Delivering food, shelter, and hope to the poorest of the poor
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Rise Up With Joy
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Sylvia Morales and her granddaughters, Antonia and Sylvia, are filled with joy at the prospect of receiving a sturdy home to keep them safe and dry.
Guatemala
Rise Up With Joy
In Guatemala, nearly 60% of people live in poverty, with two-thirds of the population struggling to survive on less than $2 a day. (CIA World Factbook and World Food Programme) These poor families often live in unsafe housing constructed from little more than sticks and mud. During rainstorms, the roofs of these fragile homes often leak, turning the dirt floors into mud.
But there is hope!
Last Advent, Catholic parishes across the U.S. helped build 59 safe homes as a part of the Diocese of Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu’s new housing ministry. This year, we want to build on last year’s success by blessing 64 additional families with safe homes.
This powerful outreach is the perfect way to prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ and to live out his call to love others as ourselves. By encouraging your parish to give generously, you can give poor families in Guatemala a gift that will fill their hearts with joy!
Empower your parish to transform lives with safe housing! A gift of $10,938 will build a home for one family — but any amount you raise will be an incredible blessing!
The Need for Safe Shelter in Guatemala
An Advent Outreach
Even though Guatemala’s economy is the largest in Central America, those economic benefits simply do not reach the country’s remote regions where most people live. This means the charitable work of the Church is the only reliable source of help when families face desperate situations.
The daily challenges of such poverty include low crop yields, surging inflation, high malnutrition and stunted growth and development in young children. Because they face so many challenges, poor families find it nearly impossible to repair their humble homes and afford the safe living conditions their children crave. Parents spend their limited resources on patching up decaying walls and roofs, but their sons and daughters still lack a safe place to rest and study.
By supporting Cross Catholic Outreach’s effort to build safe homes for the poor in Guatemala, your parish will be giving these families the boost they need to create a safe living environment and participate in the life-transforming outreaches of our in-country ministry partner.
Together, let’s empower impoverished Guatemalan families so they can Rise Up With Joy!
Meet Our Ministry Partner
Diocese of Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu
Poor families in Guatemala are experiencing Jesus’ love through the Diocese of Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu! Bishop Pablo Vizcaíno Prado is committed to developing close relationships with the poor so they can be equipped “to build their own futures.” To accomplish that, the bishop believes his outreaches should offer both spiritual and material blessings.
Through the support of compassionate Catholic parishes like yours, Caritas in the Diocese of Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu has been successfully partnering with Cross Catholic Outreach since 2018. The diocese has been able to widen the impact of its integral human development programs and empower local families with small-group faith formation, home construction, food relief, agricultural training, academic scholarships and solar-powered community water systems.
Marleny and her daughters are grateful for their new concrete-block home, built next to their old makeshift home. For the first time, they have windows, a lockable door and a cement floor.
Goals for This Outreach
Providing Safe Shelter for Families
With your help, we can build 64 safe homes in partnership with the Diocese of Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu. Each of these new homes will feature:
- A 338 sq. ft. floor plan with two bedrooms and a common area that contains a dining room and living room.
- Concrete walls and flooring and a galvanized metal roof.
- A secure metal door and shuttered windows.
- A sanitary latrine to promote hygiene and dignity.
Free Advent Resources
Join Us
Join us in living out the Corporal Works of Mercy by building safe new homes for those in great need. Your parish’s gift will answer the prayers of 64 families in Guatemala.
Contact Us To Transform Lives During Advent
Complete the form below to receive more information about engaging your parish or group in this memorable outreach.
Proceeds from this campaign will be used to cover any expenditures incurred through June 30, 2024, the close of our ministry’s fiscal year. In the event that more funds are raised than needed to fully fund the project, the excess funds, if any, will be used to meet the most urgent needs of the ministry.
What Is Your Legacy Mission?
When you include Cross Catholic Outreach as a beneficiary in your will, trust, retirement account or life insurance policy, you will make a difference for poor communities by meeting both material and spiritual needs for generations to come. Create Your Legacy!