In the archdiocese of Sucre in Bolivia, there are six of these Sisters living and working in three parishes of the mountainous Andes. Immediately recognisable by their blue habits, they come from various countries – one from Argentina and the other five from Peru.

The mountain trails are long and difficult.  There are poisonous snakes and the Sisters have to negotiate steep and rocky slopes, and sometimes even wade through streams that have turned into rushing torrents as a result of the heavy rainfall.

And even before this, the Sisters have first had to learn the local Quechua language, which is widely spoken by the indigenous population. “That was hard!” recalls Sister Maria Augusta, who has now been working as a missionary for 37 years.

She tells us about her work:  “We sometimes travel for 12 to 14 hours on mules or on two wheels, to visit our people, who are hungry for God. By the time we arrive we are exhausted, but recollected in spirit. The people are waiting for their ‘shepherdesses’.”

The Sisters pray with the people, tend to the sick, comfort the dying in their last moments, bring Holy Communion the people, baptise the children, conduct funerals and liturgies of the Word, and give catechetical instruction. They draw strength for their tireless service in these immensely difficult conditions from their contemplative life prayer. At the same time, they also bring the people real practical help in their needs of everyday life. Since there are no doctors available, the Sisters provide whatever medical care and advice they are able to.

However, the Sisters themselves receive nothing for their livelihood and are completely dependent on outside help.

Would you like to help these Religious Sisters serving the poor?  We are sure they will remember you in their grateful prayers.

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Her help is urgently needed. In these villages, many of which are located deep in the jungle, there is no medical care, no electricity, and virtually no one can read and write. Poverty abounds, sanitary and hygienic conditions are poor, and families have a lot of problems to deal with.

Sister Shobka visits families and checks to see if any of the sick require treatment – such as 10-year-old Benedict Rabha, who fell out of a tree and had to be taken to hospital.

Her fellow Religious Sisters of the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Providence run a small boarding school to enable even those children living in remote villages go to school. She herself runs a village school with 100 pupils.

The Sister also works with 80 women to guide them in helping other women – by providing care during pregnancy and birth, supporting them in raising their children, and educating them about the dangers of alcohol abuse and tobacco use.

This assistance has become all the more necessary in the times of the pandemic.

However, pastoral care is most important of all. The Religious work closely with the Priest. In this region, the Church is still young and its members, who belong to various indigenous ethnic groups, have converted to Christianity from traditional tribal religions.

They are full of religious fervour and enthusiastically take part in Church life, but need someone to stand by them and encourage them along the way.  In these remote villages, it is not possible to celebrate the Eucharist every Sunday and so the faithful meet to pray the rosary or for other prayers and devotions.

Without transport, the work of such a “touring Sister” is quite arduous. Also precious time is taken up to arrive to these communities – time that could be dedicated to the pressing needs of these new Christians.

Thanks to the support of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the Order was finally able to purchase a moped. “Since Sister Shobka got the moped, she has been able to double the number of visits she makes to the villages,” her Mother Superior is pleased to report.

She adds: “We are extremely grateful for your generous help. You and all of the benefactors can be assured of our prayers. Please pray for us that we may always eagerly proclaim the kingdom of God through our words and deeds.”

With your kind support, ACN can continue to provide transport for Priests and Sisters who struggle to reach remote parts of the world in order to bring the Word of God to the faithful.

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“I visit every room in the hospital,” he explains to ACN. “I bless the patients and  comfort them by the Good News: God’s love. I tell them that Jesus Christ is very close to them in their suffering, for he suffered some of the same symptoms as those fighting the disease: he too struggled to breathe”.

Father Grzegorz has been exercising his ministry in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, for the past nine years and now, more than ever, when the Lviv region counts thousands of cases of Covid-19 infections with countless fatalities, his mission is all the more important.

In order to spiritually strengthen them, Father Grzegorz hears confessions and gives Holy Communion. “Every day I experience a little miracle, for the number of people receiving Holy Communion is always equal to the number of hosts I brought with me,” he says.

In nearly 25 years he has spent since his ordination, loving the poor and the needy, this priest has never “for a single day” regretted his Ordination.

The only thing he desires is to follow the example of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, “who slept for only four or five hours a day, because she was full of zeal for her work and loved what she did. I too want to love what I do in the same way, right to the end,” he says.

To support the work of Ukrainian Priests and Religious during the pandemic, ACN is providing the necessary protective equipment—including face masks, gloves, antiseptic to 3,478 priests, 92 seminarians and about one thousand members of religious communities, for their own protection and to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

With your donation, ACN can continue to support these missionaries to make Christ’s love a reality for those who are suffering the devastation caused by the pandemic in some of the poorest parts of the world.

