Projects in Need
A Minibus for Refugees in Ukraine
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The Archieparchy of Ivano-Frankivsk is in western Ukraine, where many refugees from elsewhere in the country have fled to for safety. The local Church cares for these refugees, and they need a vehicle so they can transport both people and goods. Unfortunately, their old minivan is 21 years old and now beyond further repair. So they must get a reliable vehicle that will not constantly require repairs and add to their total expenses. Many refugee families are currently housed ...
Renovation of a Formation House in Costa Rica
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The monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe is in the city of Belén in Costa Rica, and it also serves as a formation house for the order of the Franciscan Friars Conventual in Central America. There are currently six brothers there, four postulants and two of them fully professed. But the monastery has space for 16. Its superior, Father Andrés Quesada Soto, has written to us: “We are hoping that the vocations apostolate will bear fruit in the coming years ...
Mass Stipends for Priests in Mexico
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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 ...
Support for the Benedictine Sisters in Benin
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The Benedictine convent of Notre-Dame de l’Ecoute was founded in 2005 in northern Benin. Originally, all the sisters were from France, but now, there are also African sisters, and there are more young women from Benin interested in the Benedictine life. But in 2022, the sisters had to leave their monastery because it was located on the border with Burkina Faso and at risk of attack from jihadists. They were transferred to the Archdiocese of Parakou, which is further south ...
Support for 30 Sisters in Brazil
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The Diocese of Cajazeiras is in northeastern Brazil, widely regarded as one of the poorest parts of the country. It faces severe droughts, and the people in this very rural area are, for the most part, impoverished. And due to a shortage of clergy, each priest must minister to 7,000 Catholic faithful, who are scattered over a vast area. At more than 5,500 square miles, the diocese is roughly half the size of Belgium, but has only 80 priests to ...
Help for the Training of Seminarians in Ukraine
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The Ukrainian Greek-Catholic seminary in the archeparchy of Ternopil-Zboriv has been open since 1993. It is named for Cardinal Josyf Slipyj, the great hero and Confessor of the Church, who spent 18 years in Soviet prison camps. Today, there are 138 men preparing for the priesthood in the seminary. They include men from seven different dioceses, or eparchies, and some of them belong to the Studite Order. In addition to their studies, the seminarians are involved in the parishes – ...
A Vehicle for Religious Sisters in Pakistan
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The Sisters of the Holy Family of Bordeaux first came to Pakistan almost 50 years ago. Today, this congregation, founded in France in the 19th century, has 32 religious sisters working in almost all the Pakistani dioceses. They help the priests in the parishes, support the vulnerable and needy, and work in education, healthcare, and pastoral support. The Holy Family Sisters also work in the parish of the Sacred Heart in the diocese of Faisalabad. They minister to seven villages ...
Rebuilding a Parish House in Venezuela
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Venezuela is regularly affected by tropical storms and other natural disasters, and the country was particularly hard hit by the passage of Hurricane Julia in October 2022, which caused extensive damage. Tens of people died, and countless houses were destroyed. In the parish of Tarmas in northern Venezuela, the rainfall was so heavy that the ground could no longer absorb it, leading to devastating landslides. There are 14,500 people here; many families lost their homes. Fortunately, the parish’s beautiful 200-year-old ...
Support for the Prison Apostolate in Ecuador
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Violence is on the rise in Latin America. In Ecuador, the number of killings increased by more than 80 percent between 2021 and 2022. And in the Ecuadorian port city of Guayaquil, which has close to three million inhabitants, the rate of violent crime is particularly high, mostly affecting young men between the ages of 15 and 27. They are recruited by criminal gangs, often when they are already in prison. If they can see no alternative life, they ...
Two Motorcycles for a Pre-Seminary in the Congo
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The propedeutic, or pre-seminary, in the Diocese of Kasongo is on the eastern side of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the population has a Muslim majority, unlike in other parts of the country. The seminary was founded in 1936 and soon took in candidates from other dioceses. They would study there for two years, preparing for their entry into the major seminary. There is space for 60 young men altogether. But the seminary is facing a major problem: it ...