725 Leonard Street • Box 220384 • Brooklyn, NY • 11222 • 1.800.628.6333 • www.churchinneed.org

ACN Donors Provide Convent Carmelite Sisters in Brazil

The Archbishop Emeritus of Natal, Dom Heitor de Araujo Sales, is 85 years old, and has served the Church here his entire life as priest, Bishop and Archbishop. Particularly dear to his heart are the Carmelite Sisters, who first came here at his request. They were the first and only contemplative convent in his archdiocese. The five Sisters were temporarily housed in a former seminary that was falling apart. That was until our donors heard the Arch-bishop’s request for help.

The problem above all was that the Carmelites couldn’t take in any new vo-cations, even though there were seven young women already waiting to enter the convent. Also, there was scarcely any room for the Sisters to work in order to be able to contribute to their own upkeep with the work of their hands. Apart from one sewing machine in a tiny room, they had no other possibility of handwork. They would like to start up a candle making workshop, so that they do not have to be entirely dependent on outside support.

Now at last the Carmelite Sisters have a proper convent, which has allowed young girls who wish to consecrate their lives to God to stay and not have to be sent home. Through the generosity of ACN donors, $8,900 was raised. Now the Carmelite Sisters’ community has grown and flourished. Thank you.

Training of Seminarians and Novices in India has been Funded

Today the Congregation of the Little Flower in India numbers more than 260 priests. St. Therese prayed especially for priests and thought of them as the ones who, in the Holy Eucharist, give Jesus to His brothers. She offered up the painful sufferings of her sickness for the sake of priests. The Indian congrega-tion that is named after her today enjoys numerous vocations, doubtless thanks to her intercession. These are young men who seek one thing above all, namely to love Jesus Christ as St. Therese loved Him, and to pass this love on to others.

Over 80 years ago, a priest by the name of Thomas Panat, also known to many as “Father Basil translated the Journal of a Soul, written by St. Therese, and felt ever more deeply filled with this spirit, which echoes the words of Jesus in the Gos-pel: “Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” With the permission of his bishop, he joined together with a group of other young men in order to live in this spirit. From this group, in 1947, was born the Congregation of the Little Flower.

Spirit and love of God was abundant, but the one thing lacking was money for their training. ACN donors once again came through. Because of their generosity, $9,900 allowed 42 major seminarians and the six novices of the congregation to continue and complete their studies. We are sure they will forever be grateful.

2ndQ 2012

Aid to the Church in NeedA Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy Father

Charity in ActionProject UpdatesK e e p i n g t h e Fa i t h A l i v e

725 Leonard Street • Box 220384 • Brooklyn, NY • 11222 • 1.800.628.6333 • www.churchinneed.org

Elderly and Infirm Sisters Helped in Croatia The Convent of the School Sisters of Christ the King in central Croatia is currently home to 44 Sisters. During the war in Bosnia between 1992 and 1995, it was also a refuge for other Sisters who had been expelled from their convents.

Young women continue to be drawn to the religious way of life of the School Sisters. Yet more than 30 of the already professed Sisters are elderly and infirm and are in need of care. Unfortunately the convent building was not properly equipped to handle these Sisters. There was just one bath, on the first floor, for these Sisters, and there was not enough space to look after the

sick and infirm. This made it essential to adapt and equip more rooms, which involved electrical wiring, thermal insulation, doors and windows. Another major problem was the dampness in the basement, resulting in extremely high heating bills that were unaffordable for the Sisters.

The Sisters turned to ACN for help and our donors responded, giving $6,300 for the necessary renovation work. Thank you.

10,000 Catechisms for Zambia Printed Imiti ikukula ili mpanga” is the saying in the Mambwe language, one of the more common languages spoken in Zambia. Roughly translated, this proverb means “The young saplings are the forest of the future.” In a country that is made up predominantly of young people, the Church is striving particularly hard to encourage and support these “young saplings” in their spiritual, intellectual and moral development. Here, catechists are crucial, for the youth of the country are the future of the Church and of society, the “forest of the future.”

Throughout Africa, catechists fulfill a vital function. Parishes are vast, and the few available priests cannot be everywhere, no matter how zealous they may be. This makes the work of the catechists in assisting priests a necessity, especially in remote villages that are difficult to access. The catechists call the people together for prayer, prepare them for reception of the Sacraments and instruct them in the Word of God.

They had the desire, but what they lacked were books that would help them properly pass on the Faith to as many people as possible. While English is the official language of Zambia, many people cannot speak it. Through the kindness of ACN donors, 10,000 copies of a catechetical handbook in five of the major local languages were printed. Thank you!

2ndQ 2012

Aid to the Church in NeedA Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy Father

Charity in ActionProject UpdatesK e e p i n g t h e Fa i t h A l i v e