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 …
Category archives: Americas
Haiti-Catholic bishops plead for an end to violence and for national reconciliation
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) will be joining the day of prayer on March 22 for the people of Haiti. In a message dated March 18, the Catholic bishops of Haiti expressed profound concern about the violence that is sweeping the country. The letter, which was sent to international Catholic charity Aid to …
A dark weekend of Christian persecution
Almost 30 Christians were killed or kidnapped in different incidents in three different countries over the past few days. Fifteen Christians were killed and two wounded in an attack on Catholics in Essakane, in the Diocese of Dori, Burkina Faso. The attack, which took place on Sunday, 25 February, was carried out by terrorists who …
Argentinian Patagonia: mission country
The Church in Patagonia faces unique challenges marked by vast distances, great diversity, and a lack of resources. One of the bishops in charge of overseeing the development of the Church in this vast territory of Argentina is Msgr. Roberto Álvarez, who sat down with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) to share his …
Venezuela marks 140 years of the first Lourdes pilgrimage in the Americas
The pilgrimage was instituted in 1884 by Fr. Machado, the Venezuelan priest in the Diocese of La Guaira, after returning from a trip to the famous shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes in France. Tony Pereira, a lay member of the current organizing committee, spoke to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about the …
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Brazil: Sowing the seeds of the Gospel in the Amazon
By evangelizing and helping the Ticuna Indigenous people, the Capuchin friars, with support from Aid to the Church in Need, are helping to preserve the Amazon rainforest. “I have never left this place, I know nothing of the world, but I believe in God. He gives me eternal life. I called the friars here to …
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ACN to focus on Middle East, Sahel, and Latin America in 2024
Regina Lynch, executive president of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), highlights the worrying increase in religious freedom violations around the world, but also the positive reaction to ACN campaigns such as Red Wednesday and One Million Children Praying the Rosary. You were nominated executive president in April 2023. What is your view for …
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Religious Freedom Report 2023: persecution worsens and impunity reigns
Press Release – For Immediate Release Königstein-Montreal, Wednesday, June 21 – Pontifical Charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has released the latest edition of its Religious Freedom Report (RFR), which reveals that persecution has increased since January 2021, while impunity continues to reign for attackers, including oppressive governments. The RFR has been published …
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