ISSUE No 1
FAITH ALIVE
AMIDST THE GLOBAL HEALTH CRISIS
Testimonies from around the world
Helping the suffering Church today www.acnmalta.org
It all began with “the Bacon Priest”
Standing with the courageous at this time
500 Bibles for prisoners in Peru Fr W. Kwapisz of the Cathedral of St. Alexander, Kiev, Ukraine
HOW TO use this magazine Read Inspiring stories
…of faith-strong men and women around the world who are shining the light of Christ even in the darkest parts of the world.
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A word from the National Director
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Click on “play video” to catch a quick glimpse of the reach and impact of ACN’s work around the world.
It gives me great joy to present to you the maiden edition of our publication which ushers us into another new year as Malta’s National Office of Aid to the Church in Need, the Catholic Charity dedicated to supporting the Christian faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need.
Help us support those in need
We invite you to consider making a donation to help us fund key projects which provide essential aid to Christians in need around the world.
As the Charity marks the 6th anniversary of its establishment in Malta, Aid to the Church in Need (Malta) is launching this online magazine to continue in a new way, our mission as the voice for persecuted Christians - to tell their stories of faith and courage, and to call for prayer and support on their behalf. Inside this issue, you will find interesting articles about the Charity, the work that we do, the experience of Christians who are living through persecution and how the generosity of our kind benefactors is bringing them hope and solace. It is our hope that as you read through this magazine, you will be inspired by the witness of faith exemplified by these persecuted brothers and sisters around the world.
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If you have any questions about the work of Aid to the Church in Need, or would like to reprint any of the articles in this magazine, please do get in touch. United in prayer,
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www.acnmalta.org Aid to the Church in Need is a Pontifical Foundation of the Catholic Church and registered in Malta Reg. No. LPF-212, as a Foundation regulated by the second schedule of the Civil Code Chapter (16) of the Laws of Malta.
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Stephen Axisa National Director Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Malta
It all began with “the Bacon Priest” “Our work consists of drying the tears of God wherever He weeps”
- Fr Werenfried van Straaten (1913-2003), ACN Founder
What started in 1947 as a humble response by a young Norbertine priest to the emergency situation of more than 15 million people displaced by the horrors of World War II, has today grown into a Charity under the Pontifical Foundation with 23 national offices around the world including Malta – a Charity that is bringing spiritual and material aid to millions of poor, suffering and persecuted faithful in close to 150 countries of the world. His name was Fr Werenfried van Straaten which means “warrior for peace”. Responding to an appeal for reconciliation made by Pope Pius XII in the bitter early years after World War II, he set out to organise emergency relief to meet the material and spiritual needs of the suffering German people. With the help of thousands of concerned and compassionate people he more than succeeded. His impassioned preaching and calls for reconciliation touched hearts and supplies of clothes and food poured in – particularly sides of pork – earning him his nickname, the Bacon Priest. In one instance, he launched a ‘Rucksack Priest’ campaign to send priests out on motorbikes and early Volkswagen Beetles to people still displaced, bereft and in need of comfort. This was soon followed by a Chapel Truck initiative using decommissioned army trucks which were adapted as mobile chapels from which Mass could be said. Fr Werenfried always believed his true vocation in life was simply to be “a beggar for God’s suffering children.” He
PLAY VIDEO Fr Werenfried collecting donations with his “famous hat of millions”
travelled the world with his famous black Begging Hat, to beg on behalf of the suffering, tirelessly working to bring God’s love and comfort to those in need of it most. In 2003, for his passion and dedication to serving those in need, His Holiness John Paul II honoured Fr Werenfried, naming him as an “Outstanding Apostle of Charity.” Such has been the impact of Aid to the Church in Need’s work worldwide that in June 2002 the Charity was described by the then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI) as “a gift of Providence for our time” and in November 2011, Aid to the Church in Need was raised to the status of a pontifical foundation by the then Pope Benedict XVI. Fr Werenfried passed away in January 2003, just after his 90th birthday, but his spirit is very much alive in the work of Aid to the Church in Need today. Thanks to the many thousands of caring, committed benefactors who reach out to God’s suffering children, Fr Werenfried’s beautiful vision of creating an “international movement of love” lives on, bringing the light and hope of Christ wherever there is darkness and despair around the world. 3
STANDING
WITH THE COURAGEOUS AT THIS TIME As the world battles with the Coronavirus pandemic
and the rising tide of human suffering makes itself felt around the world, countless Priests and Religious Sisters are on the frontline, administering the Sacraments, caring for the sick and elderly, helping the poor, and teaching the faith.
