FAITH ALIVE issue 11

ACN AT 9 YEARS:

RESTORING HOPE AND REBUILDING LIVES

Helping the suffering Church today www.acnmalta.org

COLOMBIA: “When I see a hungry Child, I remember there is Christ”

SIERRA LEONE: Sisters take HOPE to one of the Poorest Countries in the World

SYRIA: A ray of HOPE for Desperate Families

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…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

It has been nine years since the inception of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) office in Malta. Nine years of restoring hope and rebuilding the lives of Christians who have lost everything to war, poverty and persecution; of being the hope and lifeline of Christian families and communities in the face of emergencies.

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.

It has been nine years of safeguarding and rescuing Christian girls from forced conversion and marriage, kidnapping and violent abuse; and of supporting missionaries in their challenging work in underdeveloped countries. Throughout this time, ACN (Malta) has been fulfilling the mission of helping persecuted and oppressed Christians in several other countries.

We look back at these years with gratitude to our benefactors and promoters who have enabled the organisation to provide a life-saving mission and continue to empower it to make a positive difference in the lives of poor, vulnerable Christians who look up to ACN as their only source of hope and help.

We look to the future with renewed zeal and commitment to further our mission. We also call on Maltese and Gozitans of goodwill to join hands with us in this life-saving work. If you would like to know more about ACN (Malta), how to become a benefactor, volunteer or promoter, kindly send an email to info@acnmalta.org or call us on 00356 2148 7818

If you would like to reprint any of the articles in this magazine, please get in touch. Yours

Christ, Stephen Axisa National Director

THE 9TH ANNIVERSARY OF AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED (MALTA)

Thanks for your prayers and help

“Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (St Matthew 5:10).

COLOMBIA:

“WHENEVER I SEE A HUNGRY CHILD, I REMEMBER, THERE IS CHRIST”

Every day, hundreds of people arrive at Necoclí beach, in the Colombian Caribbean. What was once known as a bustling tourist point, is now famous for its stream of migrants who risk the dangerous route, with little more than the clothes they are wearing, in the hope of getting to the USA.

The Religious Sisters who live in the region are a face of mercy and compassion for these travellers, who have passed through severe misfortunes and bad experiences. The missionaries receive financial support from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), through the diocese of Apartadó, which allows them to continue the pioneering work that the Catholic Church is doing in the region. ACN spoke to three of these Sisters who dedicate their lives to helping people in dramatic circumstances and bringing them hope.

Sister Gloria Gelpud Mallama belongs to the Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate and in the migrants who cross her path each day she sees a constant reminder of the Lord’s words in the Gospel: ‘I was hungry, and you gave me food’. “Whenever I see a hungry child I remember, there is Christ. It is my duty, as a Christian, to make sure He is fed. Jesus is always present,” she says.

Every day, the Sisters are visited by migrants who come to the parish of Our Lady of Carmen de Necoclí, where their apostolate is based, but the Sisters also search them out during their daily runs, which take place from 5 am. The Sisters talk to them, see what they need and try to find some way to help them. Although most of the migrants are Venezuelan, they have also found Haitians, Cubans, Angolans, Chinese and even Indians.

A beach where life is on hold

The sight of the migrants on the beach is heart-breaking: there are families with little children often carrying a

single toy; young people who talk about the frustrations of life in their respective country of origin, men and women in tears who have had all their belongings stolen along the way; injured people lying down, and fathers looking for food for their families. The latter are often very thin already, since they give their children all the food that they receive.

“We see malnourished children, people who are hungry. Many have little or no clothes at all, so the local Church tries to find a solution,” says Sister Gloria, who has lost count of the number of people she has helped.

Sister Gloria tells ACN that the situation that affected her most was when she saw a Haitian migrant on the beach crying and asking for help. She said: “Everybody walked past, and nobody looked at her. She couldn’t even leave her makeshift tent because her foot was festering and gangrenous. It was difficult to communicate, as we didn’t speak the same language.”

