Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Puno (Agenzia Fides) - The program of celebrations in honor of the feast of Our Lady of Candlemas of Puno, in southern Peru, on the border with Bolivia, on Wednesday, February 8, the Bishop of the diocese, His Exc. Mgr. Jorge Pedro Carreon Pavlish, along with the parish priests of the city, handed over the food collected in the Masses of the novena to the Missionaries of Charity founded by St. Teresa of Calcutta. Mgr. Carreon Pavlish recalled the important work of assistance carried out by the nuns towards a large number of elderly, children and people with disabilities, and encouraged to repeat this initiative several times during the year.
Sister Thio Darique, head of the house in Juli, thanked the Bishop and all the communities, pointing out that in the small space of their house there are about 50 people who live in extreme poverty. On his behalf, Javier Quispe, Secretary General of Caritas Juli, who coordinated this initiative, expressed his appreciation for the donations offered by the faithful.
The feast of Candlemas is celebrated in the Peruvian Andes and since the first evangelization of the Spaniards the donations collected always went to the organizers of the feast, who collected food and drinks to celebrate the feast with abundant lunches, dinners and native dances. This year the collection, for the first time, was motivated by the attention towards the poorest, who are increasing in this rural area of the country. (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 10/02/2017)
