Bishops’ Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America Announces Grants to Caribbean Region as Pope Visits Cuba

WASHINGTON—The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops'' (USCCB) Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America announced the approval of funding, totaling over $3.5 million in grants, to aid the work of the Church in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and the Antilles. The funding was approved during the Subcommittee''s meeting on March 21.

"The Church in the Caribbean continues to work for the common good of the region and we continue supporting her pastoral efforts," said Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, chair of the subcommittee. "Of course, as the Holy Father visits Cuba, we express our solidarity and offer our prayers as the people of Cuba welcomes the pope to celebrate together their faith in Jesus Christ and the 400 anniversary of the discovery of the image our Lady of Charity of Cobre."

"We have also worked with the Partnership for Church Reconstruction in Haiti (PROCHE) to support the Church there as they begin to rebuild infrastructures that will serve the pastoral work of the Church and bring the faithful together," Archbishop Gomez added. PROCHE is the reconstruction entity started by the Haitian bishops, with the assistance and support of USCCB and other episcopal conferences, to rebuild destroyed Catholic Church structures in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.

Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, a member of the Subcommittee and Chairman of USCCB''s Haiti Advisory Group stated: "The pastoral projects approved for the Church in Cuba have helped to strengthen the work of the Church as it helps young people increase their faith in Jesus Christ and find meaning in their lives, families live out their faith in the public arena and those in need find refuge and help in the Church." He added, "The reconstruction projects for Haiti are worth over $3.1 million and they are only the first significant fruits of our efforts as the Subcommittee and the Church in Haiti work over the details of design and reconstruction of the different parishes, convents and parish houses. We are working to bring many other reconstruction projects through the design, approval and construction stages quickly and ensuring that the structures are built safely."

The Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America oversees the annual Collection for Latin America as part of the USCCB Committee on National Collections. It provides support for the USCCB grant-making program, including the management of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake Recovery Fund, as well as the Conference''s international policy work. More information on the Collection for the Church in Latin America and the projects it funds can be found at http://www.usccb.org search for "Latin America." The subcommittee has delegated several bishops to attend the Holy Father''s visit to Mexico and Cuba. For information on the papal visit, please search for "Mexico" or "Cuba."
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Keywords: Latin America, evangelization, clergy, lay formation, Collection for the Church in Latin America, Archbishop José Gomez, Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, PROCHE

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