Projects in Need
Mass Stipends for 16 Priests in Argentina
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Since ancient times, the Catholic faithful have supported their priests and showed their appreciation for their ministry by means of Mass stipends. In essence, this involves asking the priest to celebrate Holy Mass for a particular intention and, in return, supporting him with a financial or equivalent contribution. This is not a matter of “paying” for the Holy Mass – which is impossible – but of expressing love and gratitude for such a priceless gift. At the same time, however, ...
Mass Stipends for 44 Priests in Zimbabwe
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The Diocese of Chinhoyi in northern Zimbabwe covers a vast area of over 20,000 square miles – considerably larger than some whole countries, like Switzerland or the Netherlands, for example. As a result, the diocese’s 22 parishes all cover very large areas, with numerous scattered villages that the priests have to minister to. The people here urgently need the support and guidance of a priest in their faith life: someone to bring them the sacraments, to help them grow in ...
Ongoing Training for 300 Catechists in Ethiopia
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The apostolic vicariate of Hawassa (Awassa) is in southern Ethiopia and covers a vast region of approximately 45,560 square miles, or roughly one-third the size of Germany. The vicariate is divided into just 20 parishes, each of which covers numerous villages, many of them extremely remote in isolated and inaccessible areas. Some of these villages have a chapel of their own, since the nearest parish church is simply too far away. In most of these small villages, it is only ...
Help for the Chaplaincy Outreach at a University in Lebanon
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Ever since 2019, Lebanon has been going through one of the gravest economic crises in recent history. Such is the collapse that somewhere between half and three-quarters of the population is now living below the poverty line, with even the middle classes suffering extensive poverty. This situation is a result of a combination of factors – structural corruption, political paralysis, a massive financial crisis, successive military conflicts, and the permanently overhanging danger of war in the region. On top of ...
Help to Repair a Solar Water Heating System for a Seminary in Ukraine
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The city of Ushhorod lies within the Greek Catholic eparchy – or diocese – of Mukatshevo in West Ukraine, on the border with Slovakia. This area is more remote from the ongoing war and has taken in thousands of refugees. The Greek-Catholic seminary here – named after the martyred Bishop Theodore Romzha, murdered in 1947 and beatified by Pope John Paul II in June 2001 during his visit to Ukraine – has been supported by ACN since its very beginnings. ...
A Youth Congress on Evangelization in the Amazon Region
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The Diocese of Juína lies in the heart of the Amazon region and covers a vast territory of nearly 48,000 square miles. Yet it has just 14 parishes, which include a total of 380 local communities. Sadly, experience has shown that many young people have drifted away from the Church. This fact has prompted Bishop Neri José Tondello to sit down together with the youth leaders in the diocese and consider how best to rekindle the enthusiasm of as many ...
A Vehicle for Pastoral Work in Guatemala
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With an area of over 14,000 square miles, the apostolic vicariate of El Petén covers more than a third of the total territory of Guatemala. But it is thinly populated, with only around 900,000 inhabitants. The journeys are long, and distances are measured not in miles or kilometers, but in hours, given the appalling state of the roads, which make every journey far longer than one would normally expect. And some of the parishes are larger even than entire dioceses ...
Transportation for the Prison Chaplaincy in Egypt
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Again and again, we hear from prison chaplains just how important it is to accompany not only prisoners but their families also. Not infrequently, offenders are converted as a result, repent of their past deeds, and become worthwhile members of society, while innocent victims, unjustly imprisoned, are encouraged and saved from despair. People who have never experienced love or kindness in their lives encounter the Good News of Jesus for the first time, while families are frequently saved from breakup ...
Support for 29 Religious Sisters in Ecuador
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Across vast swaths of Ecuador, poverty and violence are making life difficult for many parts of the population. Social inequalities are becoming still more extreme, leaving many families broken and torn apart. Many people are leaving the country at the first opportunity in hopes of finding a better life elsewhere. There are many families in need of help, and the Catholic Church is frequently the first place they turn to. The religious sisters, in particular, are “ministering angels” to so ...
Support for the Life and Ministry of Religious in Moldova
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The Republic of Moldova lies to the east of Romania and to the south and west of Ukraine. This small country, which became independent in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, is one of the poorest in Europe. A significant portion of the adult population regularly spends shorter or longer periods living abroad in order to earn a living. As a result, children and elderly people are often left behind alone. Sadly, many mothers return only after many ...