Denver Catholic

17 DENVER CATHOLIC | APRIL 13-26, 2019 PAID ADVERTISEMENT The fate of infants in the developing countries of the world touches everyone's heart. Babies are fragile and innocent. Their needs are great and their reliance on others is high. When we learn about serious poverty devastating a community or hear about a hurricane or other natural disaster, our first thoughts fly to the needs of infants and of the heartbroken parents struggling to care for them. Catholic leaders serving in places like Haiti, Guatemala, Ecuador, Bolivia, Ethiopia and Kenya have the same reaction. Catholic doctors working there do too. Both are eager to address the terrible suffering they encounter in the communities around them, but without financial help from American Catholics, their tireless efforts can only take them so far. By asking for our help, these priests, nuns and medical professionals are hoping and praying a collaborative intervention can be arranged that will save lives and restore the joys of childhood to those in desperate need. "In Christ's name and for His glory, we all want to see the at-risk infants rescued and restored. We want their faces chubby with baby fat; we want their eyes to sparkle with curiosity; we want to see them chortle and giggle. In short, we want them and their parents to experience the same happiness and healthiness our own families enjoy," explained James Cavnar, president of Cross Catholic Outreach, a U.S.-based charity established to empower Catholic missions overseas. For more than 17 years, Cross Catholic Outreach has worked to supply the material aid missionaries need to operate their outreaches among the poor. This spring, Cross Catholic Outreach has turned its attention to a special need — impoverished infants — and the charity is seeking public support for four Catholic programs serving the poor in Latin America and Africa. According to Cavnar, this special effort could be characterized as a life-or-death rescue plan. "The fact that I call our objective a rescue plan may seem like an overstatement, but frankly, it only begins to express the urgency of this need. Many American Catholics have never seen the terrible conditions the poor face in these developing countries, but I can assure you — the situation is extreme and lives are at stake. Without the help of Catholic missions and without the intervention of doctors who serve in these impoverished areas, children and parents will suffer." The outreaches Cavnar and Cross Catholic Outreach are highlighting serve infants in three key ways. They supply food to stave off malnutrition, address serious medical needs, and ensure infants receive compassionate daily care. If the charity gets support from Catholic donors in America, they hope to meet the needs of hundreds of infants and toddlers being cared for by Catholic dioceses, Catholic laywomen, the Daughters of Charity and the Brothers of Good Works. The Daughters of Charity's efforts include an outreach in Ecuador that provides a safe haven to infants who have been abandoned or abused. In Bolivia, another Catholic mission takes on an even more challenging task. It provides loving care to babies who are linked to rape or incest, and thereby ostracized by most. St. Gabriel Catholic Health Center in Ethiopia serves yet another vulnerable group — at-risk pregnant woman and infants in their vulnerable first months. The Brothers of Good Works established the center to reduce the number of maternal and infant deaths in Ethiopia's capital city and to provide living examples of the Catholic faith. They have requested help to fund medical supplies and medicine to ensure women and infants in desperate need can be treated at no charge, and Cross Catholic will use donations to provide for that specific need, protecting the vulnerable and restoring hope. "Missions like these manifest a core Catholic value — that life is sacred; that every person is worthy of dignity," explained Cavnar. "To have an even greater impact, we encourage people to become Mission Partners and contribute a set amount monthly. Those gifts are particularly helpful to our Catholic partners overseas." Cross Catholic Outreach Launches National Campaign to Rescue Infants in Dire Need The St. Raphael Dispensary (above) serves impoverished families in the Diocese of Kitale, Kenya. With help from Cross Catholic Outreach, its facilities and staff can have an even greater impact in the community, ensuring at-risk infants and toddlers get proper nutrition and care. How to Help To fund Cross Catholic Outreach's effort to help the poor worldwide, use the postage-paid brochure inserted in this newspaper or mail your gift to Cross Catholic Outreach, Dept. AC01442, PO Box 97168, Washington DC 20090-7168. The brochure also includes instructions on becoming a Mission Partner and making a regular monthly donation to this cause. If you identify a specific aid project with your gift, 100% of the proceeds will be restricted to be used for that specific project. However, if more is raised for the project than needed, funds will be redirected to other urgent needs in the ministry. RIGHT PAGE

• Cover