Sunday school for the children of a very large parish The Holy Spirit parish, based in Sangla Hill, is the largest parish in the Archdiocese of Lahore. It includes a total of 67 villages, many of them far from the parish centre. This is why Father Akmal Patras was determined to give Catholic children living …
Author archives: mariobard
Pakistan – Parishioners gather for Mass outside their torched church
There were tears of sadness and fear in Pakistan on Sunday (20th August) as a crowd of 700 attended Mass outside their burnt-out church following one of the country’s worst outbreaks of persecution in a generation. Amid tight security, Bishop Indrias Rehmat of Faisalabad presided at the Mass held in the streets of Jaranwala where …
Continue reading “Pakistan – Parishioners gather for Mass outside their torched church”
Aid to the Church in Need proposes the Rosary for peace!
A prayerful start to a new school yearOne Million Children Praying the Rosary is back. Press Release – One Million Children Praying the Rosary Montreal, August 18, 2023 – In Canada, it is back-to-school season and Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is proposing a pastoral activity for the start of the 2023-2024 school …
Continue reading “Aid to the Church in Need proposes the Rosary for peace!”
Pakistan – Christians terrified as mobs burn down churches and homes
Several church buildings—between 13 and 17, according to sources—have been attacked and hundreds of Christian homes destroyed after extremists went on the rampage in Pakistan. Christians from the city of Jaranwala, near Faisalabad, in the Punjab region, fled en masse as extremists began throwing rocks and stones and setting fire to buildings. The incident follows …
Continue reading “Pakistan – Christians terrified as mobs burn down churches and homes”
ACN Project of the Week – Burundi
In Gitega, a vehicle for a parish run by Monfortians Burundi is one of the smallest—but most densely populated (roughly 310 to 422 inhabitants per square foot)—countries in Africa. It has an area of just under 28,000 km² and a population of almost 12 million people. In 2023, the country is considered to be the …
India, Manipur – Pray for an end to the suffering!
A Catholic archbishop in northeast India, who has seen his diocese at the centre of a wave of deadly attacks, has issued an urgent appeal for prayers “to transform the minds of the people who are led by hatred and religious violence”. In a letter to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Archbishop Dominic …
Continue reading “India, Manipur – Pray for an end to the suffering!”
WYD 2023 – Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) gives a voice to the persecuted Church in Lisbon
Hundreds of thousands of young people took part in a variety of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) initiatives during World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon, Portugal, from August 1 to August 6, 2023. The pontifical charity ensured that persecuted Christians from around the world were not forgotten, reminding those present of their brothers …
Project of the Week – Ukraine
Mass intentions in the Archeparchy of Ivano-Frankivsk The war in Ukraine has impacted the entire country, including areas where there has been no fighting. Hence, even in the west of the country, people have become poorer. Many have lost their jobs, and pensions and social security payments have become insufficient in the face of the …
ACN increases aid for children and young people in crisis countries
This summer the charity will support close to 400 camps and gatherings, with most of this financial assistance directed to Lebanon and Syria. Tens of thousands of children and youths from countries in crisis, such as Syria, Egypt, Armenia, Ukraine and Lebanon, will be taking part in camps and summer courses funded by international charity …
Continue reading “ACN increases aid for children and young people in crisis countries”
India: Anti-Christian violence continues to rage in Manipur
Even leaders of the Hindu nationalist party are beginning to accuse the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of complicity in what has become a widespread attack on Christians. Aid to the Church in Need (CAN) continues to monitor the situation closely. (Photo: A Catholic village burned down by a mob). The situation in the State of …
Continue reading “India: Anti-Christian violence continues to rage in Manipur”