A vehicle for a parish in the Andes The parish of San José de Cuatro Esquinas (Saint Joseph of the Four Corners) in the Diocese of Guaranda lies at an altitude of well over 10,000 feet (3,100 m), around 8 km from the city of Guaranda, capital of Bolivar Province. It includes over 50 villages …
Category archives: South America
Colombia – Bombing destroys bishops’ residence and offices in Apostolic Vicariate of Guapi
A powerful explosion in a violent terrorist attack, aimed at the police station in the city of Guapi, in southwest Colombia, left three people dead and destroyed a large part of the bishop’s residence and offices of the Apostolic Vicariate of Guapi, in the early hours of November 2nd. The explosion left the Church buildings …
Brazil: Rescuing God’s children from the slavery of addiction
Fr. José Luis de Menezes speaks to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about the origins of the Fazendas da Esperança, a network of rehabilitation centres, and their connection, to this day, with the pontifical charity. Fr. ”Our communities are dedicated to salvaging the dignity of people who have lost themselves to addiction,” says …
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ACN Success Story – Brazil
A riverboat for an Amazonian parish The Diocese of Humaitá lies deep in the Amazon region and serves a vast area of around 135,000 km². Most of it is covered by rainforest, however, and is only sparsely populated. Many of the communities lie on the riverbanks and can only be reached via water. The river …
Venezuela – Bishops encourage citizens to vote in upcoming elections
“The Venezuelan people know that the future is in their hands.” In a joint statement, the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference (Conferencia Episcopal Venezolana – CEV) highlights the crucial role of the people in defining the country’s future in the elections scheduled for July 28. Venezuela is preparing for presidential elections in 2024 and legislative elections in …
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Project of the Week – Colombia
Three motorized rickshaws for pastoral work in Mitú The Vicariate Apostolic of Mitú lies in the Amazon region of eastern Colombia in an area covering over 54,000 km². Roughly a third of its population of 45,000 people live in the town of Mitú itself. The remainder live scattered throughout this jungle-clad region and most of them …
Dominican Republic – Faith and hope in the bateyes
In Batey 5, a peripheral area of the Diocese of Barahona on the border with Haiti, three missionaries, with the support of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), help fight poverty and social exclusion in the neediest parish in one of the poorest dioceses in the Dominican Republic. Not far from the luxurious resorts …
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ACN Project of the Week – Colombia
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 …
Central America-A “gap” of inhumanity
Latin American bishop cries out over Darién crisis The archbishop of Panama spoke to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about his experience in the region of the Darién Gap, one of the most inhospitable migratory routes in Latin America. Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta highlighted the urgent need for attention and action in …
ACN Success Story – Peru
A chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima The parish of the Sacred Heart in Calzada includes 34 rural communities, scattered along the banks of the Rio Mayo. The distances are vast. The village of Los Angeles is one of the biggest in the parish, with around 700 inhabitants, of whom roughly 70% are Catholic. …