Repair a convent roof for Sisters of Mercy in Kazakhstan
Monday, July 13, 2015

Project Code: 351-05-19

For 15 years now, the Sisters of Mercy (also known as the Vincentian Sisters) have been working in Kazakhstan. They care for the elderly and infirm and also especially for children from difficult home backgrounds. Poverty is on the increase in the country, and many children cannot even do their homework at home because there is no electricity or because their homes are unheated in the bitter winters – when the temperature often falls to -40°F.

The children are able to come to the Sisters in the afternoon and be given a hot meal; then they can play, and do their homework in peace. At the same time the Sisters are preparing them to receive the sacraments. For many of these children, the Sisters' convent is their real home.

Often, their life story is an unhappy one. One little girl had to come to church quite alone for the day of her First Holy Communion, since not one member of her family would come with her. At the very moment when this little girl was receiving the Lord for the first time, her mother was already drunk at home. In many cases, it is through the children that the Sisters are able to gain access to their families, who are also in need of help.

The first convent of the Sisters of Mercy was consecrated on December 8, 2000, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It is situated in the town of Shortand, in the Archdiocese of Astana.

When the house was first built, the available building materials were of poor quality, a problem in Kazakhstan generally at the time. Given the extreme climatic conditions – the extreme heat in the summer and bitter cold in the winter – the roof is now in urgent need of repair as a result. We have promised them $4,500. Will give to repair this convent roof in Kazakhstan, so that the Sisters of Mercy can continue to serve needy children?

"We would be most grateful for your support, and we pray for all your benefactors!" writes Sister Grazyna.

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