Lenten appeal 2008
A big thank you from Fr Marcel
Fr Marcel Kaberwa of AOS Tanzania is chaplain to the fishing communities who live on the islands of Lake Victoria. Earlier this year, he urgently needed a new boat in order to continue with his ministry.
L-R: Mgr Rugambwa, Mgr Jacques Harel, director of AOS |
The sum of US$22,000 was needed to provide a robust boat to enable Fr Kaberwa to travel between islands. We asked our supporters if, during Lent 2008, they would contribute to an appeal to buy Fr Marcel a new boat.
Hundreds of our supporters responded to our Lenten appeal. We are delighted to report that, thanks to their generosity, we have raised enough money to buy the boat which Fr Marcel so urgently needed.
At the end of May 2008, national director Paul Quinn and Eamonn Delaney, chair of trustees of AOS GB, presented a cheque for Fr Marcel at the office of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerant People. The under-secretary of the Council, Mgr Rugambwa, is himself from Tanzania. He will ensure that the money reaches Fr Marcel safely and that a new boat is commissioned straightaway.
Thanks to email communication, Fr Marcel sends us this message from the shores of Lake Victoria.
“I am overwhelmed at the response and generosity from the people in the UK. I would never believe that the plight of a single man and a small community in Africa would touch the hearts of so many people, so far away from us. I cannot thank you enough, with this money I am able to buy a new boat to continue my work, my faith was strong that this would be possible, and you have all made it a reality. Thank you again.”
To which we would like to add our own thanks to all who support the Apostleship of the Sea and the work we do, nationally and internationally.
click here to read about the work of Fr Marcel Kaberwa on the AOS international website
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AOS GB is part of the international network of the Apostleship of the Sea, serving the People of the Sea. These include seafarers, coastal communities, and fishers on the high seas, along sea coasts, on lakes and on rivers.