Charles de Foucauld: The Spirit of the Desert
This year, the church commemorates the centenary of the death of Charles de Foucauld. His life and his message of brotherhood and friendship among the Tuareg, is a legacy for our times. On the evening of the 1st December 1916, Brother Charles was taken hostage by a group of rebels who were active the area […]
South Africa: Dance Changes Their Life
From the dusty streets of the townships to dance theatres. The dream of many girls and boys. It is Saturday and the sun is setting on the shacks of Khayelitsha, a suburb on the outskirts of Cape Town. Sikhumbuzo Haleni is exhausted; he has just got off the bus and is walking home, his legs […]
South Sudan: Dinka Peace and Reconciliation Process
The Dinka people are the largest ethnic group in South Sudan. They live mostly in the Bahr el Ghazal region of the Nile basin, Jonglei and parts of southern Kordufan and Upper Nile regions. They are mainly agri-pastoral people. The conflict-reconciliation resolution is an important event in Dinka society. The conflict-reconciliation cycle has four components: […]
Ecuador: The Puruhaes’ Concept of Sumak Kawsay
The Puruhaes are an indigenous people who live in the provinces of Chimborazo, Bolivar, Tungurahua and part of Cotopaxi, in the central area of the Andean Region of Ecuador. Today, they are around 200,000 people. Two indigenous leaders of these communities explain the meaning of Sumak Kawsay. Sumak and Kawsay are two ancient words from the […]
Radio ‘Voice of Peace’: The Radio Station of the Nuba People
Radio ‘Voice of Peace’ has managed to capture the attention of the Nuba population and has become an instrument of peace and development enhanced by the Catholic Church in the area. As the plane descends, one can see numerous white spots dotting the monotonous marshy landscape of South Sudan. The Yida refugee camp, which is […]
Philippines: Dancing Out Poverty
From the slums of Tondo, Manila, this 18-year-old painstakingly earned her place in the international spotlight as a professional and competitive ballerina. In Tondo, which is the biggest slum in Manila located around one of the largest open-air dumps in the world, the ‘Smokey Mountain’, people go to the dump in search of food or […]
Turkmenistan: A Small Community Moving Forward
The Catholic Church, a small presence in a land which is rich with tradition. Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia. It lies along the arduous ancient route of the Silk Road, which connects Beijing to the Mediterranean Sea and has been the most important channel of transit of both ideas and commerce between […]
Burundi: A Place For Remembering
Many initiatives have been implemented during the Jubilee Year of Mercy. One being the establishment of the ‘Chapel of Mercy and Peace’ in Kamenge, a district of Bujumbura where two years ago, three Xaverian missionary sisters were killed. On the front door of the chapel, written in the Kirundi language, is: Agasengero k’ikigongwe (Chapel of Peace […]
Mariachi: The Soul of Mexican Music
It was declared part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Mariachi is truly Mexican and is its most famous symbol. It is the soul of Mexican music. The songs reach out from generation to generation, to all Mexicans wherever they may be. The musicians dress in typical charro style, usually in black or […]
Love the Earth as Yourself
The world was created by God so that all could have nourishment: “Food is not something to be consumed, but a gift of God to be shared”. A reflection by Enzo Bianchi, Prior of the Monastic Community of Bose, Italy. God created a world in which the living could live and therefore find nourishment. The […]