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Hands Together
Inspirational
and Educational Presentation at Sunday, July 27 Masses
Each year the Society of the Propagation of the Faith invites
a mission group to speak one Sunday at each parish in the United
States. It is called the Missionary Cooperative Appeal,
and it is a chance for us to talk about what is going on with
our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world.
This
year, the Diocese of Sacramento has invited Hands
Together to make an appeal. Hands Together works
alongside the Catholic Missions in one of the most desperate
area of the world: Haiti.
Some Basic Facts
About Haiti
- 7
million people live in an area smaller than the state of
Maryland.
- 70% of these people cannot read.
- 85% live
below the poverty level.
- In slum areas 4 out of 5 children
do not reach the age of five.
- Nationally 1 in 3 children
are chronically malnourished.
Hands
Together sponsors schools, orphanages, elderly care facilities,
hospices, and clinics. In addition to providing food at each
of its schools and orphanages, Hands Together also runs an
emergency relief food distribution program to help those
communities in the mountains that have suffered from extended
periods of drought.
Hands Together lay
missionaries work alongside priests, sisters, and other Haitian
staff at projects that reach out to the poorest people of Haiti — both
in rural villages and urban slums. Hands Together also
provides college students with an opportunity to participate
as missionaries on a short-term basis, offering them a very
powerful and positive faith experience.
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