Urgent Need in Mozambique

Dear Friend of St. Jude,

Your prayers and generosity continue to help us bring Christ’s love to the poor and minister to all those seeking hope. You are a special blessing for us! Thank you!

I write today with an urgent need in Mozambique where our Pallottine priests and brothers are bringing tangible relief aid to the poor, along with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Thanks to your ongoing support, we have expanded our ministry to reach more needy people than ever before. This expansion brings with it opportunities and responsibilities that we must be prepared to meet. Please allow me to explain…

Mozambique is a country in southeastern Africa, about twice the size of California. The country has been devastated by poverty and a 16-year civil war. Our Pallottine missionaries have been serving the poor in this devastated country since 1999. They bring food, medicine, clean drinking water and shelter. They serve in dire conditions of poverty and disease, including AIDS and malaria. In fact, just a few years ago, one of our priests died of malaria. Currently, our five missionaries travel throughout the Inharrime District, often taking a month to reach the farthest borders. 

Our priests endure difficult conditions in Mozambique – 8 months of severe drought each year, scarce water, no electricity and the threat of diseases, including deadly malaria– but they are happy and work with joy!

The good news is we have been able to expand our work in Mozambique. First, we have been able to fund the construction of the Mother Church Sao Maximiliano Maria Kolbe in Inharrime. Building is underway, with completion expected by the second half of 2017. Masses will begin soon after.

Also, our missions in Mozambique, as well as Tanzania, have experienced a surge in vocations. These missions currently have three parishes and one seminary. There are eight priests, one professed perpetual and one temporary, six novices, three postulants and three aspirants. We are blessed to have these 22 young men called to serve, as the need is great in these areas.

Additionally, we started a new mission in Namuno, Diocese of Pemba, in Mozambique. This very promising parish is called Santa Maria de Namuno and has 142 communities. In the first six months, the two new priests have performed 3,215 baptisms, 394 marriages and 881 first Eucharist celebrations! Some 60% of the 170,000 people are Catholic – a large population that’s eager to hear the Word of God and receive the sacraments.

As you can see, we’ve brought hope and the love of God into this corner of the world. What’s more, we have the potential to reach so many more needy people with our 22 seminarians – more than we’ve ever had before! We are blessed to have so many young men called to serve.

As you might expect, the cost is significant – $75,000 a year – to cover housing, education, food, and other essential expenses. I prayerfully ask for your help with this critical expense by sending an offering today. The cost is a happy burden to bear in bringing the message of Jesus Christ to so many people in need.

In all of our worldwide ministries in 54 countries, our priests and brothers bring hope to those who despair. We follow in the footsteps of St. Jude, patron saint of the hopeless.

I encourage you to embrace the power of St. Jude’s wondrous intercession by sending us your prayer intentions. Perhaps you, or someone you love, could use St. Jude’s intercession for healing or for hope in a desperate situation.

Our missionaries will remember your requests in their prayers, Novenas and Masses. I also pray that you will send an offering – whatever is right for you. Your gift will help with this urgent need in a part of the world where people hunger for the Word of God. Please help us minister where the needs are greatest – filling the world with Christ’s love and bringing hope where there is none.

Wishing you the Hope of St. Jude,