Rome, 2017

Dear Friends and Benefactors,

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The mission given us by Jesus does not consist in remaining anchored to one place, but to go out into the deep bringing the Gospel of hope to the ends of the earth. Today, the 10th September, as I write these reflections, the Holy Father is in the church of St. Peter Claver in Cartagena and prays before the relics of this Saint, who gave 40 years of his life to serve the slaves, the poor and the outcasts. “Before speaking to them with our lips, we have to do so with our hands” he would say.

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The example of St. Peter Claver touched our Foundress, Bl. Mary Theresa Ledóchowska and she chose him as our Patron and model. Today he continues to inspire us to work for our brothers and sisters, especially for the poorest of the poor, the marginalised and those who suffer the humiliation of human trafficking. 

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All people have equal dignity, having been created in the image of God. Most of us cannot imitate St. Peter Claver by directly serving the slaves, the lepers or the prisoners directly, but we still can and must “speak” to our brothers and sisters “with our hands” as he did.

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You dear friends and benefactors are part of our Claverian Family, you also share in his patronage. Today you speak with your hands through your prayers and mercy for the poorest in the missions. With your prayer and gifts, you go out to those who are most needy on the peripheries of our world and you help them through the hands of missionaries, who in your name work directly for them.

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In the year 2016 you, together with us, have helped in 78 countries of the world. You reached out to 510 dioceses and contributed to the accomplishment of 1355 projects.