HEAL Blog
Welcome! Here we will post news and highlight the faces, needs, and services of HEAL.HEAL Goes on Tour
Word of HEAL’s mission is spreading and people want to hear more about it! I will be interviewed and speaking at the following events, respectively: Pray that I will be in form as I present HEAL next week. “North Shore Live: Cooper’s Corner” with host Bev Cooper on...
Mama Bridget – Passing the Torch
I arrived in the village of Mbaise on February 5th with Deacon Leo at his family compound. We got out of the jeep and walked toward the house, next to which some Okonkwo family members sat in their yard. I greeted Andrew and Chika, Leo’s brother and sister, as I...
A Pioneer Congregation
When Catholics and Christians think of religious orders, some of the first names that come to mind might be “Jesuit”, “Franciscan”, or “Dominican”. Some other names might be “Missionaries of Charity”, “Holy Cross”, or “Benedictines”. As a subscriber to the HEAL...
Visiting Poango Village
Jesus answered “Come and see” (John 1:39) to Andrew’s question about where He was staying. During my stay with the Messengers of Justice (MOJ) in Poango Village, Cameroon, I have seen Jesus staying among the least of His brothers and sisters through His dedicated...
Off To Africa Again!
“Marching along to Zion, beautiful city, let us go!” On my first trip to Nigeria two years ago, a welcoming committee of the orphaned children sang this “Zion” hymn to me. It has one of those melodies that sticks in the sound track of your mind for a long time. I’m...
Problem Solved, Pilgrimage Begins
Just before I left for my three-flight trip to Cameroon, I received great news from Deacon Leo that the ceiling damaged by termites at the Compassionate Home in Nigeria had been fully repaired. Our HEAL-sponsored contractors did a fine job of fumigating and restoring...
Fighting the Termites
When I moved into my current condo, I remember seeing a crack in the bedroom ceiling that is still there to this day. Occasionally, a bit of dust will fall from this crack, but it has never gotten worse or needed any repair. Perhaps when I sell, I’ll have cosmetic...
Visiting Villagers For Christmas
One of the saddest realities that can dampen the otherwise Joyful Feast of Christmas is when children never receive gifts because of their poverty. This is where HEAL and the Messengers of Justice step in to turn the frowns of the poor and marginalized into smiles...
HEAL Spotlight: Violence Against Widows
Most of us know people whose spouse passed away and are now widows or widowers. Such a condition, in our experience, invites compassion and sympathy among the immediate family. In some rural areas of Nigeria, however, this isn’t always the case. Part of HEAL’s...
Pope Francis Asks Us Leave Our Comfort Zone
One of the main themes of Pope Francis’ Papacy thus far has been his insistence that professing Christians be “missionary disciples.” We must leave our comfort zones and go to the “existential peripheries”, where we experience life in its most dire circumstances of...