As part of its campaign to support priests and religious working with the weak and vulnerable in areas affected by Covid-19, the Catholic pastoral charity and pontifical foundation ACN International has recently approved 11 new projects in Brazil, one of the countries worst affected by the pandemic. Together they will benefit some 169 priests, 31 seminarians, 141 religious sisters and 56 lay missionaries working in their local communities.
Among these are priests in the state of Ceará, in northeast Brazil, whom ACN will be supporting in their work among the most needy, since the Coronavirus pandemic is also very much present in the city of Itapipoca, in the north of the state, around 80 miles (130 km) from the state capital Fortaleza. Itapipoca is known as the ‘city of the three climates’ since its municipal area covers coastal, mountainous and semi-arid regions at the same time. The Church here is working hard to maintain the spirit of solidarity and provide support to the local Christians who depend upon it.
The region is also experiencing a constant increase in cases of Coronavirus. On 5 June there had been 4,258 confirmed cases and 203 deaths. As a result, the churches remain closed, to avoid large gatherings of people, and Masses are being live streamed via the social networks, with people joining in from their homes. With the aid of a handful of people, the priests are continuing to celebrate the Eucharist in their empty churches.
According to Father Francisco Danízio Silva, the diocesan bursar, the diocese of Itapipoca has many needs and is going through a very difficult time. “We are facing many difficulties, among which I will mention just two”, he explains. “The first is maintaining contact with our people. Our people need us very much, they need our prayers, our companionship, our advice; however, as a result of the pandemic it is difficult to maintain this physical contact. The other aspect is the financial issue. Our income is greatly reduced, the offerings of the faithful have fallen by around 60%. There are no collections anymore, because there are no more public Masses. And so the situation is very complicated, because what resources we did have are now becoming exhausted”.
The anguish of being unable to be present in the lives of the faithful
“At the present time its not possible to speak face-to-face with our people, who are very upset and anxious. We are helping them as best we can via the social networks such as WhatsApp, Facebook and YouTube”, Father Francisco explains. The diocese also has two radio transmitters which it uses to stay close to the people. “We are using these means to protect ourselves and our faithful”, he tells us. When they do need to go out or provide help in emergency situations, the priests use protective face masks.
In some of the parishes, in order to help the people, the priests have succeeded since the beginning of the pandemic in organising a campaign to collect supplies and make up baskets of basic necessities for distribution among the most needy. “Recently we have made great efforts to raise funds, but it is now getting very difficult, since the people themselves have next to nothing” Father Francisco explains. Some of the parishes have decided, as part of the family outreach programme, to distribute a daily evening meal to the most needy. However, the money is running out for this campaign also.
Father Danízio is counting on the kindness of the ordinary people. “During these times we are going through, the support of every individual is very important. With the little that we have we can still help many people. Our Church is poor and in need, but it is rich in the grace of God and in kind and generous people.”
Father Francisco is also extremely grateful to the benefactors of ACN. “You, the benefactors of ACN, have helped us greatly. During this time your support is directly linked to the help we can give to these brothers and sisters of ours who need so much of us, who need our compassion, our attention and our loving support as well. I pray to God, through the intercession of his most holy Mother Mary, that he may bless each and every one of you, and that your generosity will be the source of your salvation. May we never forget that helping our neighbour is one of the most effective ways of imitating our Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. Our grateful thanks to all those who are helping us to evangelise through charity, throughout the world.”
Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic ACN International has been providing emergency financial support to hundreds of priests, religious and lay pastoral workers, so that they can continue helping the most needy. If you would like to help us continue this beautiful work, please click here to make your donation:
Related project:
ID 2000162 BRAZIL / ITAPIPOCA 20/00168 16,671.26 Euros
Support for 56 diocesan priests in need – 560 Masses, 168 Tridua and 112 Novenas
