A Dire Situation in Peru
Dear Friend of St. Jude,
We have an urgent situation in our mission in Lima, Peru, for which I need your prayers and help. Please let me explain…
You may not know this, but Venezuela is in the midst of an unprecedented political and economic crisis. Due to skyrocketing inflation, severe food and medicine shortages, power outages, and a soaring crime rate, more than 3.3 million Venezuelans – more than 10 percent of the population – have fled the country in the past four years. In fact, it’s reported that these unbearable conditions are fueling the largest humanitarian crisis in Latin America’s history.
On average, 5,500 people leave Venezuela every day. To date, some 800,000 people have arrived in Peru and 85% of them have settled in Lima. Most arrive with little or no resources, and many are in desperate need of food, water, medicine, healthcare and shelter. While Peru welcomes these refugees with open arms, the country has few services and resources to handle the influx.
In recent months, some of these desperate refugees made their way to our Pallottine mission in North Lima, which is an area of extreme poverty. Father Joseph, who you may remember from my May letter, has graciously welcomed these families, many with young children, into our parish and provided them with some basic necessities.
The greatest challenge now is to provide an education for the children. Currently, we have many children who don’t attend school because of January, 2020 “The Gospel calls us to be close to the poor and forgotten and to give them real hope.” -Pope Francis overcrowding or because their families are unable to pay for school fees, uniforms and supplies. We have given them some clothes and supplies and are offering free classes, but funding is needed to provide a proper education for these children.
Our Pallottine priest, Fr. Manoel, left our orphanage in Ayachucho to join Fr. Joseph in the Lima mission. Father Manoel’s goal is to provide additional services for these needy refugees. “My personal project is to set up a dental office,” says Fr. Manoel. “We would also like to be able to offer legal advice and psychological counseling. We already have several projects to put into practice, but we lack resources… and there are so many people in dire need.”
My dear friend, your ongoing prayers and generosity help us bring Christ’s love and the hope of St. Jude to the poor in our missions in 54 countries around the world. It is my sincerest hope that you will help us now in this critical mission in Peru. Please reach out with me to these lost and impoverished neighbors who urgently need God’s love and kindness. Please send your most generous gift today.
When you send your gift, please be sure to include your prayer requests. We are honored to pray for St. Jude’s powerful intercession for you and those in your life who need help and hope.
All our Pallottine missionaries, along with those they serve, join me in thanking God for you. We ask God to bless you for your genuine acts of love and compassion and reward you with His abundant grace! Also, please know that I will personally thank God for you and for your heartfelt love for a neighbor you have not met… and for truly serving Christ in the poor.
Wishing you the hope of St. Jude,
Fr. Peter Sticco, S.A.C.
Novena Director
P.S. Please send your prayer requests along with your most generous gift today. I will make sure your prayer requests are remembered in the prayers, Novenas and Masses at our Shrine and in daily Mass that is celebrated on St. Jude’s tomb in the Vatican.