Pastor's Note: March 16, 2025

Friends,
Our almsgiving project this year for Lent is to support Farm of the Child. This organization raises money and operates orphanages in Honduras.  The mission with our almsgiving project this Lent is to raises $40,000 that will help Farm of the Child renovate four of seven dormitories used to house and educate the children.  
 
Here’s more information: 
Farm of the Child (Finca del Nino) https://www.farmofthechild.org/ was established about 35 years ago by Vincent and Zalena Pescatore as a Catholic orphanage.  Vincent was of Sicilian heritage from Pennsylvania while Zalena was Guatemalan.  Vincent was a businessman and entrepreneur who then became a pilot in order to transport patients within Guatemala and Honduras to hospitals in short times when it would take hours by road.  He, Zalena, and some others established the Finca before he died with two passengers in a plane crash piloting patients.  That was 29 years ago when the youngest of their 5 children was 5 months old.  After living at the Finca and in Guatemala, the family moved to the New York City area where Zalena had relatives. 
The Finca shelters and educates until 18 years old (legal adult age in Honduras) 35 children in 7 separate houses led by an adult woman “auntie”.  This is a rustic place to us with unpredictable electricity and water supply.  These 7 houses need renovation after 30 years of use.  The cost of this project is about $10,000 per house.  See proposal posted on MQP website.
 
Our Goal is to raise $40,000 to help renovate four of the seven houses. I invite MQP to join me in giving alms this year to Farm of the Child. You can use the envelopes in the pews or make a gift through the OSV online giving portal on the MQP website(scroll down until you find “Lenten Project 2025). For more information, please contact me at the parish office.   
 
With peace and prayers for you,
Father Craig