Special Collection | August 14-15 | Mission Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe Atchanvé, Togo, West Africa

The Mission Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Togo, West Africa, was established in July 2006, by its founding Pastor, Father William Ryan, and encompasses a large poverty-stricken rural area of more than three dozen villages, populated mainly by subsistence farmers. . It takes about 1 ½ hours to drive from one end of the parish to the other over very bad roads. There are 13 “secondary stations” in the parish – villages where a lay catechist leads the people in prayers on Sundays and offers baptismal preparation and faith formation. To go hand in hand with its evangelization efforts, the parish has undertaken development projects in its villages such as wells, the health clinic, chapels and schools. This is essential, because when the mission began there was essentially no infrastructure in place to meet the human needs of the villagers or to enable the Church to carry out its pastoral service.  None of the parish’s construction projects – wells, chapels, schools and more – would be possible without financial support, but prayers and sacrifices also provide powerful help for the mission. At every Sunday Mass in Atchanvé, the special intentions of all the parish’s supporters are lifted up in prayer before the Lord. Its Pastor, Father Ryan, had served as Associate Pastor at St. Martin’s Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland, which is now the sister par­ish of the mission parish in Togo. Each year Fr. Ryan returns to the U.S. to give a report to St. Martin’s Church in Gaithersburg on the progress of its sister parish in Togo, and to seek help from others for the many projects of the mission. Visit their website at togomissionparish.org for more information. Father Ryan will be at here the weekend of August 14 and August 15 to speak to our parish about his mission parish, and to ask for our support. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

 

 

DIOCESAN MISSION APPEAL FOR THE DIOCESE OF ST THOMAS, VIRGIN ISLANDS, AUGUST 21 & AUGUST 22

Our Second Collection on August 21 and August 22 will support the annual Mission Cooperative Plan Appeal for our diocese.  The Mission assigned to our parish this year is the  Diocese of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.   This appeal helps our brothers and sisters who do not have access to basic pastoral services that support and grow their faith, like Mass, the sacraments, religious education as well as basic needs — food, shelter and healthcare. Through your support, the Mission Appeal helps missions around the world form vibrant faith communities and strengthens the global Church, and your generosity is most appreciated.  All donations should be made payable to St. Mary and placed in an envelope marked Mission Appeal.  You may also donate online at https://arlingtonmissions.org/donate/donate-to-other-missions/ (Fund: MCP and indicate Diocese of St. Thomas under Comments).