FAITH ALIVE issue 14

ISSUE No 14 | DECEMBER 2023

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FAITH ALIVE

The Interactive Magazine

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HOPE AMIDST HARDSHIP Helping the suffering Church today www.acnmalta.org

ISRAEL: Urgent help for Christians in the Holy Land

MIDDLE EAST: “When you cannot find joy, create it”

NIGERIA: Bringing Hope and Strength to victims of Persecution

LEBANON: We can give witness to the incarnation of God among us

HOW TO use this magazine Read inspirational stories

…of faith-strong men and women around the globe who are shining the light of Christ even in the darkest parts of the world.

A word from the National Director

PLAY VIDEO Catch a quick glimpse

Click on “play video” to catch a quick glimpse of the reach and impact of ACN’s positive work around the world.

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.

I warmly welcome you to another edition of Faith Alive - ACN (Malta)’s digital magazine which keeps you updated on the latest issues concerning our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. We would like to keep you also informed about the helpful steps ACN is taking to respond in love, by relieving part, if not all, of their burdens.

As we come to the end of 2023, I would like to thank you for your support throughout the year. This expression of love and Christian solidarity, which you always show, goes a long way to bring hope and succour to our poor and persecuted brothers and sisters who rely on us for help.

Following the recent happenings around the world, it is clear that many of our brothers and sisters will unfortunately spend Christmas in deadly fear of war, terrorist attacks and great hardship.

If you are able, I kindly ask you to consider making a special Gift of Faith to show your support and to share some of the joy of Christmas with our suffering brothers and sisters. Every gift from you is a joyous opportunity to give Christ’s love and charity to some of the poorest and suffering Christian communities.

I hope that you will continue to help share the Faith, care for the poor and needy, and give a voice to persecuted Christians.

35/3, Mdina Road, Attard, ATD 9038 Call 00356 2148 7818 Email info@acnmalta.org Twitter @acn_malta

Please be assured of our prayers for you and your loved ones. With every good wish for a blessed Advent, joyful Christmas and an abundance of God’s Blessings in the New Year.

Yours in Christ,

Facebook Aid to the Church in Need Malta Instagram acn_malta

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. VO/2227

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Stephen Axisa National Director Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Malta

ISRAEL:

URGENT HELP FOR CHRISTIANS IN THE HOLY LAND

Given the humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing war in the Holy Land, ACN’s project partners in the local Church asked for your help to provide Christian families with food, water, medicine, medical assistance, accommodation and electricity. Your kind generosity is key to being able to respond to this call.

Bombing hit the Greek Orthodox church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City

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Catholics at Holy Mass in Gaza’s only Catholic Church, Holy Family Church

Since October 7, 2023, the entire world has been witnessing terrible scenes of war and terrifying news in the Land of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

The effects are devastating for everyone: anguish, fear, scarcities of water, electricity, food and medical care as well as very serious economic consequences.

As communicated to us by the local Church in the Holy Land, with which Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has been in constant communication since the beginning of the conflict last October, Christians in particular are experiencing a serious humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and suffering from the economic consequences derived from the armed conflict also in West Bank and East Jerusalem.

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The majority of the 37,000 Christians who live in the West Bank earn their living by working in the tourism sector, which has been completely paralysed. They consider emigration as the only alternative.

In East Jerusalem, where around 10,000 Christians live, there has been a total loss of income in Christian families who live mainly from the presence of pilgrims. They need urgent support to be able to stay in their homes and avoid emigration.

More than 100,000 believers of at least eight nationalities live in Israel, mainly for work. Many are being laid off due to the economic crisis resulting from the war. About 200 people are currently seeking temporary shelter in Jerusalem. The church is doing everything possible to accommodate them in convents and Christian boarding houses. They need help to cover their basic needs.

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, asked us not to forget our Christian brothers and sisters.

YOUR DONATION IS SAVING LIVES

THE MOST URGENT NEEDS Emergency aid is desperately needed as requested by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, to provide food, water, medicine, and facilitate medical assistance, shelter and electricity to more than 600 Christian families.

Sister Nabila of the Holy Rosary Sisters Congregation in Gaza, welcomes, along with six other nuns and a Catholic priest, 700 displaced Christians in the Holy Family Parish, Gaza.

“We need medicine. Many hospitals are destroyed. Our school has also been badly damaged. People have

nothing, not even the basics; Mother Teresa’s Sisters are also here, with people with multiple disabilities, with older people... Pray for us. Let this madness end.”

These, our brothers and sisters, have been left homeless, in the midst of bombings. They only have to trust in prayer, and charity of people like you.

The Christians of the Holy Land need your help today to survive.

