The Catholic Weekly 28 June 2020

catholicweekly.com.au 7 28, June, 2020 In brief Holy Land appeal on hold POPE FRANCIS has re- scheduled the tradition- al Good Friday Collection for the Holy Land to Sun- day, 13 September. Australian churches were shut at Easter when the collection would nor- mally be taken up in par- ishes across the country. Holy Land Commis- sary for Australia Fr Mario Debattista ofm said that the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated eco- nomic impact has heavily affected the Holy Land and the care of its sacred sites which rely greatly on international pilgrims. Franciscan friars in Je- rusalem do not only pro- vide the upkeep of holy sites but also take care of local pastoral needs, sem- inaries, schools and so- cial needs such as aid for refugees from Syria. WHILE THE Australian arm of a global church charity has suffered like everyone else from the ranmifications of the coronavirus pandemic, it has still been able to support poor and persecuted Christians amid heightened violence, its National Director said. Christians in poorer coun- tries and those persecuted for their faith or engaged in rebuilding efforts need more support than ever according to the Catholic charity’s annu- al report. ACN Director Bernard Toutounji said that the coro- navirus pandemic has greatly threatened its work. “We rely on the prayers and offerings from the Catholics in nations where the faith is free and secure to support the Catholic people who suffer and are persecuted for their faith,” he said. “The uncertainty of this virus has made many of us pause the regular things we do and the causes we support which has had ramifications. “The requests made to ACN have continued because the suffering Church is – in many places – now suffering even more.” The international report said that despite the econom- ic consequences of the COV- ID-19 pandemic, the foun- dation “looks to keep up the level of support to the suffer- ing Church in 2020”. “Although this is a great challenge, the needs in many partner countries have been greatly aggravated,” it read. “Since the start of April 2020 ACN has already allocat- ed $8 million to the support of priests and religious, and those they serve, in some of the poorest countries.” In 2019 donors worldwide raised $171 million to support the Church in poorer coun- tries, with 80 per cent (approx- imately $144million) spent on the three areas regarded by ACN still aims high Aid to the Church in Need is undeterred by economic slowdowns and pandemic Nigerian Catholic protest the killings in March. PHOTO: CNS PHOTO/AFOLABI SOTUNDE, REUTERS the charity as the main pillars of its mission: direct financial support via aid projects, pro- viding information about the situation of Christians in var- ious countries, and encourag- ing Christians to pray for their suffering brethren. Altogether, the charity sponsored 5,230 projects, pro- viding assistance for a range of different needs in 139 different countries, above all in Africa and the Middle East. Most of ACN’s projects were located in Africa, which was allocated almost a third of the project funds with 1766 differ- ent projects in Nigeria, Came- roon and Burkina Faso “where Islamic fundamentalism and jihadist terrorism are wreak- ing havoc among the people.” The Democratic Republic of the Congo, owing to its vast size and the grave conflicts it is suffering, received the most ACN aid in Africa, and ranked as the third most supported ACN country in the world. There, ACN funded 268 pro- jects in the DRC totalling $5.3 million. Almost a quarter of donated funds went to support Chris- tians in the Middle East, par- ticularly Syria and Iraq, while emergency aid was provided to suffering Christians, mostly in Syria and Pakistan. In Iraq, $9millionwas given for the rebuilding of the Al-Ta- hira Cathedral in Qaraqosh, the largest Christian church in Iraq which was destroyed by ISIS in 2014. “There are 200 million Christians around the world who are unable to prac- tise their faith freely, and there are over 80 countries in the world where the fundamental right to religious liberty is not guaranteed,” read the report. Mr Toutounji said the main focus currently is on support- ing religious men and women and poor priests. “If we can help these two groups, we know we are able to ensure that the light of Christ can continue to reach the people bringing hope and grace,” he said. “Many priests survive on the Mass stipends that we col- lect and send to them on your behalf and in return they offer the Holy Mass for the inten- tions of the donor. “There is no more beauti- ful sign of the communion of saints at work in the way we support one another in our faith. “Praise God, we have seen many benefactors continue their strong support of this work. “However, the requests we get from the suffering Church ¾ ¾ Marilyn Rodrigues The requests made to Aid to the Church in Need have con- tinued though because the suffering Church is – in many places – now suffering even more.” Bernard Toutounji THE MOST vibrant parishes are those that are welcom- ing and missionary, promote collaborative leadership and prioritise Sunday liturgies according to a new study. The US study titled Open Wide the Doors to Christ: A Study of Catholic Social In- novation for Parish Vitality identified eight key charac- teristics found in Catholic parishes with vital commu- nities. It follows a survey of more than 200 initiatives, websites, books and interviews with more than 65 pastoral lead- ers. Successful parishes were described as thosewith strong leadership and “a balance of ¾ ¾ Marilyn Rodrigues Secrets to parish success word, worship, and service in the life of the parish”. They exhibited innovation, excellent pastors, leadership teams including lay and vol- unteer leaders, a holistic and compelling vision, a priority on the Sunday experience, fostering of spiritual growth and maturity at different lev- els, commitment to service, and proficient use of online communication tools. The study examined four major areas of parish life - welcoming parishes, young adults, women and women religious in leadership, and Hispanic ministry. It found that an engaging parish website was “the most common doorway into a par- ish community”, that young adults valued the use of so- cial media and face-to-face contact to listen to them and respond to their needs, and that women hold the ma- jority of staff positions and are “the backbone of parish life” but that their presence is “not always welcomed”. “As parishes begin to re- open, we are pleased to be releasing the findings of this timely study,” said Alexia Kelley, head of Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities (FADICA) which published the study. “Perhaps one outcome from this period of pandem- ic could be that pastors and parish leaders equipped with the study’s findings might find life-giving strategies rel- evant to their own context,” she said. Serving the Sydney community since 1892 Our experienced Funeral Directors are committed to providing a personalised and meaningful service for your loved one. Prepaid funerals available. Newtown | Chatswood | Parramatta | Miranda 9519 5344 | wnbull.com.au of this unique and interna- tional foundation.” www.aidtochurch.org always outweigh the resources we have to help them. I invite any Catholic to consider sup- porting the work and mission NEWS