Since the migrants are always on the move, the Sisters know that they may not have another opportunity to provide them with material, spiritual and psychological help. “This is a population that is constantly coming and going. The ones that are here today may not be here tomorrow. By going out early we get the opportunity to be with them and listen,” Sister Gloria tells ACN. Many go to sea to try and reach Panama – running the risk of dying en route – and the rest go over land through the dangerous Darién Gap, a dense and mountainous tropical rainforest. Panamanian authorities say that in 2022 more than 250,000 people crossed the border there.

“It’s the Church or nobody”

ACN accompanied Sister Diana Sánchez, of the Franciscans of Mary Immaculate, during one of her rounds on the beach. “The Church is the first to provide aid. It is a reference point for the migrants. When they arrive, they always come looking for the Church, because it is the fastest source of support. We try to be a bridge between them and other entities, and to network. The migrants tell us that they were also helped by the Church along the way in other places,” the Sister explains, “We help everybody, we don’t discriminate, or ask if they are Catholic or not.” When asked how important the

YOUR DONATION IS SAVING LIVES

Sister Diana talking to a migrant family

presence of the Church in Necoclí is, Sister Diana replies: “Here, it’s either the Church or nobody”.

A lasting impression

The Franciscans of Mary Immaculate are not alone in this effort. The Sisters of Saint John Evangelist (Juanistas), and the Dominican Sisters of the Presentation also take turns handing out food at the Hand of God Life Centre. This is a very simple building, and the only space where the beneficiaries can eat their meals is out in the street. Some don’t even have plates or plastic containers with which to collect their food, so they use large plastic water bottles.

The face of Sister Rosa Cecília Maldonado, a Dominican of the Presentation, may well be the last trace of compassion and love that the migrants will see before setting off from the dock to Panama.

From Monday to Wednesday, Sister Rosa Cecilia distributes food to the migrants and visits the dock to pray with them, reciting Bible verses to cheer them up before their dangerous crossing, knowing that many of them might die along the way.

“One morning, I went down the dock and met two large groups of Ecuadorians and Indians. I greeted them, I prayed with them, and they became much less depressed. They said that they needed a lot of prayers as they embark on such a dangerous and treacherous journey. This sort of reaction is a great encouragement for our spiritual and consecrated life. The migrants are very grateful,” Sister Rosa Cecilia says.

ACN has supported the Sisters in their pastoral care for immigrants passing through the diocese. We have financed the purchase of catechetical material, the travel expenses of the Sisters, the purchase of kitchen equipment and materials, and the fitting out of a space with some basic technical equipment such as a projector and a sound system.

Please “Help us support those in Need” thank you

Sister Diana talking to a young mother

Sr Gianna Smarzewska in front of the Nursery School

SIERRA LEONE:

SISTERS TAKE HOPE TO ONE OF THE POOREST

COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD

Sister Gianna has a smile on her face as she speaks about her mission in Kambia, a place with no electricity or any other basic services. With her Sisters of Merciful Jesus, a congregation that is supported by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), she does essential work in a country still recovering from the horrors of war.

The children learn numbers in the Sisters’ kindergarten

https://youtu.be/5P53ltches4

Sister Gianna is one of the three Sisters of the Merciful Jesus currently living in this community, where people even lack the most basic services, like bathrooms and electricity but, above all, these people retain hope for a better future, in a country still grappling with the after effects of a destructive civil war. Between 1991 and 2002, the civil war tore the nation apart, killing over 50,000 people and forcing more than half a million to flee from their homes. After the war came the Ebola virus,

and then the pandemic. In such a tragic setting, it is hard to keep hope alive.

Everywhere we go, we try to show that God is love. We have not been here for long but, through our way of life, we try to show what it means for God to be merciful, to be loving,” says Sister Gianna.

Evangelising through example

The Polish sister arrived in Sierra Leone in 2016 and quickly began making big plans. The education level was very low and children and young people had difficulties in writing and reading. The Sisters wanted to open a local kindergarten and a pastoral centre for young people. With ACN’s help, their plans have now come true. “We were able to renovate this building, for the children to come to learn. We repaired the roof and built a bathroom.