Please “Help us support those in Need” thank you

Sr. Nabila, together with the Holy Family pastoral teams, takes care of displaced families and children

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MIDDLE EAST:

“WHEN YOU CANNOT FIND JOY, CREATE IT” This year, 35,000 children in Syria and 10,000 in Lebanon will receive Christmas presents in the form of urgently needed clothing. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is sending aid to these two countries, to bring some joy to the children on Christmas Eve, and to show them that they are not forgotten.

Children in Syria, each with the Christmas gift provided with support from ACN

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YOUR DONATION IS SAVING LIVES

Volunteers preparing the Christmas gifts

In both countries, clothes have become almost unobtainable.

Sister Annie Demerjian, from the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, who for years has worked on this project with ACN, laments that, “many families here can only dream of any new clothes. To buy a pair of trousers, a shirt and shoes these days in Syria you need two months of minimum wage.”

Because of the war and the dramatic economic situation in Syria, ACN has been supporting this initiative since 2015. In Lebanon, it is the third year that the foundation has been working with religious orders to distribute Christmas gifts to children. This year, the initiative in Lebanon is accompanied by the motto: “When you can’t find joy, create it.”

Sister Raymonda Saada, from the Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph of Lyons in Lebanon, already worked on this initiative last year. Thanks to her skilful management, she procured Christmas presents for 11,000 children, instead of the planned 10,000. To reinforce the Christmas message, these gifts were distributed during religious celebrations for families. Once again, this year, many young volunteers will support Sister Raymonda in getting the children in the mood for Christmas with songs, prayers and biblical reenactments.

“Despite the war and the difficult situation, around 500 children in southern Lebanon will also receive presents”, says Sister Raymonda. “In my prayers I never forget ACN’s benefactors. Without you we would not be able to achieve anything. Thank you for believing in this project. You and all your donations are what made this dream a reality.

We are absolutely sure that Jesus Christ is blessing you, wherever you are; and with every present, with every smile of a child, you are receiving a special grace. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

Please “Help us support those in Need” thank you

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NIGERIA:

BRINGING HOPE AND STRENGTH TO VICTIMS OF PERSECUTION

These displaced Christian families have lost their homes and livelihoods to incessant violent attacks in Nigeria

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YOUR DONATION IS SAVING LIVES

https://youtu.be/2oUkjZ_weM4

The suffering of Nigerian Christians is indescribable, due to atrocious terrorism of armed groups. Extremist violence, the numerous murders of Christians and the mass displacement of entire traumatised populations fleeing Islamist attacks, have caused our Christian brothers and sisters untold suffering and a cruel sense of hopelessness.

They flock to the Church in search of support and comfort. Over two (2) million Christians have fled violence and persecution, and are now living their poor lives in miserable camps across the country.

Located in Nigeria’s “Middle Belt”, Benue State is an agriculturally rich region that has recently seen increased attacks on predominantly Christian farmers by mostly Muslim Fulani herdsmen.

The local diocese has been very active in caring for displaced farmers and families. In the diocesan-run camps, they provide for hygiene, food, educational and psychological needs. As explained by Fr Remigius Ihyula, an ACN partner who heads the Foundation for Justice, Development and Peace of the Diocese of Makurdi in Benue State, for many internally displaced persons (IDPs), psycho-social care and spiritual support are of particular importance: “Some camp residents have suffered multiple displacements. Others have seen their loved ones being slaughtered, shot at or butchered like animals. We have staff who give psycho-social counselling to address their traumas, and we also provide spiritual help because, a number of times, the Christian Faith helps people heal better and faster. If it were not for the Christian Faith, I am sure that many people would have taken up arms to go back and fight.

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Displaced Christians at the IDP Camp in Guma, Benue State, Nigeria

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YOUR DONATION IS SAVING LIVES

They need their Faith, which is the most important support we can give them. Therefore, my bishop tells me to visit the camps every day. When they see me, it gives them hope and strengthens their Faith in God. Our Lord’s Prayer teaches us to love and pray for those who hate and persecute us. Our people are willing to forgive and try to heal. Despite all that has happened to them, they must be willing to forgive – that is the message of our preaching to them, so that they can rebuild their lives. When we talk to our people who have suffered, we urge them not to take revenge, because then they may never heal from what they have gone through.”

The diocese is committed to continuing to care for the needs of IDPs in Benue State. With ACN’s help, the local Church cares for them, providing material and pastoral help. ACN is currently supporting a project to help the diocese pay school fees for 700 internally displaced

children. Another project seeks to provide 2,500 internally displaced persons (IDPs) with blankets and sleeping mats to improve their living conditions. The target beneficiaries include in particular pregnant Christian and nursing mothers, IDPs with special needs, children and the elderly.

“Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is a Godsend for the Diocese of Makurdi,” says Fr Remigius. “The organisation has taken our message to the world. I want to use this medium to thank all of you for the work you do. We pray for you and for your intentions, and that you continue to advocate for us. We pray that this collaboration will be fruitful and that it would better the situations of our brothers and sisters. Thank you and God bless you.”