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Jordan, 30 December 2014: For years, the Hashemite Kingdom has been a haven for refugees from Iraq. However, refugees are also arriving by the thousands from Syria. They are fleeing from war and violence, the result of the most recent political developments and an increasingly militant Islamism. The entire region is now under threat because hundreds of thousands, both Christians and Muslims, have been or are being uprooted. There are many Christians among those who have had to flee their homes “who have lost everything but not given up their faith,” according to Father Rifat Bader. The Catholic priest works as a pastor in Jordan, but also carries out media and public relations work by order of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which comprises Israel, Jordan, Palestine and Cyprus. When asked how he would assess the current situation of Christians in Jordan, Fr Bader answered with a concrete example: “In my parish in Naour, which belongs to the Latin Patriarchate, we live and pray with 40 refugees every day. The future is bleak at the moment. The Christians from Iraq do not want to return to their homes; they just want to escape to other countries. Jordan may be safe, but they will not be allowed to remain here.” Father Rifat Bader has built a media centre in Amman and developed the Arab and English-language website “abouna.org” through the financial support of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). Both projects should “not favour one religion at the cost of the others, but promote a dialogue, especially among Christians and Muslims,” he emphasised. He then added, “We would like to see that it is possible to coexist peacefully and for Christians to remain in the Middle East. If the United Nations helps with schools, with housing, with work, then why shouldn’t the Christians stay?” According to Father Rifat Bader, approximately 180,000 native Christians are currently living in Jordan and he estimates that 70,000 Christian Jordanians live in other countries. These have been joined by umpteen thousands of Christian refugees from Iraq and Syria who fled together with hundreds of thousands of their Muslim countrymen. “Many Christians are waiting for visas to be able to leave the country for third countries. We help them, but at the same time want to give them more than just food, namely dignity, and strengthen their Christian identity.” The refugees are first housed in refugee centres; the church currently maintains seven of these. The capacities, however, are not enough. “We need further centres, because unfortunately, even more refugees will be coming,” Father Rifat Bader said. In addition to public relations work, Aid to the Church in Need supports various aid programmes for refugee families and children as well as youth work and youth pastoral care. According to Father Rifat Bader, the young generation faces especially great challenges. He believes that Jordan’s future absolutely depends on taking young people much more seriously. “We have entered into a dialogue with Muslim leaders. We meet each other at conferences at five-star hotels but also have to be ready to answer questions concerning what actually comes out of them. Young people make up seventy per cent of the Jordanian population. We must not ignore their concerns. We have to reach out to them more.” According to the Catholic priest, extremists use the lack of work prospects and the serious social problems within the country for propaganda purposes, including the Internet. Father Rifat Bader said, “We must not leave them a clear field. This is why young people should be allowed to have their say. We want to bring Muslims and Christians of various denominations together, open doors and look for solutions. We want to take to the streets and go to the peripheries, as Pope Francis said.”

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Following the collapse of the former communist republic of Yugoslavia, a fierce civil war raged in Bosnia and Herzegovina for three years, from 1992 until 1995.

By the end of that time this tragic war had claimed no fewer than 243,000 lives, while some 2 million people had been expelled from their homes as a result of the breakup of the Republic. Hundreds of churches, monasteries, presbyteries and other Church buildings were deliberately destroyed. Today, a full 20 years after the end of the war, the wounds are still painfully evident.

Ever since the war, the Catholic Church has striven to promote reconciliation and peaceful coexistence between the various different ethnic groups and religions within the country, by means of numerous different social and educational projects. One particular example among many others is the seven so-called “European Schools” run by the Catholic Church, which are open to children from all the different ethnic and religious groups and are intended as a foundation for a peaceful future in the country. These schools – which have more applications than they can accept – have been supported right from the start by ACN.

Zenica, where one of the European Schools is situated, is a town with a Muslim majority. The school centre was established in 1995 and enlarged in 2009. It comprises a primary school with 453 pupils and a grammar school with 255 pupils. It has 65 teaching staff and other employees and is situated in a former convent where in 1903 the sisters of the congregation of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ had initially founded the first school in the area.

The school now urgently needs new doors and windows. ACN has already promised 20,000 Euros – confident in the support of our generous benefactors.

Code: 444-19-19

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The congregation of the Steyler Missionary Sisters (“Servants of the Holy Spirit”) was founded in Germany in 1889 and grew very rapidly. Today they are present in 47 different countries. Initially, they were engaged above all in the work of education and health care, but, later on, pastoral work and other social and charitable tasks were added to their apostolate. Faced with the fact of a widespread dwindling of religious faith in Europe itself, the congregation has adopted a broader understanding of its missionary mandate. Today, “mission” does not simply happen in the traditional “mission lands” but also closer to home “outside the front door” so to speak.