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One of the Parish kitchens in Venezuela supported by ACN, serving food for poor people
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“We, at ACN are united with the brave and dedicated Priests and Nuns who give their all to serve the world’s most vulnerable communities, and with all who are suffering around the world,” says Dr. Thomas HeineGeldern, ACN’s Executive President. To support these clergy who are serving those badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has pledged €5 million in emergency funding. This vital initiative will assist Secular and Religious Priests who lost their basic subsistence, so that they may be able to continue to carry out their spiritual and social ministries. ACN’s help will come in the form of subsistence aid for religious communities and Mass stipends for
One of the beneficiaries of Venezuela’s parish kitchens
Activities against COVID-19 by the Archdiocese of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
ACN project partner, Mgr Ignatius Kaigama distributing wood to vulnerable Nigerians
Priests across the Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa. The Foundation already provides assistance of this kind, but the new initiative will see this help massively stepped up. Dr. Heine-Geldern said: “It is our hope that this aid, made possible by the constant generosity of our benefactors, will help ease the burden on our courageous religious, who stand on the front lines, bringing God’s love and compassion to our suffering brothers and sisters. This is a drop in the bucket in terms of what is and will be needed.” ACN is thankful to you, our donors, who, often despite your own pain and hardship, are reaching out to your fellow human beings in love and compassion.
Hazaribag Diocese distributes food to poor families in India
Please “Help us support those in Need” thank you
Any kind gift you offer will support these and other similar projects around the world
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IN THE FACE OF COVID-19: Testimonies from around the world” PLAY VIDEO Many project partners of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) living in countries where Christians are suffering from discrimination or violence, such as Nigeria, Chad, Morocco, Sri Lanka or Burkina Faso, or in which the Coronavirus pandemic has made the prevailing economic difficulties only more acute, such as Ecuador, Venezuela or Ukraine, are braving the odds to continue providing pastoral and humanitarian support to the people entrusted to their care. In recent days, we have received testimonies from these project partners expressing faith and courage in the face of this pandemic. Touching expressions from our brothers and sisters on the frontline:
“Our prayers go out to all God’s people who are living through this time of pain and uncertainty, to you who, with your support, are helping us to make so many dreams come true that contribute to the well-being of the people in our care.” ACN Project Partner 6
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Sr Marguerite Valea, SAB
“My ministry consists in visiting the sick in the hospital as well as the elderly at home. We pray together. I seek to bring them comfort. I listen to them. In this time of crisis, I bring soap to families, and I give them hope that they will recover. I visit all the sick, Christians and non-Christians.” Sr Marguerite Valea, SAB (Sœurs de l’Annonciation de Bobo)
Sr Berglis Marín Glean and associate of the community go out to distribute supplies to the elderly
Sr Sabina Pekala
“I have been serving in Kharkov, Ukraine for 10 years. Most of my ministry concerns the Social Centre of St. Elizabeth from Hungary. As a qualified nurse, 5 days a week, I carry out different types of consultations and basic medical care for people who ask for help: parishioners, elderly people, families with many children, disabled and homeless people, some of them are refugees of war. Currently, despite the Covid pandemic, I also reach out to people who ask for help. With the help of other Nuns and single mothers from the Caritas Houses of Hope in the Diocese of Kharkiv, we also distribute masks. The most important thing is to be with the people and give them hope.” Sr Sabina Pekala, a Little Missionary Sisters of Mercy who works as a nurse at the Social Center of St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Ukraine.
