Works of Mercy

Serving those whose homes were destroyed in Hurricane Earl

"Not to enable the poor to share in our goods is to steal from them and deprive them of life. The goods we possess are not ours, but theirs."

~St. John Chrysostom

The Church's love for the poor is a part of her constant tradition. Catholic social teaching emphasizes support for the sick, the poor, and the afflicted through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. In fact, the Catholic Church is the largest non-government provider of education and medical services in the world.

Describing the works of mercy, the Catechism says, "The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God (CCC 2447)."

The main focus of our mission trip to Belize is to extend the corporal and spiritual works of mercy within the SOLT missions that are already present. This will consist in:

Feeding the Hungry--Missionaries will bring food to those who live in some of the poorest communities in Belize City, as well as several large families and homebound in Benque…

Clothing the Naked--In the area of Benque Viejo and Succotz, poorer families with many children are in constant need of clothing and school supplies, which our missionaries will bring with them, packing their suitcases full of things for others, rather than themselves...

Sheltering the Homeless--Several smaller construction projects have been identified to improve and enhance the sometimes very poor quality of housing for families in Benque...

Visiting the Sick--While bringing food to those in need, the missionaries will also visit the sick and homebound, who often live too far outside of town to have much human contact...

Instructing & Comforting--The visiting missionaries will put on a week-long Catechesis (similar to a Vacation Bible School) at the village schools in Arenal, Guatemala and Calla Creek, Belize. These village schools have so little means compared to most schools in the US, so a program based on the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd has been chosen to inspire and impact the children...

Advising & Consoling--An evening youth retreat where the missionaries will serve as small group facilitators will provide an opportunity to encounter the Belizean youth and foster relationships and growth in their faith...

To find out how you can help us in this mission, email our SOLT Volunteer Team at soltvolunteer@gmail.com