Pope sends message as new Cathedral blessed in Madagascar
Pope Francis sends a video message to Madagascar to mark the consecration of the new Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Miandrivazo.
By Devin Watkins
The Church in the island nation of Madagascar is celebrating on Saturday, as the Diocese of Morondava gets a new Co-Cathedral in the town of Miandrivazo.
The local Bishop blessed the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph on 1 May, the same day the universal Church celebrates the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker.
Pope Francis took the opportunity to join the faithful of Madagascar through a video message sent to mark the event.
Nuns overcome COVID-19 to hold virtual fun run with a purpose
Salesian Sisters see Saturday event as proof ‘we’re not done’
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Nuns overcome COVID-19 to hold virtual fun run with a purpose
SAN ANTONIO – In less than a month last year, the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco lost three of its sisters to COVID-19, and 17 of the 34 sisters at their convent also tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
“The sisters who were healthy really made efforts to help those who were sick,” said Sister Bernadette Mota, director of Mission Advancement for Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco.
Growing up poor in Caravaggio, outside of Milan, Italy, is what Sister Rosario Assandri credits with leading her to a missionary vocation. In an interview with our Vatican Office, Sister spoke of her desire to further her education after primary school she loved to learn! Sadly, there was no school nearby and her family could not afford the fees to send her to a distant one. Sister looked for a job to pay for her studies.
The Salesian Sisters of Melzo were hiring what they called daughters of the house , girls to do housework at the convent. The girls were also given the opportunity to attend school. Here was her chance!
KENYA
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MissionNewswire) Hundreds of women entrepreneurs in Dagoreti, Kenya, and other poor areas are benefiting from the Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC) project started by the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco three years ago, according to an article in the
Global Sisters Report. The Salesian Sisters developed the microloan project after securing funds from Don Bosco Mondo in Germany.
The project was launched to help women start businesses of their own to alleviate poverty and improve the well-being of their children. Many of the women use the funds earned for their children’s school fees and other necessities.
Sister Gisele Mashauri explained that the groups consist of 15 to 25 members each. Members save at least 50 Kenyan shillings (50 cents) per day from their businesses and then lend this money to other members in the form of loans without collateral.
Sr. Gisele Mashauri of the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco guides women on how to do the table banking in Dagoreti slum on the outskirts of Kenya s capital, Nairobi. (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo)
Dagoreti, Kenya Joyce Nyokabi s happier times began when she started a small grocery business in 2019 in a poor slum district on the outskirts of Nairobi, after she got a loan from Savings and Internal Lending Communities, or SILC, a project run by the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco to empower poor families.
Before, the 34-year-old mother of four lived in extreme poverty after her husband lost his job as an office messenger at a local baking company. Nyokabi took on odd jobs, working from sunrise to sunset every day, to feed her family and pay school fees for the children.