Aid to the Church in Need: Bulgaria: Insulation for the Franciscan monastery in Rakovski

Bulgaria: Insulation for the Franciscan monastery in Rakovski

Posted by Project of the Week on 27/7/2009, 11:11 am
Board Administrator

BULGARIA

Insulation for the Franciscan monastery in Rakovski

Although Bulgaria was admitted to the European Union in 2007, it remains a very poor country. Any economic boom that occured in this country only profited a handful of people at the top, while the great majority of the population have seen nothing of it. The Catholic Church in this country is just as poor as the great majority of the people, yet the spiritual challenges she faces are greater still. Any Catholic priest or religious must have great patience and anyone who expects rapid success in this country, where there are barely more than 75,000 or 80,000 Catholics in all, is sadly mistaken. "We are working for the coming generation", the priests and sisters agree. For after the decades of communist indoctrination even many of the Catholics no longer know anything about their Faith.

Often it is through their children that many Catholic parents find their way back to the Church. That is why the Franciscan Fathers in Rakovski in the south of Bulgaria are devoting themselves above all to working with children and young people. There are four Franciscans here. Their monastery was built in the immediate vicinity of a high-rise socialist-era apartment block township. It can accommodate up to 50 people who come here for retreats or other functions, and is ultimately intended to become a place for pilgrims. Father Eugeniusz, who is from Poland, writes to us, "When we recall what the Holy Father Pope John Paul II used to say over and over again, namely that the future lies in the hands of the young, then we cannot remain indifferent to these words. We want to make use of our monastery so that we can pass on the Faith and shape this young generation of Bulgarians".

There is a problem however, in that the monastery itself is very poorly insulated. Hence a great deal of heat is wasted in winter, and with it a great deal of money. There is an urgent need to insulate the whole building, but the Franciscan Fathers simply do not have the money for this. The Catholic charity Aid to the Chruch in Need (acn) has promised a grant of over $30,000 for this one-off expense, so that the monastery can serve many more people in the future. And it is good for the environment too if less energy is wasted, for as Christians we also have a responsibility towards creation. Father Eugeniusz and his three fellow Franciscans are already thanking you, our kind benefactors, for your help.

To help this cause please contact the Australian 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

The Franciscan monastery in Rakovski
Code: 433-04-19

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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