The Diocese of Aliwal

The Bishop of Aliwal:

"We depend for our pastoral work very much on support from the outside. Our Diocese of Aliwal is situated in the Province of the Eastern Cape in South Africa, which is one of the poorest. The Diocese of Aliwal is grateful for the assistance of the Irish faithful. With your help, we can continue the training of many Sunday-Service leaders of the communities where the priest comes once a month. The priests have to travel long distances to do catechetical work and to train lay-leaders. Many of these lay-leaders accompany the various projects related to HIV/Aids and the orphans. You are in our prayers. May God bless the Church in Ireland for the many good things it does." - Bishop Michael Wüstenburg

The Diocese of Dundee

Bishop Graham Rose of the Diocese of Dundee expresses his deepest gratitude to the Irish for their generosity to his are in these troubling times. Dundee is currently suffering with some of the highest rates of Aids infection across the country, and Bishop Rose is doing his best to allocate project funds to help the poor and the households that are child-led. Although self-sustenance among neighbouring parishes is on the rise, help is still needed. In addition to this, four new churches have been built or completed with the money raised last year.

"The people are hungry for further development in their faith - especially in ministries - but they cannot afford the full market price that the community centres need to charge to sustain their existence." - Bishop Graham Rose

Apostolic Vicariate of Ingwavuma

Irish donations are much needed in this area of South Africa, where 40% of pregnant women in the province are HIV positive. This makes it one of the highest infected areas of the country. Funds are set aside to help give orphans food parcels, education, shelter, healthcare and protection. "Our people are very much committed in all these things but without your financial support it would be very difficult to continue. Thanks to the support of the World Missions, we've been able to support our full time catechists, to begin building a priest house in an outer region and to provide transport for our priests."

"Once again we want to express our very deep gratitude to the Irish donors who through the Pontifical Mission Societies have been so generous to us" - Most Rev José Luis Gerardo Ponce de León

Diocese of Keimoes-Upington

The funds allocated to this diocese formed part of the Ordinary Subsidy paid each year. This subsidy helps with the running of the diocesan office, supportive clergy, and the various catechetical training programmes in the diocese.