Annual Financial Report 2022

Dear Friends of CANELA, 2022 was a year in which the “Corona” phenomenon continued to be the main factor influencing our activity, fundraising and expenditures. On the one hand, the extreme limitations on missionary activity were slowlysometimes very slowly - being lifted. On the other, the economic effects of the lockdowns filtered through to the balance sheets of the individuals and businesses that support us. This meant that our expenditures grew, to cover the uptick in activity; whereas our income sank, reflecting the economic downturn experienced by many of our benefactors.

A look at the numbers at the end of this report confirms these observations. Although gross receipts went up significantly compared to 2021, this is due primarily to one project for which there was a special benefactor, giving only for that project. If we do not take that into consideration, total receipts from individual donors actually fell by 34% from 2021 to 2022: a distressing development.

The Board of Directors has been meeting continually, including with outside consultants, to address this matter and determine how to increase our donor base. It is a fact that the need for help on the part of our beneficiaries is not decreasing. There is so much to do! Please keep this intention in your prayers: there is no doubt that the Holy Spirit will guide us along the right path. To Him we entrust you, your family and your intentions.

With gratitude,

Fr. Robert Havens Chairman of the Board of Directors CANELA for Latin America and Africa

Letter from the Board of Directors.

How we do what we do.

Our mission is to help existing, well-proved educational projects of the Catholic Church to form spiritual and civic values on as large a scale as possible in Latin America and Africa. We have identified some very promising programs and try to focus on them, since they have been effective and enjoy the support of the dioceses involved.

[Jesus]answered: It is also written, Man lives not from bread alone, but from every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matt:4)

Because the Catholic Association for the New Evangelization in Latin America and Africa is convinced that the true salvation of the human person comes not from economic well-being alone, but from the discovery of a loving God by each and every human person.

In the last fifty years, more than a trillion dollars in development aid has been sent by religious and secular organizations to Latin America and Africa. Often sent with great love and sacrifice, this material aid has done much good. Wells, electricity, hospitals and schools: all things that might not exist today, if this help had not been sent. And yet, despite all this important material help, crime, the loss of values, and the disappearance of cultures and traditions have grown in leaps and bounds in many countries. This is why we support men and women who dedicate their lives to spreading knowledge of God in developing countries.

Why we do what we do.

Who we helped in 2022.

In El Salvador and Mexico, we support a program called “Full-Time Catechists”. This program seeks to form the capacities of lay persons in heavily-populated parishes. Generally, there is no lack of lay persons who would willingly lend a hand in the non-sacramental care of the parish: baptism preparation, confirmation, First Communion and marriage preparation, the coordination of youth ministry, ministry to the sick and elderly, coordination of the parish’s charitable activity, prison ministry, liturgy etc. etc.

There are two principle challenges to this sort of collaboration in our socio-economic contexts. First, even the most motivated lay persons often lack the know-how to help in these areas of pastoral care. Not just the pastoral application of the Faith, but also a knowledge of the Faith itself.

How many sacraments are there? What is the “Church”? What are all the areas of action that are NOT the exclusive domain of the clergy? What does the Church teach about marriage, and how can de facto situations be regularized for the good of all?

The Full-Time Catechists in El Salvador and Mexico.

Clergy sustenance and healthcare in Latin America and Africa.

In many parts of Latin America, the clergy receive no regular salary and do not have health insurance. We try to contribute to this need for a few needy priests every year. In 2020, we also started a “Committee for Priests’ Welfare” which seeks to provide a reliable source of income for very poor priests.

With your help, the School of the Faith and Leadership has been growing rapidly throughout English-speaking Africa. This year we were able to send small contributions to the teams leading the different branches of the School, as well as provide long-distance technical Support via Internet. This was particularly vital due to the total closure of the schools’ presence-based classes during the pandemic.

The survival of the School of the Faith throughout Africa.

Poor communities in Chiapas.

The lack of a reliable welfare state and the presence of endemic corruption mean that in many communities in Mexico, the Church becomes the main coordinator of humanitarian aid. In 2021, we provided help to the archdiocese of Tuxtla Gutierrez (in Chiapas), so that parishes could provide food and shelter for the destitute.

Catholic Association for the New Evangelization in Latin America and Africa (CANELA)

Statement of Activity | January - December 2022

www.canelacharity.org

Catholic Association for the New Evangelization in Latin America and Africa (CANELA)

Statement of Activity | January - December 2022

The Numbers.