HCA Mission News
2 | Did You Know?
2 | Mission Snapshot
Focus: Peru
Advent 2008
Life in the Rainforest
Amazones is a region, or departamento (in Spanish), in northern Peru
made up of dense rainforest. This area is far removed from the country’s
3 | Peruvian History
bustling cities — some areas can only be reached by canoe — and pres-
4 | My Mission
Wish List
ents great challenges to the people who live here and the missionaries
5 | Geo Fact
5 | Issue Alert:
The Garbage
Pickers of Peru
6 | Calling All
Artists
6 | Be A “Top
Ten Giver”
this Christmas
who serve them. Among these difficulties are malaria and malnutrition.
In recent years, epidemic malaria has rapidly emerged in Loreto
in this region. In fact, Peru reports the second highest number of
malaria cases in South America. Most of these are from Loreto.
Malaria is a potentially fatal blood disease caused by a parasite
that is transmitted to human and animal hosts by mosquito.
Thanks to your help through the Holy Childhood Association
(HCA), missionaries there spreading the “Good News” of Jesus
are also working to help reverse this problem. They provide
medication and vaccinations to young people who are at high
risk for this disease. In addition, funding from HCA helps support
a food assistance program in Loreto. This program aids more than
8
300 children in 18 communities that display chronic malnutrition.
Through this program, mothers are taught basic nutrition and
sanitation, and receive supplies of rice, beans and flour.
Although most their time is spent in the daily struggle to
survive, the people of Loreto — united in their faith in Jesus —
always make time for prayer and the celebration of Mass. In fact,
in a recent letter to HCA the director of the food program noted
that some of the most important holidays are the Feast Days of
San Juan (Saint John) and Saint Rose of Lima, and Christmas.
> (top) Children’s weight is checked regularly through the Food Assistance
Program in Loreto. > (Bottom) Judith is one of the hundreds of children
helped by the local church in Peru.
IOW6-8.indd 1
11/24/08 11:08:52 AM
Did You Know?
In Peru, retablos (paintings
done on multi-layered wood or
metal carvings) of the Nativity
scene are very popular. These
decorative displays were
influenced by the small altars
that local missionaries and
priests would carry with them
as they traveled the country
proclaiming the “Good News.”
These altars gradually devel-
These religious education students from Loreto in the Amazones
region of Peru are preparing to receive First Holy Communion
(top). When a child is baptized in the Amazones region, the entire
community gathers to celebrate the event.
oped into portable boxes with
saints pictured above the altar
and scenes from everyday life
shown below it. Today, these
displays feature the story of
the birth of Jesus.
2­
IOW6-8.indd 2
11/24/08 11:08:53 AM
Human history in Peru dates back about 10,000 years. These ancient Peruvians were farmers
and fishermen who lived in simple adobe houses among the Andes Mountains. For the most
part, these early Peruvians were unorganized, but some banded together into small, regional
groups with individual leaders. These groups mastered agriculture, developed road systems,
and built upon basic architectural concepts. Such developments were important to the success
of one of Peru’s greatest empires — the Inca.
The Inca civilization began in the area of
freedom by giving the Spaniards gold and
Cusco in the 13th century. The Incas slowly
promising to convert to Christianity.
included neighboring groups into their
Pizarro had him executed. Pizarro and his
society through the 15th century.
men overran the Incas and established a
The Incas promoted a social structure
based largely on sharing and goodwill. At
Spanish capital city in Lima in 1535. Spanish
rule lasted until 1824.
the bottom of the Incas social structure was
Modern, independent Peru continues
the ayllu, a community of self-supporting
to experience political struggles. However,
farmers. The farmers in the ayllu grew
the country’s current leadership has set a
dif­ferent crops and shared with each
goal of improving social conditions and
other according to need. Also, farmers
stabilizing the economy.
from the ayllu were sent to more distant
places to farm new areas. This system of
“remote farming” was called mitmaq,
and was important to the growth of the
Inca Empire. By the 16th century, the Inca
Empire was thriving.
In 1532, the first Europeans arrived in
Peru. The first European to set foot on
Peruvian soil was Spanish conquistador
Francisco Pizarro. Pizarro arrived from
Spain with a crew of 180 men and 30
horses. Pizarro and his men were drawn
to Peru by stories about the Incas great
wealth. With the intent of taking wealth
from the Incas, Pizarro and his men set off
to meet with Inca Emperor Atahualpa.
Pizarro demanded that the Incas
denounce their gods and insisted that
Atahualpa sign a treaty with Spain.
Atahualpa refused and the Spanish
attacked the Incas and took Atahualpa
prisoner. Atahualpa tried to gain his
Now that you know a little more
about the history of Peru, test your
reading comprehension skills with
these questions.
