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Religious education program feeds the hungry in Africa
By Andrew Junker, The Catholic Sun
October 19, 2006
For the past 10 years, religious education classes at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral have quietly saved lives. They work with a non-profit organization to provide livestock and education to struggling farmers in developing countries.
Heifer International gives African farmers livestock that are income producing, which help them get an income, feed their children and become more self-reliant.
The group spends three to five years with each needy family, providing them not only with animals, but also with education about sustainable farming and rudimentary veterinary skills.
The family in turn promises to give the first female offspring of the animal to another struggling family and to pass on the lessons they have learned.
“Heifer recipients become heifer donors as well,” explained Pamela Edwards, a spokesperson for Heifer International. “This is the beginning of that chain,” she motioned towards Sr. Loreto Downing, director of Ss. Simon and Jude’s religious education program.
Sr. Loreto originally chose to work with Heifer International because she thought it was a mission project that would be “attractive to the kids and inspiring to them.”
“It’s wonderful. It’s one thing to be learning about Jesus, but we also need to reach out to those who are in need in our world,” she said.
Year after year, the more than 1,000 children in the parish’s faith formation programs respond to Sr. Loreto’s call. The children raise about $5,000 each year by selling raffle tickets, candy bars, newspapers after Sunday Mass and hosting a hot dog dinner.
“And we don’t have the rich kids,” Sr. Loreto said. “It’s amazing how they can bring their nickels or their cents and we tell them that it makes the difference in another person’s life.”
At the end of each year’s program, Sr. Loreto presents the collected nickels and cents to Heifer International. The children’s efforts purchase an “ark” for a struggling community in one of 51 countries around the world.
“If you think of Noah’s ark, he put all the animals in two by two,” Sr. Loreto explained. “Well, we send over animals two by two.”
Each ark may include a pair of oxen, chickens, goats, donkeys and many other animals that will help promote self-sufficiency in a rural community.
The project also educates the children in the catechetical program. Heifer International provides videos profiling the life-changing difference made by donating these animals.
“It’s wonderful education for social justice,” Sr. Loreto said, adding that the videos open a window into other cultures that the students would never experience otherwise.
“All communities join together in this huge project to relieve poverty and suffering. That’s what I love about it,” Sr. Loreto said. “It’s marvelous to see the Methodist, the Catholic, the Presbyterian, the Jewish all joining hands together in this.”
Though Sr. Loreto counts Ss. Simon and Jude as one among many charity-filled groups, Edwards said the parish’s impact has been great.
“Sister’s very humble about this,” she said. “But what you’re seeing is a 10-year tradition of amazing generosity, achievement and inspiration.”
For Sr. Loreto, it is quite simple why the religious education programs manage to give so much, year after year.
“This cow can save the lives of thousands of people,” she said.
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Andrew Junker/CATHOLIC SUN
Heifer International spokesperson Pamela Edwards describes the program to Ss. Simon and Jude students Oct. 4.
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