ROMEOVILLE—None of the streets are paved within the tiny town of Soritor in the midst of the expansive jungle region. For countless decades, the residents of the typical hamlet in northeastern Peru have endured violent bouts with armed terrorists as well as generations of poverty and hopelessness.
In the late 1990s, however, the members of the local Catholic faith community, San Felipe de Soritor, launched a special evangelization program aimed at revitalizing the moral and religious convictions of the people. A series of special retreats and formation programs were offered to young people and adults.
While many farmers are still harvesting coca, the raw material from which cocaine is produced, and local government officials are still turning a deaf ear to the desperate people, the efforts of those involved in the community’s evangelization program have worked to increase attendance at Sunday Masses by over 15 percent. In the bleak region, the resurgence of faith serves as a beacon of hope for the people.
The ongoing spiritual and evangelization effort in Soritor is made possible through a financial grant from an annual collection for the church in Latin America. The annual appeal is slated the weekend of Jan. 21-22 at Catholic parishes across the United States. The intent of the endeavor is to alleviate some of the burdens of poverty-stricken residents living in regions within Latin America, including countries in the Caribbean, Central America and South America.
Auxiliary Bishop John R. Manz of Chicago, the chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on the Church in Latin America, stated that the annual collection underscores the firm commitment of the United States bishops to the spiritual needs of the those living through desperate situations in poverty-ravaged and war-torn regions of Latin America “and the ever increasing solidarity the faithful in the United States have with the people of Latin America and the Caribbean.”
Members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops initiated the annual Collection for the Church in Latin America in 1966. The appeal works as a fund-raising vehicle, enabling faithful citizens of the United States to easily share their resources with those in desperate need in economically unstable Latin American countries, including El Salvador and Nicaragua, said Kevin Day, a spokesperson for the Secretariat for the Church in Latin America of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The theme of the 2006 collection is “One Church, One America.” According to Day, the theme is a direct response to Pope John Paul II’s 1999 apostolic exhortation, “The Church in America.” In that now historic plea, the celebrated pontiff urged all Catholics in North and South America “to take responsibility in compassion and solidarity for their brothers and sisters throughout the hemisphere.”
In 2004, the donations from Catholics from across the nation netted over $6 million, financially supporting nearly 500 projects in more than 200 dioceses throughout 21 Latin American countries, Day said. “These grants are pastoral in nature.” Under the supervision of local bishops, the proceeds from the appeal generally fund youth religious formation and evangelization initiatives as well as priestly, religious and lay formation programs in Latin American countries, including the Dominican Republic and Haiti in the Caribbean as well as Colombia and Paraguay in South America, he said.
The grants particularly sustain youth leadership and ministry programs as well as training for pastoral workers and catechists, said Day. Funds from the annual appeal are also allocated for sacramental preparation and missionary work in Latin American countries, he added.
“(The Joliet Diocese) has been very generous,” said Day during a telephone interview with the Catholic Explorer. For over five years, the people of the seven-county diocese have contributed over $150,000 per year to the appeal for religious programs and services for faithful people living in Latin America. “The goal is to help the Latin American church that is in poverty and respond to pastoral needs,” he said.
A total of $241,285 was donated from the people of the Diocese of Joliet last year, according to Bishop Joseph L. Imesch. In a letter distributed to the faithful of the sprawling diocese, the veteran diocesan leader lauded the various parishioners, religious and clergy for their commitment to the monetary appeal in recent years.
Bishop Imesch pointed out that that the majority of funds collected are earmarked for faith-based services for people in Latin America. Representatives of the Secretariat for the Church in Latin America allocate the grants across the various regions.
Meanwhile, a portion of the money donated by the faithful of the diocese support the missionary efforts of two priests originally from the Joliet Diocese currently serving in the impoverished region, Msgr. John Moriarty and Father Donald Kenny, according to Bishop Imesch. Msgr. Moriarty has dedicated nearly 40 years of his life to missionary service and currently helps meet the spiritual needs of the faithful in Guayaquil, Ecuador, while Father Kenny serves as pastor of Santa Cruz de Casitagua Parish northwest of Quito, Ecuador, within the Andes Mountains.
The remainder of the appeal contributions from people of the Joliet Diocese supplements the costs of biannual medical and construction mission experiences in Sucre, Bolivia, stated Bishop Imesch. These additional funds also offset expenses of the yearly university mission trip to Sucre for seminarians of the diocese as well as students of Lewis University in Romeoville, Benedictine University in Lisle and University of St. Francis in Joliet along with students involved in campus ministry from College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Elmhurst College, Joliet Junior College and North Central College in Naperville.
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