Church in Mexico creates fund to provide capital for small businesses

Guadalajara, Mexico, Jul 18, 2004 / 22:00 pm

This Sunday the Archdiocese of Guadalajara, Mexico, took up a special collection for the new “Cardinal Garibi Rivera Foundation,” which will provide financial assistance to the poor.

The purpose of the new foundation, created in March of 2003, is to provide grants to low-income earners in order to help them start and develop small family businesses.

Fr. Eduardo Mendoza of the Social Ministry Office of the Archdiocese of Guadalajara explained that in each International Eucharistic Congress that takes place, a work of solidarity should be established as an expression of Christian charity, in addition to the Masses, processions and Adoration liturgies.

The social work of the 48^th International Eucharistic Congress, which will take place in Guadalajara, is the creation of the Cardinal Garibi Rivera Foundation, and its offices are currently under construction and will be blessed during the Congress in October.

The foundation’s pilot project has provided assistance to eight families who have received funds to develop small companies, from the sale of arts and crafts to the establishment of a small rabbit-breeding farm.

Fr. Mendoza said that currently “all requests cannot be granted due to the lack of resources,” but he expressed hope that those who do receive assistance will in turn “help others, and as a result create a network of solidarity.”

In order to make the foundation’s initiatives known, priests will attend workshops on the project during the month of August, so they can in turn inform the faithful.