, with around 95 percent living on subsistence farming, livestock, and fishing. Given the lack of urban centers, transporting their produce is difficult, and in any case, there are no large markets where people can sell the food they produce. Then there is climate change, which makes life still more difficult. ...

The war in Ukraine has impacted the entire country, including areas where there has been no fighting. As a result, even in the west of the country, people have become poorer and many have lost their jobs, and pension and social security payments are struggling to keep up. At the same time, food and living costs have risen sharply. Many priests have also been hard-hit, since the faithful can no longer contribute to their support. This is happening even as ...