Please “Help us support those in Need” thank you

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LEBANON:

“IN SIMPLE WAYS, WE CAN GIVE WITNESS TO THE INCARNATION OF GOD AMONG US” The sick and housebound are not left out of the joy of Christmas

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YOUR DONATION IS SAVING LIVES

Sisters sharing the joy of Christmas with poor families

For poor families who are unable to buy gifts for their children, Christmas can be a difficult time. In Lebanon, an ACN-funded project, helps to provide gifts for poor families, and bring joy and hope to families.

For Farha and Nidaa, two widows from the Lebanese village of Qaa on the Syrian border, the Christmas presents initiative is especially important. In 2016 both women lost their husbands in an ISIS suicide attack. Farha was left to care for her three children, and Nidaa with her four little ones. Both men were the family breadwinners, but now their widows receive only 100 dollars a month from the army – a fraction of what they need for their daily lives, not to mention psychological help for their traumatised children.

Amid Lebanon’s shattered economy, the fight for daily survival has long since become normal. For many parents, that means forgoing anything that is not absolutely essential. Lots of things fall by the wayside, including healthy nutrition, but also money for presents, which is particularly painful at Christmastime.

Sister Raymonda’s eyes shine. Last year, with the help of more than 100 volunteers and the financial support of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the Sister was able to match many children’s wish for a Christmas gift with their urgent

need for winter clothing. The team collected the requests of more than 10,000 children from all over the country, had the garments made in Lebanon, and distributed them.

“We sensed that this project was a call from God,” says the nun from the Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph of Lyons.

“It was like a beehive of activity around here: helpers were swarming everywhere. Even mothers who didn’t have much time came, to give at least an hour wrapping presents. They were determined to contribute to giving children some joy at Christmas.”

In Qaa, Farha and Nidaa’s village, temperatures can fall to around two degrees even in autumn and spring. The new winter clothing for their children is therefore a real Godsend. After the death of her husband, Nidaa felt abandoned by everyone. Actions like ACN’s Christmas initiative show her that she is not forgotten.

“We want to stand with needy families, particularly children,” says Sister Raymonda. Even in southern Lebanon, despite the war and the difficult situation, around 500 children will be receiving presents. Compared to their daily needs, a piece of new clothing may seem like only a small thing, but it means a lot to them. “In such simple ways, we can give joy and hope, give witness to the Incarnation of Emmanuel and to the presence of God among us, and bring a new world”.

Please “Help us support those in Need” thank you

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INTERNATIONAL:

SPREAD THE CHRISTMAS CHEER WITH A GIFT OF FAITH Will you help us spread the joy of our Saviour’s birth with suffering Christians by giving a Gift of Faith, this Christmas?

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YOUR DONATION IS SAVING LIVES

https://youtu.be/Ub_vL2jdumk

Gifts of Faith are joyous reminders of how we can all bring Christ’s love and comfort to some of the poorest parts of the world and help Christian communities not only endure, but flourish in their Faith.

This Christmas, give a Gift of Faith on the behalf of your loved ones and tell them that this powerful gift is transforming the lives of Christians worldwide.

Your Gift of Faith could help provide food and emergency aid to Christian families, especially displaced women and children, suffering from war, persecution and poverty.

Your gift could also provide education support to young people and livelihood support to Sisters in many parts of the world where we work.

Whatever you are able to give will help us respond to the urgent needs of our brothers and sisters in need around the world.

Together we can extend a hand of hope and share the joy of our Saviour’s birth with those in great need.

PLEASE GIVE A GIFT OF FAITH TODAY. SHOW THEM THAT YOU CARE.

VISIT: www.giftsoffaith.help TO CHANGE LIVES BY SELECTING ONE OR MORE GIFTS TODAY.

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PRAYER FOR PEACE IN THE HOLY LAND

Bombing around the Holy Family Church.

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YOUR DONATION IS SAVING LIVES

Following the recent happenings in the Holy Land, ACN adds its voice to calls by the Holy Father Pope Francis and by the Patriarch and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem to pray for peace in the Holy Land. Please join us in prayer.

Lord Jesus Christ, The Holy Land is once again struck by violence, hatred, and death.

Lord, look with mercy upon the land that was your earthly home.

Receive the deceased into your presence.

Comfort those who mourn, are wounded, or forced to flee.

Be close to all who are full of fear and despair.

You are our peace and the light of the nations, put an end to the spiral of terror and suffering in the Holy Land and in the whole Middle East!

Let peace and justice flourish at the holy sites.

You are our refuge. Let the people be safe in your Love.

Have mercy on us and on our time.

Amen.

Please “Help us support those in Need” thank you

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