Now we can teach them how to use these things and improve their life. Children come every day, and they learn, study and play, but they also get a hot meal, which for them is rare. They are happy and they are lucky,” says Sister Gianna, expressing her deepest gratitude to all ACN’s benefactors who helped make these acts of charity possible.

Schools and kindergartens in Sierra Leone are generally the only vehicle possible for evangelisation. The majority of the population is Muslim, but there is widespread respect for Christian values, since most of the educated inhabitants have been brought up in Catholic schools, and therefore parents have no problem in letting their children come into contact with Christianity, including prayer.

This was how the Divine Mercy Centre was created. “There is a place where we can organise weekend retreats. We want to help the people to grow spiritually in the Catholic faith. We, the Sisters, want to remind everyone, that all of us are precious in God’s eyes because Jesus gave His life on the Cross for everyone,” the Sister told ACN.

According to the local Church, the Sisters’ presence has had a very positive impact on the life of the neighbourhood, especially for youths and children.

There are around 100 children in the kindergarten now. Although they are very young, the Sisters hope that their example will stay with them for the rest of their lives. “Most of the families are from around the compound. On Sundays, they often dress their children up in their best though poor clothes and send them to pray with us. This kind of evangelisation is working. We cannot evangelise very much through words, but we always can through our example. I believe that many of these children might become close to Christ in future.”

Please “Help us support those in Need” thank you

YOUR DONATION IS SAVING LIVES

Sister teaching children how to draw

NINE YEARS OF RESTORING HOPE AND REBUILDING LIVES

It has been nine years since the inception of the Malta office of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). Nine years of restoring hope and rebuilding the lives of Christians who have lost everything to war, poverty and persecution; of being the hope and lifeline of Christian families and communities in the face of emergencies; and of ensuring that children do not go to bed hungry but have the food they need to grow.

Magda Kaczmarek (ACN Head of Section for Eastern Europe) visited an elderly woman in the nursing home in Bryukhovichi, Lviv, Ukraine, during the war

Nine years of safeguarding and rescuing Christian girls from forced conversion and abusive marriage, kidnapping and of supporting Maltese and Gozitan missionaries in their challenging work in underdeveloped countries. Throughout this time, ACN (Malta) has been fulfilling the mission of helping persecuted and oppressed Christians in several other countries.

ACN (Malta) is a Malta-registered voluntary organisation (VO/2777) of the 75-year old international pontifical foundation, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). The Malta office was set up on 13th May 2014.

ACN (Malta) looks back at these years with gratitude to benefactors and promoters who have enabled the organisation to provide a life-saving mission and continue to empower it to make a positive difference in the lives of poor, vulnerable Christians who look up to ACN as their only source of hope and help.

Over these nine years, ACN (Malta) has joined the efforts of 23 other national offices of this international foundation to fund over 5,000 projects annually in more than 140 countries. Every day, many Christian families, children, young people and missionaries are given a chance to hope and live. Through its work, ACN has become the hope that they look up to and the reason they can dare to keep on living true to their belief in spite of the serious threats that assail and surround them.

More recent and ongoing projects include emergency aid for Ukraine by providing food, shelter and essential needs for displaced people both inside the Ukraine and in neighbouring countries, as well as working with ACN’s long-established partners in Syria to provide emergency support for victims of the recent earthquakes with food, fresh water, blankets, medicines, basic items and shelter.

The influx of refugees into Lebanon coupled with the current worsening economic crisis in that country have plunged 70 percent of Lebanese into real poverty. ACN is working with Church partners on the ground to help those in most need by providing food parcels, medicines, fuel, rent and keeping Catholic schools open through the provision of school supplies, hot meals for children and emergency financial assistance for teachers because they are not receiving their due salaries. The latter assistance ensures that Catholic schools in Lebanon remain open to provide a Catholic education to students who otherwise would not receive an adequate preparation for life which would then condemn them to a life of more poverty.