1.Peru has stayed isolated throughout
its history.
A. True
B. False
2.Spanish rule of Peru last until what year?
A. 1724
C. 1824
B. 1924
D. 1632
3.An Inca community of self-supporting
famers is called:
A. An ayllu
C. A collective
B. A tahualpa
D. A mitmaq
4.Pizarro arrived in Peru with thousands
of soldiers.
A. True
B. False
Copyright © 2008 edHelper
3­
IOW6-8.indd 3
11/24/08 11:08:53 AM
ids in
h list” for k
is
w
“
s
a
a Christm
y to make
it
n
u
rt
o
p
p
vided to
eo
e space pro
ou have th
th
y
e
e
s
U
in
g
t?
a
s
Im
n your li
u include o
o
y
ld
u
o
w
ns. What
the Missio
d list.
sus-centere
Je
n
w
o
r
u
create yo
4­
IOW6-8.indd 4
11/24/08 11:08:54 AM
The Garbage Pickers of Peru
Have you ever wondered what happens to the
garbage after you leave it on the curb or throw it
into your building’s trash compactor? In developing
countries, trash from the cities is commonly picked
through by the poor.
About 35 miles north of Lima, Peru, children live —
and make their living — among the city’s garbage
heaps. The items these young people bring to local
trash dealers help support their families. Every part
of a soda bottle is worth something — the lid, the
label, the bottle itself. On average children can earn
about five cents for about two pounds of glass —
enough to purchase one piece of bread.
The garbage scavengers of Lima rarely attend
school if at all. Most of their day is spent searching
for items that can be recycled and exchanged for
cash. The hazards of the garbage dump are many.
Geo-Fact
Children have died by falling into the trash piles.
The Andes Mountains run the entire length of
pricked by used hypodermic needles discarded by
Others have been injured by broken glass or
South America, from the humid tropics of the
city hospitals.
Caribbean to the ice fields of Patagonia. The
Throughout Lima, the local Catholic Church operates
longest north-south mountain range in the
health clinics and nutrition centers to ease the
world, the Andes encompass a tremendous
range of ecosystems and are home to a rich
variety of plant and animal species and
human communities. The central Andes
stretch from northern Peru to northern Chile
and Argentina. The climate is semiarid, and
the land is characterized by high altitude
plains, known as the puna or altiplano.
> (above) Huascaran mountain, the hightest in Peru at 6768 metres.
© Richard List/Corbis
suffering of these young people. They provide
healing and the hope of Jesus Christ. In addition,
several missionary congregations run orphanages
to care for babies and children who have been
abandoned by families who simply cannot afford to
care for them.
Consider this! With your parents’ permission and
supervision, gather a group of friends to collect
recyclables throughout your neighborhood. After
collecting the returns on cans and bottles, donate
the funds to HCA.
5­
IOW6-8.indd 5
11/24/08 11:08:54 AM
Calling All ­
Artists…
The deadline for entering the
Holy Childhood Association
Christmas Artwork contest is
January 31, 2009. For more
information or an entry form,
visit www.hcakids.org.
Your artwork could be one
of 24 designs displayed at
the National Shrine of the
Basilica of the Immaculate
Conception in Washington,
D.C., during Advent and
4
Christmas 2009.
1
6
It
doesn’t
take much
effort to give
the gift of yourself
this Christmas. Check
2
out some of these ideas!
1. Organize a prayer circle and commit to
praying for kids in the Missions once a week.
2. Save some of the money that you might get from
5
relatives this Christmas and make a donation to HCA.
3. Invite missionaries to visit your school or parish to talk about
10
their work. Then serve them a breakfast or lunch you have prepared.
4. Go to a nursing home and visit the residents there. Just talk to them or
prepare a small gift to give them.
5. Reach out to elderly or disabled individuals in your community. Shovel snow
3
from their walkways, mow their grass or offer to pick up groceries for them.
6. Get together with some friends and go grocery shopping for a needy family. Pitch in
a few dollars each and see how far you can stretch the money.
7. Volunteer to teach a young child in your neighborhood how to ice skate, bowl, ride a bike etc.
8. Get together with friends or classmates and offer a “date night” or Christmas shopping day
to parents in your parish. Provide babysitting at no cost. Prepare games, crafts and activities
7
for the kids.
9. Go to a children’s hospital in your area and visit the kids there. Many places would let you put on a
small program (games, skits, etc.). Those who are sick really need a boost and this is a great way to do it.
10. Organize a bake sale in your school or parish and donate the funds to HCA.
6­
IOW6-8.indd 1
HCA | Holy Childhood Association | A Pontifical Mission Society | www.hcakids.org
8
9
11/24/08 11:08:50 AM