Before starting our 2020 Almsgiving, the Faithjustice Committee is providing St. Anne parishioners with updates on our past almsgiving projects through Catholic Extension. Thanks to the amazing generosity of our community progress is being made.
2018 Human Development Project,
Diocese of Brownsville, TX, Rio Grande Valley
Alms Provided – $43,088
In 2018, Saint Anne Catholic Community supported a thriving ministry in one of the poorest and most destitute areas of our country. But the Catholic people of Penitas are rich in faith, and their story is inspirational.
Three women religious – Sisters Carolyn Kosub, Emily Jocson, and Fatima Santiago – lead the Proyecto Desarrollo Humano or the “Human Development Project” (PDH), a community center dedicated to serving the impoverished people of Penitas and the surrounding Rio Grande Valley area.
In the fifteen years since its founding, PDH has grown into a community powerhouse, partnering with universities, hospitals, and local constituencies to serve the spiritual and material needs of the people in their region. (The above dental clinic is but one example.) There are four major areas of emphasis at PDH – health, social services, education and spiritual formation – and the range of services is remarkable.
With the generous support of Saint Anne, Catholic Extension was able to come alongside Sisters Carolyn, Emily and Fatima and encourage them in their impressive efforts. This past year, expanded programs of daily walkin wellness checks proved very helpful in dealing with diabetes, a chronic disease for many in the colonias. Regular small group discussions with married couples and families are empowering women and helping husbands and sons better understand twenty-first century marriage and parenting as an equal partnership.
Another event to mark 2019 was the 100th anniversary of the ICM Sisters’ missionary presence in the United States. As part of the celebration, Catholic Extension’s staff received awards of appreciation for their assistance to PDH through the efforts of Saint Anne and other parishes.
2019 Church Building, Diocese of Bayamo, Cuba
Alms Provided – $47,289
In 2019, Saint Anne Catholic Community assisted two parish communities in the Diocese of Bayamo, Cuba. First, our almsgiving helped rebuild Santos Tomas de Aquino de Campechuela, a large and vibrant parish that used to meet in garages and under awnings to celebrate Mass because of the dilapidated condition of their church The transformation is remarkable in just a year’s time, and this parish community recently celebrated their first Mass in the newly renovated church This is in large measure due to Saint Anne almsgiving. Our second effort was to help the community of the Catedral del Santisimo Salvador de Bayamo purchase a home to be used as a chapel to celebrate Mass – a casa de mision. They were able to purchase the home and are in the final stages of remodeling. They hope to soon celebrate their first Mass in the new church.