“Today, facing this pandemic which leaves behind so much pain, we feel strongly committed to our people. For several years, in our pastoral work, the care of the abandoned elderly and the homeless has been a priority. Due to the restrictions this disease places on us, the Sisters who work in this field are looking for ways how to assist this segment of the population that is so desperately in need of our help right now. For this, some Sisters take food to their homes, others go to the parish where they have created the conditions so that people who have no house can go to bathe, change their clothes, and have some food. Another very important aspect of our work is the personalised spiritual care our people need. Having closed our space for listening and spiritual accompaniment, we have chosen to offer this service from home by phone, by creating support groups on WhatsApp in which we offer to convey their intentions but also, where we send prayers and other spiritual exercises.” Sr Berglis Marín Glean, Cuban District Moderator of the Social Sisters
Any kind gift you offer will support these and other similar projects around the world
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Mgr Prof. Hector Scerri, Ecclesiastical Assistant, ACN (Malta)
Six stone water jars
On our birthday, we normally receive birthday cards, as well, as other birthday wishes through e-cards, Facebook messages, SMSes, and the like. This is something we all like and enjoy. It is a priority that on our birthday we thank the Lord for another year that has gone by. It is paramount that we express our gratitude for the gift of life and so many other gifts and graces we have received during the span of fifty-two weeks. Our birthday offers an invitation to each one of us to reflect on what we have been through – the ups and downs of life – as well as to plan for the foreseeable future. The anniversary of the inauguration of the ACN (Malta) Office is also an opportunity for reflection. The sixth anniversary of ACN (Malta) has reminded me … believe or not! … of the six stone water jars which are mentioned in the episode when Jesus YEARS was invited to the celebration of a ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Jewish wedding at Cana in Galilee. The text, found in St John’s Gospel, tells us: “Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each with a capacity of one hundred or one hundred and twenty litres” (Jn 2:6). I will not be engaging myself in a biblical study on the mentioned text and its context. I simply wish to pause upon those six stone jars. I can imagine them, right now, before me. They are very large. They are also empty. They are really bulky, yet necessary later on during the celebration when a purification rite was carried out, according to the Jewish custom. I can see the blind trust shown by the Virgin Mary who tells the servants: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). Jesus could make the miracle without using anything, but he wanted to involve the servants whom he ordered to fill those six jars. Not an easy task! We are talking of a volume of between 600 and 720 litres. I sincerely admire those servants who unhesitatingly carry out the unexpected task without asking any questions, although they probably would have known that the purification rite came much later. I try to imagine the scenario: they had no tap, no pipe, and no pump! I imagine that in order to fill the large jars they had to go several times to the village water fountain and 8
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bring the water in pitchers which they could easily carry, unless there was a water reservoir at the house where the celebration was on. Well, it was no easy task! The Evangelist does not include these details. What we have is Jesus’ gentle order: “Fill the jars with water” (Jn 2:7), ... and later, after such a demanding and time-consuming task, another order: “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward” (Jn 2:8). We all know this miracle story. We all know what happened, and we, too, are surprised. We know that Jesus made this first extraordinary miracle when he changed water into wine, and the disciples believed in him. This is how the Lord acts. He surprises us by his wonderful deeds. And he always gifts us abundantly. Six stone water jars. Six jars in which Jesus’ miracle took place. Six years of continuous efforts by the ACN (Malta) Office. Six years of generosity by the kind-hearted people in Malta and Gozo whenever we have helped our persecuted sisters and brothers all over the world. Six years of awareness and information about the harsh and moving realities experienced by the Church wherever it is downtrodden. Six years of sheer astonishment when we see that Christ’s Church, today, is still the Church of the martyrs who shed their blood in a powerful act of prophetic witness. Six years. This may seem to be a short span of time, yet, during these six years, I have witnessed thousands of charitable deeds made by Maltese and Gozitans in their tangible assistance to Christians suffering persecution and discrimination. Six years of prayer and intercession for the suffering Church. Six years of spiritual activities to help us grow in our enthusiasm for Jesus. We are filled with zeal in order that we may spread this zeal in others. Six years. Six stone jars full of water. Six jars full of the choicest wine ... to the brim. This has been our experience, here in Malta, in the last six years. The Lord and giver of life has continued to transform “the water of our humble and hidden offerings” into “the choicest wine washing our generous hearts.” And whenever we become aware of this miracle ... our hearts beat fast ... in a song of joy and thanksgiving ... and of Christian commitment ... because we love the Church and because we love each individual person.
