Ofcolaco Holy Family Care Centre
Limpopo Province, South Africa |
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Women and children are
quickly becoming the
most helpless and
desperate victims of the AIDS
pandemic. Many mothers and
babies have been ostracized by their
families, extended
families and
communities, because
of the stigma attached
to those suffering
from AIDS. Dying,
desperate, weak and
impoverished, these
women have nowhere
to turn. It is for this
reason that The Holy
Family Care Centre
was established in
May, 2002. The
Centre cares for
babies and children
who are suffering
from AIDS, and are
unable to be supported
through the severe
stages of the illness. |
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The pediatric wards of
the Letaba and Sekororo local
hospitals refer children and babies,
without their mothers, to the Centre,
where they are nourished; most of
the children are suffering from
malnutrition and tuberculosis. The children remain at the centre until
they are strong enough to return to
their families in the villages.
Of colaco is a most beautiful place,
surrounded on one side by the
picturesque Drakensburg Mountains.We are immediately reminded of the presence of an omnipotent God whose tenacious and allpowerful love sustains all. When sitting in the Chapel looking at the mountains, the words of
Psalm 121 come spontaneously to mind: ‘I lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall come my help?’ |
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One of the suffering babies |
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Sr Paulina FDNSC from PNG
playing with some children |
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Moving out of the chapel and away from the mountains you are confronted with the suffering and pain of the human Jesus in the tiny broken bodies of the smallest victims of AIDS, the children.
It’s a place of paradox and the
suffering of these children calls for a
radical living of our charism. Jesus
reminds us to become like little
children. Within this place we are
called to respond as little children, in
a spirit of openness and trust,
knowing that it is he who leads.
The Sisters who care for the
HIV/Aids victims are requesting
$200,000.00 to assist this program. |
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| Interest Mounting in Heaven |
In Chapter 16 of St. Luke’s Gospel Jesus
instructs his followers, ‘I tell you this: use
money, tainted as it is to win you friends’.
And St Paul, as he thanks his friends in
Philippi for twice sending him money, adds
to his words of gratitude, ‘It is not your gift
that I value, what is valuable to me is the
interest that is mounting up in your account’.(Philip 4:17)
St. Paul, of course, is referring to our heavenly bank account, where the moth does
not destroy, or our treasures grow rusty. It is for this reason that we of the MSC
Mission Office are prepared to request financial assistance from our readers. And
like St Paul we can assure our donors that God, the giver of all good gifts will never
be outdone in generosity. |
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| Sr Philomene FDNSC from the
Congo and 3 children |
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Donations
this year 2004 |
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| This is a list of monies we have
forwarded to the Missions. |
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| Apia |
9,623.13 |
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| Fiji |
76,210.73 |
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| Africa |
35,000.00 |
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| India |
67,295.22 |
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| Indonesia |
9,358.42 |
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| Japan |
898.05 |
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| Kiribati |
8,741.10 |
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| Korea |
1,267.30 |
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| Lay Missionary work |
2,751.59 |
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| Mexico |
21,018.95 |
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| Namibia MSC Sisters |
5,000.00 |
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| Nauru |
1,000.00 |
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| OLSH Sisters |
3,632.30 |
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| Philippines |
41,049.83 |
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| PNG |
100,305.21 |
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| South Africa |
9,777.20 |
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| South Vietnam |
70,000.00 |
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| Southern Sudan |
3,000.00 |
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| TOTAL |
$465,929.03 |
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God loves a cheerful giver. |
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