Renovation of a formation house refectory The monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe is situated in the city of Belén in Costa Rica and also serves as the formation house for the postulants of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, in Central America. At present, there are six brothers there—two of them fully professed, as …
Author archives: mariobard
“I am neither pro-Israel nor pro-Palestine. I am pro-human being.”
Benedictine Abbot in the Holy Land Six months after the terrible attacks by Hamas and the beginning of the Israeli offensive in Gaza, Abbot Nikodemus pleas for the conflict to be seen from a humanitarian perspective, transcending religious and political boundaries. (Cover Photo: The roofs of the old city of Jerusalem.) As the Palestinian-Israeli conflict continues …
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Haiti-Seminary looted and vandalized, as security situation worsens
A seminary operated by the Spiritan missionaries in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince was attacked by armed gangsters. The religious and staff had to hide for six hours during the looting of the premises, before managing to escape to safety. (Cover photo: The cathedral of Port-au-Prince, in ruins, destroyed in the earthquake of 2010.) The Minor …
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ACN Project of the Week – Mexico
Mass intentions for Diocese of Tapachula priests Mexico is a land of contrasts. Some areas are popular tourist destinations, while others are being torn apart by bloody, drug-related warfare and plagued by abductions, extortions, robberies, and murders. And the Catholic Church is not spared this violence. In fact, Mexico is one of the most dangerous …
Gaza, West Bank, and Jerusalem
Christians reflect the essence of Holy Saturday As Christians around the world commemorate Holy Week, international charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) recalls the challenges facing Christians in the Holy Land, in Gaza, but also in the West Bank and Jerusalem. During his visit to ACN’s head office, Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel (photo) of …
Nigeria-The Way of the Cross of a kidnapped priest
Fr. Idahosa Amadasu, from the Diocese of Benin, is one of hundreds of Catholic priests who has been kidnapped and held for ransom by armed bandits in Nigeria over the past few decades. For several days, he suffered fear, humiliation, hunger, and cold, but he found strength in his faith in Jesus to endure a …
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India-ACN concerned at reports of increased persecution of Christians
With elections only weeks away in the world’s most populated country, local human rights organizations are warning of a rise in intolerance and of attacks on religious freedom. The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) expresses its deep concern over reports that are emerging from India, pointing to an increase in …
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Near-East-Fighting to ensure that the testimony of Jesus Christ lives on
For years, Syria and Lebanon have witnessed a steady haemorrhaging of their Christian populations. Through its engagement in multiple projects, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is actively campaigning against the exodus of Christians. “I would like to get out of Syria as quickly as possible and join my father in the Netherlands, where …
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ACN Success Story – Indonesia
ACN Success Story: a vehicle for a parish on the island of Sumba Some time ago, Father Jakobus Umbu Warata, the provincial of the Redemptorist Fathers, sought our help for his fellow priests working in the parish of Saint Andrew Ngallu, in the east of the island of Sumba, who were in urgent need of …
Peru-Living the faith in the highest inhabited place in the world
Between coca plantations, illegal gold mining, and a lack of vocations, Bishop Giovanni Cefai of the Territorial Prelature of Santiago Apóstol de Huancané speaks about the difficulties of trying to evangelize in such a challenging atmosphere. The Prelature of Santiago Apóstol de Huancané, which was formed in 2019 and is dependent on the Archdiocese of …
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