works of mercy Category

BURUNDI, Fr. Claudio Jeria • It’s the same the world over and Burundi, one of the poorest countries in Africa, is no different. Those who are without education are vulnerable and anyone can deceive them, play them for fools, take advantage of them and act unjustly towards them. Without education, they do not have the ability to know their rights and their potential. Lack of knowledge is slavery. Knowledge is freedom. Those who possess knowledge can speak out, fluently state their position, and have the agility to navigate their wayRead More
BRAZIL, By Leonardo Rodrigues – Jumas Guarapuava, via www.jumasbrasil.com.br • It was a cold Sunday (23 July) in Guarapuava, with temperatures around 6°C, but the wind made it feel colder. At about 6am, the Street Coffee crew gathered in front of Our Lady of Agony, the parish church in Santa Cruz neighbourhood.  For those of us who are used to a certain degree of comfort, it is already difficult to get up in the cold weather. Imagine what it’s like for those who live on the street! With this in mind,Read More
PARAGUAY, Ani Souberlich, director of Mother of Tupãrenda House • On 30 June, the Mother of Tupãrenda House was once again festively decorated in celebration for a participant’s graduation from the 9-month project. One more young man has shown us that he only needed the opportunity to have another option for life. He needed someone who would show him the right road, to learn the road, and to choose the best for himself and his family. Relatives of the graduate, Fr. Pedro Kühlcke, and Lourdes Marín, representing Fundaprova (Foundation forRead More
BURUNDI, Diomede Mujojoma • The Lenten Action Commission from the Mount Sion Gikungu Shrine in Burundi visited Muyinga prison on 23 July 2017. They took along donations of clothes, 350kg of rice, 65l of palm oil, 140kg of maize meal, 35kg of sugar, 50kg of salt, 72 tubes of toothpaste, bread, ham and Fanta to give to the prisoners. The delegation headed by Félix Naishakiye, the vice president of Lenten Action Commission, left Bujumbura in two vehicles at 7.30 in the morning. They were late in arriving because they didRead More
PARAGUAY, Ani Souberlich • “At the end of the month, the first three young men graduated, who, upon their release, voluntarily enrolled in the re-integration program that the Ministry of Justice offers in covenant with the Foundation to Promote Values and the Prevention of Violence (Fundaprova -Spanish Acronym)”. This is how a long article about the first graduates of the Mother of Tupãrenda House begins in La Nación newspaper. “The program of re-integration for youths, who have had some conflict with the law in the past, can accommodate up toRead More
PARAGUAY, Maria Fischer • “A mother continues to love her son even if he is in prison. A mother does not ask for human justice to be rescinded, because each mistake demands atonement. But a mother never stops suffering for her own child. She loves the child even though a sinner. God does the same with us: we are his beloved children!” These were Pope Francis’ words in the General Audience of 14 June, which made me recall one of the most touching (and overwhelming) moments of my life: thoseRead More
PARAGUAY, Dequeni • On 9 May, within the framework of “Rebuild Hope,” the Dequení foundation inaugurated a works of improvement of their “Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary” community center located in Ypané. This center suffered serious cracks and separation in the roof and walls, because of deterioration and the continuous storms during last year. This is the third center that was reconditioned through this initiative. Board members and Dequení Foundation personnel attended the ceremony, and they carried out the ribbon cutting; representatives of the Paraguayan Chamber of Real Estate DevelopersRead More
PARAGUAY, Ani Souberlich and Maria Fischer • “It will be an honor and a real joy for us to share this moment with you…” A sentence from the invitation received last week by several collaborators and helpers of Mother of Tupãrenda House, the Social-educational Center of Social Re-integration and Personal Development, dedicated to young men who have gotten into conflict with the law and have therefore served some time in prison, and who have voluntarily decided to attend this comprehensive program, which started in August 2016 in the shadow ofRead More
By Maria Fischer and Ani Souberlich • “Thirty more stars were blessed on Friday, 12 May for the carpet of stars located at the north entrance of the Cologne Cathedral. The twenty-five small and the five large stars were donated this spring,” this was Cologne’s Domradio radio message. Among them, there was also a star from 1. FC Köln soccer team, the ‘Kölner Dom’ cultural foundation related. With the star of 1. FC Köln, two of Cologne’s passions grow closer: the cathedral and soccer,” commented Fr. Gerd Bachner, Provost ofRead More
PARAGUAY, Andreza Ortigoza/Maria Fischer • A day in March at Dequení Central House in Fernando de la Mora and celebrating the start of classes and a few days after launching the updated institutional website, another step was taken in the area of communication by means of a communication training workshop for fifteen Dequení officials based on Fr. Joseph Kentenich’s proposal for the model of communication. Maria Fischer, who has a degree in social sciences and is editor-in-chief of schoenstatt.org, presented the workshop. She committed to spreading the news about Dequeni’sRead More