In addition to projects, ACN (Malta) is a voice for persecuted Christians, telling their stories through its publications, such as the weekly e-newsletter, a weekly radio programme on Radju Marija, weekly page in “IlLeħen” newspaper, talks and video presentations in parishes, schools and groups. Also, ACN’s two major biennial reports –“Persecuted and Forgotten” and “Religious Freedom in the World”, together with periodic TV interviews, articles published on Malta’s newspapers, the charity’s website and social media platforms, explain the work being done by ACN on a daily basis.

Stephen Axisa, national director for ACN (Malta) said: “We look to the future with renewed zeal and commitment to further our mission and call on people of goodwill in Malta and Gozo to join hands with us in this life-saving work”. To know more about ACN Malta, how to become a benefactor, volunteer or promoter, kindly send an email to info@acnmalta.org or call us on 2148 7818.

Xavier Bisits in Latakia (Syria) with victims of the earthquakes which happened earlier this year

SYRIA: A RAY OF HOPE FOR DESPERATE FAMILIES

Parishes and Religious Orders are delivering crucial aid provided by ACN for those who are suffering following the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey that happened in February 2023. Just a few days after the earthquakes hit, ACN opened an emergency fund to support Church partners in northern Syria helping victims of the natural disasters who desperately need help, now more than ever.

ACN supports Churches sheltering victims of the earthquakes with blankets and mattresses

Food Support for churches after the earthquakes

In Lattakia, north-west Syria, ACN is helping the Franciscans provide emergency assistance to 100 families made homeless by the earthquakes that hit on 6th February. Describing the situation in this port town, Fr Fadi Azar said:

Many families have been displaced out of their homes either because their houses are damaged, destroyed by the earthquakes, or because of the ongoing aftershocks which haven’t stopped till now. What is a necessity for us right now is to find at least the basic minimum ways to help these people who were already stressed by the civil war, ISIS, the pandemic and their dramatic effects.

The Franciscans are planning to provide help to the families for the next three months, including blankets, mattresses, pillows, food, milk and water. Governmentheld Lattakia is home to many displaced families who sought refuge from the civil war. There has been recent fighting in the area, despite it being in a de-escalation zone established by peace talks in 2017. Just days before the earthquakes hit, during military clashes in Jabal alAkrad, around 35 miles east of Lattakia, ten Syrian army soldiers and three fighters from Islamist rebel group Tahrir Al-Sham were killed on 4th February. ACN has also

backed projects in Aleppo, which was one of the worst hit areas of Syria in terms of casualties. More than 360 people were killed. All the churches in Aleppo have opened their doors to those who lost homes or are scared of going back to their residences as they fear that they will collapse on them. The Mekhitarists – an Armenian Catholic Religious Order – are sheltering up to 2,000 people in the school they run in the city.

ACN is also supporting a project run by the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church to provide vital medicines. These families were already experiencing desperate needs, but such needs have increased drastically since the earthquakes began.

ACN is also supporting parishes, like Our Lady of the Annunciation, where another 450 families are regularly receiving aid in the form of blankets, medicines, food and milk. Fr Enrique González, who works in the parish, thanked ACN for its assistance. He said: “In light of the current tragic circumstances caused by the earthquakes in Syria, particularly in Aleppo – which has been classified as a devastated city – we are trying to cover as many basic needs as possible of these traumatised people, thanks to ACN’s help.”

Please “Help us support those in Need” thank you

People taking shelter at the Franciscans in Latakia after a series of earthquakes

BE THEIR HOPE

At a time when families and children around the world have become the victims and casualties of war, poverty, persecution and suffering in so many ways, we kindly ask you to come to their aid.

Can we count on your help? Your kind donation will help us get this much needed aid to the most needy children and families. The situation is urgent. Please do what you can, to help a poor child and family today.

You may wish to offer a donation by visiting

www.acnmalta.org/donate

or through APS Bank:

Name: Aid to the Church in Need Malta Foundation Bank Name: APS Bank, Attard Branch IBAN MT72APSB77057008577220001771733

Swift /BIC Code: APS BMT MT | Sort Code 77057

THANK YOU FOR HELPING US TO RESTORE HOPE AND REBUILD LIVES