POPE LEO XIV
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St. Francis of Assisi once heard Our Lord tell him, “Go and rebuild My church.” Since that time, there have been countless efforts to restore and renew the treasure that Christ left us in his Church.
An enormous new effort in Puerto Rico recalls those words of Christ’s, as the vast recovery program will impact more than 600 Catholic churches, over 25 schools, and other church facilities across 5 dioceses of Puerto Rico.
Last month, the leadership of the Catholic Church in Puerto Rico unveiled the comprehensive inter-diocesan recovery program. The Catholic Extension Society (CES) is spearheading the project, with help from $400 million made available by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Department of Housing, and private donations.
Cardinal Blase Joseph Cupich, chancellor of the nonprofit Catholic Extension Society, said the following at the announcement event:
This island and its people, full of joy and resilience, hold a very special place in my heart. After Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck Puerto Rico in 2017, Pope Francis sent me here to offer his support and encouragement to the Puerto Rican people and Church leaders, and to keep him informed of the situation. Since then, I have returned numerous times to monitor the progress of our efforts to restore Catholic churches and schools through the Catholic Extension Society's Recovery Program.
In 2020, following the devastating earthquakes, we expanded the recovery program to include more parishes and schools. And today, the construction phase begins! We know that by rebuilding churches and schools, we are not only serving the Catholic community, but also Puerto Rican society at large. This recovery project will generate a far-reaching economic, educational, and cultural impact, benefiting many communities and future generations.
The recovery program is estimated to take five to seven years to complete. It not only will generate nearly 7,000 jobs but also will strengthen Catholic infrastructure, allowing for greater spiritual and charitable care on an island where nearly 45% of the population lives in poverty. The reinforced Catholic Church buildings will provide greater shelter and security to save lives in the face of future disasters.
In 2017, following Hurricane Maria, the dioceses of Puerto Rico, with limited financial resources, continued to operate daily without electricity, while courageously responding to the humanitarian needs of their local communities. This very challenging situation led the dioceses of Puerto Rico to ask CES to lead the establishment of an island-wide recovery program. That same year, the organization began a close collaboration with the dioceses of Puerto Rico to make possible this extensive reconstruction effort.
Extensive, ambitious
Catholic Extension Society is a nonprofit organization within the Catholic Church whose mission is to work in solidarity with people to build up vibrant and transformative Catholic faith communities among the poor in the poorest regions of the United States and Puerto Rico. Catholic Extension Society has been supporting the Church in Puerto Rico for the past 120 years.
Joe Boland, chief mission officer at Catholic Extension, told Aleteia,
“Through an extensive, ambitious effort, Catholic Extension Society is leading the largest recovery project in American Christianity. The project will impact not just the Church but Puerto Rican society as well.”
Just as St. Francis found enormous success in his efforts to restore Christ's Church, we pray for great success in this rebuilding project so that the people of Puerto Rico may enjoy a renewed and restored Church.