SUCCESS STORY: 500 Bibles for Prisoners in Peru
One of the Prisoners receiving a Bible
As in many other parts of the world, the prisons in Latin America are hopelessly overfilled and conditions within them are extremely hard. For example, the prison in Callao, Peru, was designed for 1,500 prisoners yet currently holds 5,600. For these prisoners, the Catholic Prison Outreach which is supported by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is a real blessing. Twice a week, those who wish to participate come together for a joint Lectio Divina, while Holy Mass is celebrated every week for a congregation of up to 800 prisoners. And there are also Holy Masses for the major feasts of the Church year. Bishop José Luis del Palacio Peréz-Medel has himself frequently visited the prison. When he travelled to Rome to meet Pope Francis in 2018, he brought with him a letter from the prisoners. The Pope answered the letter personally and encouraged them all, despite all past failures and weaknesses, to believe and trust in the help and mercy of Christ. A vital and indispensable part of this outreach, which helps
those concerned to a better and deeper knowledge of God’s love and mercy, is the reading of Holy Scripture. But needless to say, the inmates and their families are too poor to afford a Bible. Already in 2017, thanks to the help of ACN, 500 Bibles were distributed among them. Now, thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, we are once again able to contribute €5,000, so that another 500 copies of the sacred Scriptures can be made available for the Prison Outreach Programme. For all the inmates this has brought some consolation, and the Bishop has written to us to say that his Priests working in the prison ministry truly appreciated this gesture. The Bibles are used for the sessions of Lectio Divina and for catechetical instruction of those preparing for baptism. Our heartfelt thanks to all who have helped.
Please “Help us support those in Need” thank you
Any kind gift you offer will support these and other similar projects around the world
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FAITH What Is It?
Faith is knowledge and trust.
It has seven
characteristics:
1
Faith is a sheer gift of God, which we receive when we fervently ask for it.
2 4 5 6
Faith is the supernatural power that is absolutely necessary if we are to attain salvation.
3
Faith requires the free will and clear understanding of a person when he accepts the divine invitation.
Faith is absolute certainty, because Jesus guarantees it. Faith is incomplete unless it leads to active love.
Faith grows when we listen more and more carefully to God’s Word and enter a lively exchange with him in prayer.
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heaven. [153-165, 179-180, 183-184] From
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Faith gives us, even from now, a foretaste of the joy of
Question # 21, Page 25-26.
Kiddies Corner Matching & Describing
12 Apostles Jesus gathered disciples (= friends) around him. From these friends he chose twelve as apostles. The word "apostle" comes from the Greek language and means "envoy". In a way, all Christians are ambassadors of Jesus, and thus are apostles. You want to know more about the 12 apostles? Connect the same numbers with each other and read the corresponding text in the box.
Thaddeus Missionary in the Near East and helper in hopeless situation.
Philip Formerly a disciple of John the Baptist. Missionary in Asia Minor.
Thomas He bears the nickname "twin". Patron saint of East India and the architects.
1
10 5 4
4
5 10
Andrew Brother of Peter. Died on a cross that looked like an X.
9
11
8 1
John 3
6
Apostle of the Orient.
Simon Patron saint of weavers, dyers and forest workers.
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Bartholomew
Peter Was the 1st Pope.
3
Favorite disciple of Jesus, patron of writers and brother of James the Elder. Jesus also called the two brothers "sons of thunder".
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Matthew
2
7
Former customs officer. Patron saint of finances.
James the Elder Patron saint of Spain and the pilgrim.
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12
Matthias Replacement apostle for Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. Patron saint of the builders.
12
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His nickname is also "the smaller" or "the just".
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2
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Pope’s Monthly Prayer Intentions We pray that deacons, faithful in their service to the Word and the poor, may be an invigorating symbol for the entire Church.
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