The congregation is also present in Slovakia. Many of the sisters are active in the missions abroad, while others are engaged in the necessary work for the Church in their own home country. For although around 60% of the 5.4 million Slovaks are nominally Catholics, and around half of these still attend church on Sundays, there are some worrying tendencies nonetheless. Christian values are being ever more fiercely undermined within society, and the mass media in particular, most of which are still in the hands of the communists, continue to promote a relativist and liberalist world view. At the same time the mentality of “God, yes, Church, no!” is being widely pushed, as the media – just like in the West – tend to seize on every real or imagined failing within the Church and never report on all the good things.

20 elderly sisters, including 15 who are sick, live in the provincial house of the congregation, in the town of Ivanka, near Nitra. They began their lives as religious back in the time of the communist regime, in what was then Czechoslovakia, and struggled to follow their vocation and serve God and their fellow men despite the hostility of the regime. Now, they themselves are in need of help. Their health is steadily failing and they are increasingly in need of help. Some of the younger sisters are caring for their elder sisters, but they are unable to manage alone, and so had to engage seven lay carers to help with the work – but these have to be paid. On top of this, the cost of medication and medical attention is also constantly increasing.

Each of the elderly sisters receives a monthly state pension of 330 Euros, but this is nowhere near enough. The actual monthly cost is around 550 Euros for each sister. As a result, the provincial superior, Sister Lucia has turned to ACN for help. We have promised 3,000 Euros for this year.

Code: 443-05-39

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It’s a story that goes back a long way – Hans Stapel, from the German town of Paderborn, was just a young boy when he first met Father Werenfried van Straaten, the legendary “Bacon Priest” and founder of ACN.

It was in the late 1950s. After hearing him speak, and after a moment’s hesitation, he put not just half, but the entire contents of his piggy bank savings into Father Werenfried’s famous “Hat of Millions” which the great man took with him wherever he went begging on behalf of the poor of the world.

Later, Hans Stapel himself became a Franciscan priest and went to Brazil as a missionary. It was there that he encountered Christ in the outcasts and addicts of society and where in 1983 he founded the famous Fazendas da Esperanca, or “Farms of Hope” in response to this calling. They were to be places where young addicts could succeed in finding their way back to a life of dignity and self-respect.

The success rate of over 84% in these Fazendas is achieved without the help of substitute drugs or other medication, and without the help of psychologists. Instead, the young people have to work together in community to support themselves. In this way they come to understand that every individual is important and that without this cooperation the life of the community cannot succeed. Every group has its own particular task, which can vary widely, depending on the actual situation of the Fazenda and on the particular opportunities for work in the area concerned.

Every morning the group gathers together to read a short passage from the Bible. Then a particular phrase is chosen for the group members to reflect on throughout the day. At the same time each person makes one small resolution for the day – often just a small step, such as not to be too loud or not to be aggressive – and little by little things start to change. In the evening, the group comes together again and they share their experiences of the day, saying what problems they have faced or what progress they have made. As Father Hans observes, “We have to give people something more coherent and authentic than drugs, and that is faith in Jesus Christ!”

Today there are Fazendas to be found in no fewer than 10 countries. A few years ago, the very first Fazenda in Guatemala was established, for young men. But there was also a need for a similar place for girls and young women, and so this too was built, close to the first Fazenda. Just as soon as the renovation of the building was complete, the first group of 14 young female addicts moved in. Workshops were built, together with a beautiful chapel and a lovingly designed and tended outside area, with footpaths and lawns and even a little lake with fish in it, even though the region is otherwise very harsh and arid. By now the place has become something of an “oasis” for local people too, and many people from the parish also like to come and share in the lives of these young women and girls. It has developed into a real spiritual centre.

But the one thing the community now lacks is a vehicle. In the beginning, when there were not so many people living and working on the Fazenda, it was possible to make use of public transport or rely on the help of friends. But now, it is no longer possible to manage the almost daily car journeys in this way. What with shopping, doctors’ appointments, visits to banks and other meetings, it is all becoming just too difficult without a car. And so, counting on our generous benefactors, ACN has stepped in to help with 20,000 Euros.

Code: 219-29-29

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The apostolic vicariate of Yurimaguas lies in the Amazon region of eastern Peru. Covering an area of some 27,000 square miles (70,000 km²) the vicariate is larger in area than many of the smaller European countries. The Netherlands and Switzerland, for example have an area of only about 16,000 square miles (41,000 km²), not to mention Malta with just 122 square miles (312 km²). The vast majority of this area is covered by rainforest and is inhabited by a variety of different native Indian tribes.

The people are poor. Their huts are simple structures, covered with palm leaves, and most of their small villages are accessible only by boat via the river network. There are no roads to speak of, and the only medical care and educational service is provided by the missionaries. The women folk cook their simple meals on open wood fires and grow the most basic necessities in their small gardens. Yuca, plantain bananas and occasionally a little fish constitute their basic diet.

