Covenant solidarity Category

SOUTH AFRICA, Sarah-Leah Pimentel • For some time there has been a growing unease in Burundi. Lauded as a success story in the mid-90s for emerging from a bloody civil war into peace time democracy, Burundi’s golden fairytale has come to an end. A few months ago, the first whispers that not all was well in the small country began to surface. The whispers became rumours, rumour became fear, fear brought back memories of the dark days of war and ethnic tensions. The first few people began to leave theRead More
PARAGUAY, María Fischer • We were almost leaving, bidding farewell once again to this young and a struggling mother, who can barely speak Spanish, but at least she understands our language better than we understand her Guaraní. We understood the pride and gratitude of her gestures when she showed us her garden, her plants, and above all her little house, which is very small but clean and painted a light turquoise. While her daughter, Luz, a timid little girl, with difficulty moving her hands and feet, simply smiled and lookedRead More
by Álvaro Real, Aleteia.org, VIS • Pope Francis decided to send $100,000 in aid to Nepal to help those affected by the earthquake that hit the country in late April and has taken the life of more than 4,000 people. The aid, which will be sent to the local Church will be used to help those displaced and the victims of the earthquake, and is a practical expression of the Pope’s feeling of spiritual closeness and fatherly encouragement toward the people and places that have been affected, during Sunday’s ReginaRead More
SOUTH AFRICA, Sarah-Leah Pimentel • The last few weeks has seen the best and worst of South African society. Unfortunately it’s the worst side of us that has made headlines all over the world. The South African media also highlighted the wave of xenophobic violence that has swept through the country — mostly targeting foreign nationals from other African countries, many of whom have been living and working in South Africa for years. The authorities were slow to react, only doing so after condemnation from other African leaders. Despite theRead More
by Sarah-Leah Pimentel, Cape Town, South Africa • The silence of Holy Thursday descends upon us. The Church is empty as the Blessed Sacrament is taken to the Altar of Repose. The altar is stripped bare. The holy water is removed from the fonts. A sense of dread fills the air, because we know what is coming. We know that Christ will walk to Calvary tomorrow. For the sins of the world, he will be tortured and nailed to a Cross. He will die an agonizing death. And so weRead More
mda. “With pain, with great pain…” remarked Pope Francis during the Angelus on Sunday 15 March, “I learned about today’s terrorist attacks against two churches in Lahore in Pakistan that resulted in many deaths and injuries. These are Christian churches. Christians are being persecuted. Our brothers are spilling their blood just because they are Christians. Meanwhile, be assured of my prayers for the victims and their families. I ask the Lord, the source of all good, for the gift of peace and harmony for that country, and that this persecutionRead More
mda. "That the solidarity houses and solidarity can continue."  This was one of the 10 "dreams" for the future of Schoenstatt.org expressed during the its council planning meeting in Madrid at the end of January.  Since May 2013, the "100 houses" solidarity project has become an endless narrative of personal stories of solidarity - and not only for the eight Schoenstatt.org planning team who couldn't stop telling each other the best stories - in that there are now almost 150 houses donated in covenant solidarity with the poorest families onRead More
SOUTH AFRICA, Sarah-Leah Pimentel, Maria Fischer. The Schoenstatt Sisters at Constantia have been evacuated early in the morning of March 4, as firefighters are focusing their efforts on Noordhoek, Clovelly and Tokai this morning as well as assisting Groot Constantia residents evacuate as the flames fan out towards their doorsteps.  The massive blaze broke out in Muizenberg on Sunday, prompting evacuations from houses and retirement homes. Scores of people have also been treated for smoke inhalation this week. The entire mountain range south of Table Mountain is on fire… Updated  Read More
mda. "I promise." With just two words Fr. Egon Zillekens, who had just returned to Schoenstatt from the schoenstatt.org meeting in Madrid on 28 January, answered an email asking for prayers in the Original Shrine.  "I promise" and then he did what he promised with a rosary, a prayer during evening benediction and Mass the next day - 29 January. This is how the Original Shrine silently became the centre of a network of prayer and solidarity for a young 20-year old man from Costa Rica who is gravely ill,Read More
IRAK, FIDES. The governor of the province of Kirkuk, the Kurd Necmettin Karim, has declared that the 25th of December is a holiday, to publicly express, the solidarity of the institutions and the entire society toward Christians, on the occasion of the Celebration of the Birth of the Lord.  Read More