During Lent we hear the Lord's call to perform good deeds. We could ask: what kind of deeds? They are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Lenten almsgiving has great, though often unconscious, power. In the Book of Tobias, we read: Almsgiving frees from death and cleanses from every sin. Those who give alms will be saturated with life (Tob 12:9). Contrary to appearances, it's not just about money. Today it is more about the need for heart, affection, love, presence... Sometimes it takes really little to bring joy into the life of another person.

This year we want to invite you, dear Donors, again to join us in "Lenten Alms for Missions." Thanks to the missionaries, this almsgiving, expressed in a monetary offering, will truly become an expression of your love and symbolic presence in the lives of people in need of help in Chad, the Philippines and Cameroon.

Expansion of a chapel into a church in the parish of Gam, Chad
In the village of Gam, Chad, where Father Edward Ryfa works, the material needs of his parishioners are immense. The missionary tries on an ongoing basis to address the successive crises of the local population, both spiritual and material. A peculiar feature of his missionary service is his great concern for mundane matters, such as building schools and health clinics, and digging more deep wells - sources of clean drinking water. Thanks to our alms, Father Edward wishes to realize another project, insanely important for the spiritual development of the parish - the expansion of the St. Thomas the Apostle chapel into a parish church, which will be able to accommodate the ever-growing community of Catholics in the mission area.

Training of Dehonian seminarians in the Philippines
The Dehonian missionary community in the Philippines has for many years welcomed many candidates for the priesthood. However, several years of training and spiritual preparation for ministry entails expenses to cover theological studies at St. Francis Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro on the island of Mindanao. Tuition is $1,200 per semester. Most clerics come from families that cannot afford such an expense. Our donations will certainly contribute to the vocation of those who want to follow Christ.

Construction of an elementary school in Nkonsamba, Cameroon
For several years, our Dehonian priests have been running a high school there, which is very reputable and popular. The facility, however, is too small to accommodate all applicants. Therefore, there was an idea to expand the building with a new wing that would serve as an elementary school for younger children from the city and surrounding villages. We can help them with this by donating our Lenten alms for this purpose.

Bank account numbers for money transfers are:

For $: PL 52 1600 1462 1847 3641 5000 0009; SWIFT: PPAB PLPK
For €: PL 41 1600 1462 1847 3641 5000 0013; SWIFT: PPAB PLPK
For others: IBAN: PL 79 1600 1462 1847 3641 5000 0008; SWIFT: PPAB PLPK