Projects in Need
A Vehicle for a Remote and Extensive Parish in India
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The Parish of Saint Francis Xavier in Lazu is a remote parish in the Diocese of Miao in the far northeast of India, close to the frontier with Burma (Myanmar). It has 10 outstations and close to 2,500 Catholic faithful, most of whom are very poor and from downtrodden ethnic minorities. Most are forced to work as day laborers for large local landowners, and they struggle to survive on pitiful wages. Any small family crisis, such as a family member ...
Help Catechists in Pakistan
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“Pakistan‘s Vatican.” This is how Khushpur, in the Faisalabad district of the Punjab, is sometimes humorously referred to, as it is the largest Catholic ‘village’ in all Pakistan. This village, which has close to 8,000 Catholics and a very active Church life, is a pillar of strength for Catholicism in this overwhelmingly Muslim country. It has already produced numerous vocations to the priesthood and religious life—including two bishops. Also from Khushpur was the former Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, murdered by ...
Support Ongoing Formation for 45 Priests and Deacons in the Central African Republic
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The Central African Republic is one of the poorest and most underdeveloped nations in the world. It is a country that is plagued by constant unrest and attempted coups; many areas are under the control of armed rebel groups. In the midst of these difficult circumstances, the Church continues to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel and bring the Sacraments to the people. The Church has also stepped in to help in many areas that are normally the responsibility ...
A Car for the Little Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Ukraine
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Last year, the Little Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary celebrated the 25th anniversary of their work in Kharkiv. The anniversary was a sad occasion, however, since this city, the second largest in Ukraine, is in the east of the country and has been caught up in the fighting since the start of the war. Rocket and missile attacks are a regular occurrence. In happier times, the Sisters were occupied primarily in the cathedral parish. One of them was ...
A Vehicle for a Remote Mountain Parish in Guatemala
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The challenges are enormous in the Parish of El Calvaria in central Guatemala. It covers an area of over 780 square miles of mountainous terrain and includes over 100 small, separate communities. Most of the inhabitants are indigenous peoples belonging to the ethnic Kekchi tribe. They are especially disadvantaged and marginalized and live for the most part in deep poverty. Many of their families had been caught up in the bitter civil war from 1968 to 1996, victims of abductions and torture ...
Help the Only Seminary in Uruguay
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In Uruguay, the Catholic Church holds a far less influential position in society than in most other countries of Latin America. Only some 30% of the country‘s 3.5 million citizens declare themselves to be Catholic, and religious faith and practice have been largely relegated to the private sphere. The second smallest country of Latin America, Uruguay has a long history of secularism, a process that began in the middle of the 19th century. To this day, Christian feast days are ...
Support a Youth and Vocations Apostolate Program in Bolivia
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Life is hard in the Apostolic Prelature of Corocoro, located high up in the Andes of Bolivia. People live in widely scattered, often small settlements. Only a handful of the villages or small towns have a population of over 10,000. Close to 80% of the 290,000 people in the prelature live in extreme poverty, and rural exodus is a real problem, as many people move away into the urban centers of the country. Those who depart often only end up ...
Fund the Formation of 53 Novices of the Daughters of Our Lady in Indonesia
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With a population of 272 million, Indonesia is the most populous Muslim nation on earth. Christians account for just 10% of the population, with Catholics at just 3%. While relatively small in number, the Church in Indonesia has good grounds for hope and joy, as there are many vocations to the religious life in this Southeast Asian nation. Typical of this religious dynamism are the Daughters of Our Lady, Queen of the Holy Rosary, a home-grown congregation, founded in 1958 ...
A Motorized Canoe for a Diocese in the Democratic Republic of Congo
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The Diocese of Kindu in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo covers an area of approximately 32,000 square miles—about the size of South Carolina. While vast, it is thinly populated. Some 916,000 people live in the whole territory; roughly 380,000 are Catholics. Since 2021, Bishop François Abeli Muhoya Mutchapa has been the shepherd of the Diocese of Kindu. The bishop, 49, takes his pastoral duties very seriously and wants to be close to his priests and faithful. ...
A New Heating System for Sisters in Romania
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The Eastern-rite Greek-Catholic Church in Romania is found principally in the region of Transylvania and serves close to 480,000 Catholic faithful. It is in full communion with the Catholic Church in Rome, but as one of the Eastern Catholic churches, it celebrates the Liturgy according to the Byzantine rite. The Sisters of the Mother of God are the oldest Sisters‘ congregation of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church. In 2021, they celebrated the centenary of their foundation. The congregation was originally ...