Aid to the Church in Need: Chile: Support for 21 sisters in the diocese of Arica

Chile: Support for 21 sisters in the diocese of Arica

Posted by Project of the Week on 29/6/2008, 10:35 pm
Message modified by board administrator 29/6/2008, 10:40 pm

CHILE

Support for 21 religious sisters in the diocese of Arica

The diocese of Arica is in northern Chile, on the frontier with Bolivia and Peru. It has a total population of 186,000 souls, of whom around 70% are Catholics. The great majority of these live in the town of Arica itself and there are only a few families living in the widely scattered villages of the surrounding hinterland. The area is characterised by the arid climate of the Atacama Desert and the bareness of the Altiplano -- the high plateau region, which rises to a height of up to 5000 m (16,000 ft). Aymara Indians, the indigenous peoples of the Andean highlands, make up a high proportion of the population here, so that from a cultural point of view the region has more similarities with Peru or Bolivia than with the rest of Chile. There are no copper mines here, and little else in the way of employment opportunities, so that there is widespread poverty. The diocese also suffers from a great shortage of priests, having just 28 to fill the 22 parishes. Hence, the religious sisters, who are also few in numbers, are of immense importance for the pastoral work of the diocese. Bishop Hector Vargas Bastidas has asked the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) for help to support them in their apostolate.

ACN has promised a $4,500. To help this cause please contact the Sydney office of ACN on (02) 9679-1929. e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org or write to Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148. Web:www.aidtochurch.org

Photo: Some of the sisters, in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament

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Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148 ABN: 62 418 911 594
Ph/Fax (02) 9679-1929 e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org web: www.aidtochurch.org