Help Contemplative Poor Clare Sisters in Mexico
Thursday, August 21, 2014

Project Code: 230-06-79

"It is with great joy that we are able to inform you that, thanks to the grace of God and the generosity of people such as you, work is now almost finished on the construction of our convent of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in the diocese of Cuauhtémoc-Madera. … Many, many thanks to the benefactors of ACN! May God reward them!" So runs the letter from the prioress of the Poor Clares, Sister Elena Salas Nieto, thanking ACN for supporting the construction of this convent, a task begun in 2005 and which is expected to be finally completed this year.

For 27 years the Sisters lived in an old building, until ACN agreed to help them for the construction of a new convent. Over the past years one section has been built at a time: convent enclosure, refectory, dayroom and chapel, and now the guesthouse is the last thing to be completed. Still needed here are the kitchen and two communal rooms.

The Sisters are eagerly looking forward to the completion of their convent. It is of great importance, not only for them but also for the entire local area, since their presence helps to create a "climate of solitude and silence" which is indispensable for the contemplative style of living, as Sister Elena explains.

"It is also very important for priests, religious and ordinary laypeople who are searching for an intimate personal encounter with God," she adds. Once the guesthouse is completed, visitors can be welcomed who are searching for God and for meaning in their lives.

Already the convent is a place of sanctuary, sought out by many people who come here with their "everyday concerns, such as hunger, war, prison, persecution, personal unhappiness, sickness, unemployment, injustice and lack of faith," the prioress continues. The Sisters help them wherever they can and also bring their cares and concerns before Almighty God, "with the certainty of being heard." Again and again they see people who are on the edge of the abyss, and endeavour to put them back on their feet again, sometimes quite literally, with the help of their outpatient clinic and food kitchen.

In order to complete the final stage, however, the Sisters need one last bit of help. Quite recently, two Sisters had to be admitted to hospital, and the last reserves of cash were spent on operations for them. So it will not be possible to complete the final work on their convent without the generous support of our benefactors once more.

ACN is proposing to help them with $7,500. Will you now help support these good Sisters in Mexico? 


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