Author Archives: Tony M
Love for all God’s precious children
Mary, the Filipino girl in this photo, is deaf and blind, but she compensates for her handicap with an acute sense of smell. She often uses this special ability to track down Mother Joan Clare when the elderly nun is out of hand’s reach. As soon as Mary finds her, she tugs on her, signaling … Continue reading
Serving Kenyan Mothers and Infants
The baby in this photo was the first child to be born at the new St. Raphael maternity ward in Matisi Village, Kenya. Appropriately, his mother chose to name him Raphael! Cross Catholic funded the construction of the maternity ward because of the urgent need for better care for infants and mothers. Kenya has high … Continue reading
Changing hearts in the Philippines
Whenever I see the results of Cross Catholic’s Gawad Kalinga house construction projects in the Philippines, my first thought is, “Wow! This used to be a slum?” The newness, the cleanliness, the bright, cheerful colors are a visual repudiation of poverty. This is the tangible part of ministry. It’s also, in some respects, the easy … Continue reading
Thank You from the Philippines
Cross Catholic has been working with Gawad Kalinga in the Philippines to transform the slums of metro Manila into thriving communities. The difference is like night and day, and you can see the change not only in the landscape but also in the hearts and minds of the families who now have so much hope. … Continue reading
Ringing in the New Year
2012 is here! And the blogosphere is buzzing with New Year’s resolutions, end-of-the-world theories, and political campaign predictions. With the holidays behind us, society’s focus has shifted a little more toward personal weight loss goals and a little less toward feeding the hungry. But of course, hunger never takes a holiday. I’m sure many people … Continue reading
Black Friday in Nicaragua
I don’t need to tell you about the Black Friday mayhem of crazed shoppers, big bargains, long check-out lines, and subsequent buyer’s remorse (or in my case, a quiet day at home putting up Christmas decorations). But there’s another Black Friday story you may not know. A story of Nicaraguan villagers turning on their water … Continue reading
Vatican: Christmas reminds us to serve needy children
Our work at Cross Catholic has always had a strong focus on children – the most innocent victims of poverty. That’s why we couldn’t help but notice that the Vatican has released a new statement about our Catholic duty to help children in need, and how this Advent and Christmas season should serve as a … Continue reading
Songs of peace
How do you entertain a houseful of physically and mentally disabled children in the Philippines? Answer: fill their days with music! One of our Cross Catholic project officers put himself in harm’s way (accidentally laying down on an anthill) to capture this photo of Sister Venice singing with the kids at Queen of Peace Children’s … Continue reading
Success Story!
Haiti needs positive role models, and these young men just might fit the bill. The team of construction workers recently stopped in at Fr. Marc Boisvert’s Espwa (Hope) Village to work on a roof. If it seemed like they knew their way around the place exceptionally well, that’s because they used to live there – … Continue reading