Altogether, there are close to 2.2 million people living within the vicariate of Yurimaguas, of whom around 240,000 are Catholics. They are ministered to pastorally by just 23 priests who in travelling to visit their faithful often have to cover vast distances in what are frequently extremely difficult and sometimes dangerous conditions. The climate is hot and humid and mosquito infested, and many people suffer from mosquito-borne diseases. But this does not deter the priests from their work.

Thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, we are able to support the priests working in the vicariate of Yurimaguas with Mass Stipends each year. Last year you helped them with a total of 8,100 Euros. This year they are once again counting on your help. The administrator of the vicariate has written to thank us, on behalf of all his priests: “We are most grateful to you and to all our brothers and sisters who have helped us, for this gesture of communion and solidarity that you constantly show us, and I want to express to you the thanks of all the priests in the vicariate. We pray to Almighty God that he may always guide you with his grace and that the Blessed Virgin may ever shelter you beneath her mantle.”

Code: 234-04-90

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The territory of the modern state of Turkey covers an area that can be considered in many respects as the “Cradle of Christianity”. For it was here that some of the earliest Christian communities were established, already in the times of the Apostles themselves. All the seven Christian communities that are mentioned in the Revelation of St John can be found here in the west of Turkey. According to tradition, the Virgin Mary herself is said to have spent the last years of her earthly life in Ephesus, as did the Apostle John. The house in Ephesus where Our Lady is believed to have lived is today a place of pilgrimage. Similarly, Tarsus, the birthplace of the Apostle Paul, is situated in what is today Turkey. Nor should we forget the great Fathers of the Church such as Saint Basil the Great and his brother Saint Gregory of Nazianzen, Saint Polycarp of Smyrna and Saint Ignatius of Antioch, all of whom originated from what is today Turkey – nor again the great and important events of Church history that took place here, such as the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople.

Even just 100 years ago, some 25% of the inhabitants of Turkey were still Christians – a total of some 3 million Christians in a population of just 11 million. Today Turkey has a population of 74 million, among who just 200,000 Christians remain, among them no more than around 53,000 Catholics of the various different rites.

The Latin-rite apostolic vicariate of Istanbul serves approximately 15,000 Catholic faithful. One of the very few Catholic churches in Istanbul is the church of „Sancta Maria Draperis“, which is also the oldest Latin Catholic church in the Turkish capital. Ever since the 18th century, it has been the seat of a parish under the care of the Franciscan Fathers. Today there are four Franciscan monks living and working here. Already in earlier times there had been a Catholic church on this spot, which had however been destroyed several times by fire or earthquakes and subsequently rebuilt. Yet through all these disasters the icon of Our Blessed Lady had remained unscathed.

Today this church stands in the central pedestrianised zone of Istanbul and is thus an important symbol of the Catholic presence in the Turkish capital. In past decades, one wing of the adjoining monastery had been rented out, and it was only recently that the Franciscan Fathers were able to once repossess it. They are now hoping to be able to use this wing as a guest room, meeting room and parish office. They are not wealthy, however, and have already had to carry out other renovation work on their monastery in the recent past – and so they have turned to ACN for help. We have promised them 30,000 Euros.

Code: 333-04-19

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The parish of Unai was founded almost 55 years ago by Spanish Jesuits. It is situated in an area of the diocese of Baroda in the northwest of the country, where there are many members of the ethnic minorities. The priests, sisters and lay catechists work very hard to support the people. By now the parish includes 28 villages, in 24 of which most people are already baptised, while many more people are preparing for Baptism in the remaining four.

The Church is still young here but despite this, the people have a strong faith and they play a very active part in the life of the parish.

The villages all have small chapels where the people can gather to pray. However, most of them are already around 30 years old and built, as they are, of only the most basic materials – mud, cow dung and bamboo – they have become very dilapidated over the course of time. There are cracks in the walls, and the monsoon rains come pouring through the roof, while the foundations are also weak. Not surprisingly, therefore, their parish priest turned to ACN for help to build new chapels in two of the villages. Thanks to the prompt and generous response of our benefactors, we were able to help with a contribution of 15,000 Euros. So now the two villages of Mahuva and Kapadian have been able to witness the consecration of two beautiful new chapels. One of the chapels is dedicated to Christ, the King of Kings, the other to Mary, Mother of the Redeemer. In each of the villages, the day of the consecration was commemorated with great festivity, with a solemn Holy Mass, processions, Eucharistic Adoration, the Holy Rosary and solemn hymns – and not least with a shared festive meal. All the people of the neighbouring villages were also invited.

Father Lazarus D’Souza writes: “It was an unforgettable occasion in the lives of the children and also for the more elderly members of the villages. It was the fulfilment of a long-cherished dream for them. God has been good to them. The people of the village praised God for his wonderful deeds – and they are also very grateful to ACN for your generous support.”

Code: 317-01-19

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