Subsistence aid for four missionary sisters
The sisters of Saint Vincent have been working since 1997 in Vitoco, in Southwest Colombia. Their mission in this mountain region covers eight Indigenous reserves and 36 villages. Distances are long and the roads are difficult. Even with a car, it takes two to three hours to reach some of the villages. And there is only one bus a day, meaning that the sisters must often journey for hours on foot.
The ordinary people have suffered greatly from the long-running armed conflicts, past and present, and they also suffer from the dire poverty which prevails everywhere in this remote and neglected region.
The four sisters working in the mission certainly have their hands full. They treat and care for the sick, give religious instruction, prepare believers for reception of the sacraments, and are actively involved in the vocations apostolate. They also visit the elderly in their homes and care for the families, counselling and helping those confronted with all kinds of grave problems and crises, including crisis pregnancies, domestic and other violence, drug addiction, those at risk of suicide, and young people in danger of being sucked into one of the many armed groups.
Furthermore, the sisters face many financial concerns due to rising costs. They earn no income for their mission work and live a very modest lifestyle. They grow their own vegetables and earn a little bit by selling second-hand clothing cheaply, while many of the local people also help by offering some of their own produce… Still, they are struggling to make ends meet.
And so Sister Luz Elena Medina Agudelo has written to ask for our help: “We are turning to you, confident in your generosity and in the hope that you will be so kind as to help us to continue to spread the Kingdom of God in the midst of these Indigenous territories. We rejoice that we are missionaries and can bring the name of Jesus to these people. We simply need a helping hand to sustain and financially support us, so that we can pursue our mission and our pastoral and social work on behalf of the poorest of the poor.”
We have promised the sisters $5,600 in subsistence aid for this year.
