This SOMA-funded project, which began in October 2022, aims to provide school dropouts an opportunity to gain a skill by participating in a carpentry apprenticeship program at Adankwame, Ghana.
The duration of training is three years of intensive practical work.
The pieces, sold locally, are made to order by individuals, institutions and churches, and the proceeds help to pay salaries of the carpentry supervisors. Between ten to twenty items are produced in a month depending on their sizes and complexity.
Upon completion of the program, apprentices are provided with a certificate of accomplishment, a cash payment, and they then seek employment in the furniture or allied industries that need their expertise. They can also establish their own businesses for self-employment and create employment opportunities for others.
Newly Ordained in Tanzania
At the recent ordination in Tanzania four men received their travel mass kits from Spiritan superior Fr. Florentine Mallya, C.S.Sp.
As Fr. Mallya was making the presentations, he quipped, “This has everything you need to celebrate the Mass except for the altar”! The contents are conveniently and safely contained within a sturdy backpack.
The kits were provided by generous donors to SOMA’s appeal allowing priests to conduct Mass in the many far-flung locations where their ministry takes them.
Spiritans in Mexico
The Spiritan Province of Mexico was established in 1971 when members of the Congregation, Fathers George Readon, Patrick Townsend and Charles Coffey, arrived in Valles, in the state of San Luis Potosi to minister to the indigenous Tenek tribe. In the same year, Spiritans arrived in San Antonio, Coxcatian, and El Pujal, all in the state of San Luis Potosi. These rural areas are also home to the Nahuatl and Tenek indigenous communities.
In 1985 the Congregation arrived in Tampico to minister to the San David Roldan Lara Church. Further growth in the country occurred in 2002 when the Congregation arrived in Pantepec in the state of Puebla, populated by the Totonac and Otomi communities, and ministered to San Juan Bautista Church.
A year later Spiritans began serving Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe Church in Alvaro Obregon, a borough of southwest Mexico City. They also established a formation house in that location for men preparing for the priesthood.
In 2017 the province was invited to Colonia Alta Vista, Cuernavaca to assume the responsibility for Nuestra Senora del Carmen Church.
At present, there are 15 Spiritans ministering to 8 parishes in the Dioceses of Ciudad Valles, Tampico, Tuxpan, and Cuernavaca as well as the Archdiocese of Mexico.
In 2021 SOMA assisted the province to complete the parish life center in Tampico at St. David Roland Lara Church.
In 2023 SOMA benefactors provided funds for the renovation of the Spiritan formation house in Mexico City. The work consisted of repair and maintenance issues to improve the living experience of the residents.
SOMA is also aiding the province in the development of a website presence.
Your gift goes further May 16
For over 300 years, in 60+ countries, wherever the Spirit leads, Spiritans meet the greatest needs so communities can thrive. Your gift for Spiritan Day of Giving goes twice as far with a $30,000 match by a generous donor. That means even more support for Spiritan Mission Works in the places where it’s needed most.
Led by the Spiritan Office for Mission Advancement (SOMA), the Spiritan Day of Giving is an opportunity for friends of the Spiritans to help us change lives, build community, and live the Gospel in parts of the world that are often neglected.