When the freshly elected Pope Leo XIV appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, phones in our Chiclayo sponsor site in Peru began lighting up. Our colleagues Yolanda, Gladys, and all the sponsor site staff were giddy with excitement. There, dressed in the papal vestments, was their dear former bishop, collaborator, and admired friend.
Chalice first collaborated with then-Bishop Prevost during his episcopacy in Chiclayo during the pandemic. On top of the traumas of COVID-19 and the lockdowns, Chiclayo was then experiencing a tremendous influx of migrants, mainly from Venezuela. For the most part, the migrants intended only to stay a short while before moving on. But the region struggled to support the thousands of economic refugees arriving with little more than the clothes on their backs. They needed shelter, food, medical care, administrative support, and basic household goods.
Bishop Prevost mobilized the Commission on Human Mobility and Human Trafficking to partner with Chalice’s site and partners at the Centro Esperanza to provide critical care and support to these highly vulnerable individuals and families.
“Thanks to your incalculable help,” says Bishop Prevost,” they helped 82 people with emergency health problems, hospitalization, medical treatments, and medicines. They secured shelter for more than 120 families and 51 families received beds and mattresses. They launched four soup kitchens and helped 800 people to obtain refugee documents.
“Your financial support has fed hundreds of people, and we have been able to assist many sick people, many people in times of crisis in their lives because of your generous care and support,” Bishop Prevost says. He especially thanks our Chalice colleague Yolanda, who was also a leader in the Commission.
“Know that you are very much in our thoughts and prayers. We truly appreciate your continued interest support for the work of this diocese and together we are truly living that spirit of communion which the Church which Pope Francis has so much put before our eyes… which promote authentic fraternity solidarity among all God’s people.”
“Thank you for walking with us. It’s a huge distance between yourselves and ourselves. And yet, because of your care and concern, that distance is always shorter and we truly feel ourselves united in the one family of Christ.”
Everyone at Chalice is rejoicing with the Church as we welcome our new Holy Father. May we continue to walk together, united as one family, in Christ’s humble service to those most in need.