About Us

Thursday, 24th June 2010

Pilgrimage for suffering Christians

Dear Friends,

Prayer, Information and Action are key to the work of Aid to the Church in Need.

Thanks to you, Aid to the Church in Need witnesses firsthand the power of prayer in the lives of suffering Christians. Please pray for those who suffer for their faith. In the past month, hundreds have taken part in our pilgrimages - making a personal commitment to prayerful solidarity with the persecuted Church.

With you, we work to raise awareness of the oppression millions endure to remain true to Christ. This weekend our latest event takes place in Birmingham. Please join us if you can, to hear how you are bringing hope to Christians around the world.

Finally, please take action to help our brothers and sisters carry their Cross. The start to our Prayer-Action for Pope Benedict XVI has been so encouraging. You are offering spiritual succour to the Pope. And you are bringing much-needed aid to Christians in the Middle East - the Pope's priority for Aid to the Church in Need - as well as supporting priests around the world with your Mass offerings.

You can still make a pledge if you have not done so already - and ask your friends and family to do the same.

With best wishes and prayers,

Neville Kyrke-Smith
Director, Aid to the Church in Need UK

A huge thank you to all our pilgrims who made our recent pilgrimages to Carfin, Walsingham and Santiago de Compostela so successful.

And special thanks to Damian Carroll, who spent almost two months walking 500 miles of the pilgrim path to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Damian's efforts were to raise money for the Save the Saveable schools in Sudan. He has raised £1,800 so far - but there is still time to support him. You can make a donation through Aid to the Church in Need, or by visiting Damian's Justgiving page.

If you would like to take part in an Aid to the Church in Need pilgrimage, why not join us on our Holy Land pilgrimage in November?

Birmingham Event - this Sunday

Keep our Pope Prayer-Action going

Please join us at Birmingham Oratory this Sunday - 27^th June - for a special Mass and afternoon of talks about how you are helping suffering Christians around the world.

Our guest of honour at the free event - titled The Light of the World - will be Father Samir Khalil Samir from Lebanon. Father Samir is an Islamic scholar and a Catholic theologist. He will give an eye-witness viewpoint of Christianity and Islam in the Middle East.

Guests will also be able to hear how you are helping Haiti recover from the earthquake which decimated the country in January. And there will be updates on our work in Ukraine and Pakistan - two of our priority project countries.

The Birmingham event takes place at Birmingham Oratory, Hagley Road B16 8UE, beginning at 2pm.

Find out more about the Birmingham event 

Thanks to you, our Prayer-Action for Pope Benedict XVI has got off to a marvellous start.

We are really touched and encouraged by the solidarity and devotion you have shown both to the Pope and to suffering Christians in the Middle East and around the world.

So far, our supporters have pledged:

• 3,136 donations for projects in the Middle East and worldwide
• 6,864 Masses for the Holy Father
• 17,749 decades of the Rosary
• 2,085 hours of Eucharistic Adoration

You can see these totals increase each day on our website, or by adding our brand new widget to your own webpage.

Please help keep our Prayer-Action going - encourage your friends and family to make a pledge for the Holy Father.

Tell a friend about our Prayer-Action

Monday 18 January 2010

Please help suffering Haitians 

Dear Friends,

As disaster struck Haiti last Tuesday, many of you contacted us to offer your prayers and donations to help the thousands of victims of the earthquake. Even though the focus of our work is primarily pastoral, not humanitarian, it was to Aid to the Church in Need that you turned, asking us to offer to the people of Haiti the compassion and charity that are at the very heart of Christian love.

Thanks to you, we have been able to make an immediate emergency payment of £45,000 to the apostolic nuncio in Haiti, Monsignor Bernardito Auza. The nuncio has become a vital contact for Aid to the Church in Need in this time of crisis, with Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot of Port-au-Prince among the hundreds of thousands who lost their lives. We have been able to get aid to the nuncio quickly and effectively through the Vatican Bank in the neighbouring Dominican Republic. The aid will go to those most in need, regardless of their faith. 

In the long term, too, Aid to the Church in Need remains committed to the people of Haiti. Eighty percent of Haitians are Catholic and we are renewing our commitment and prayers on your behalf to rebuild the hope of Christ. We will be helping the Church and the faithful to recover in the aftermath of this catastrophe. 

The situation in Haiti is desperate. Immediately after the quake, one priest told us: “We can only cry in front of such a disaster; tomorrow we will start counting the dead and wounded.” Please pray, and help us to offer the hope of Christ in this dark hour.

Yours in Christ,

Neville Kyrke-Smith,
Director, Aid to the Church in Need UK

Your donation will make a difference
Aid to the Church in Need has been able to offer immediate help to the victims of the earthquake via the apostolic nuncio in Haiti. We have already sent £45,000 with the promise of more emergency aid in the coming weeks.
Please donate to our Haiti appeal

For many years, Haiti has been a priority country for Aid to the Church in Need. Our pastoral projects must also continue, despite the tragic deaths of so many friends – including the archbishop of Port-au-Prince and at least 30 seminarians – and the destruction of Church buildings which you have helped build.

We cannot do it without your help. One bishop told Aid to the Church in Need: “We are on our knees. Only thanks to the solidarity of people like you can we begin to find the strength to get up on our feet again.”

Thank you if you have already given to Aid to the Church in Need, the DEC or other charities.

Pray for Haiti 

Learn more about our help in Haiti

Prayerful solidarity with suffering millions
Please pray for the millions of people – living and dead – affected by the earthquake. Aid to the Church in Need staff in our offices in 17 countries pray the Angelus each day. Please join in with the Angelus using the audio recordings on our website, or spare a few minutes to pray the Rosary for Haiti.
Join us in prayer for Haiti

A Mass for Haiti
On Friday 15^th January, Aid to the Church in Need remembered victims of the earthquake at Mass. Please remember them in your parish too – or you can offer a Mass for the victims of the earthquake through Aid to the Church in Need. The Mass will be said by a priest in one of the 130 countries where we support the suffering Church.
Make a Mass offering for Haiti

Follow the aid effort in Haiti online
You can visit our website to keep up to date with the latest news from Haiti as Church leaders endeavour to distribute aid, console the living, provide pastoral support, encourage prayer and celebrate Christ’s presence, even in the midst of despair and suffering. Please tell your friends about our website, or forward this email to them.
Visit our Haiti webpage

Instant updates about Haiti via RSS
Get the latest news of how you are helping the victims of the earthquake in Haiti instantly to your favourite web places with our RSS feed.
Sign up to our news RSS feed