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.

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.