After 20 years in Brazil, PIME Missionary Fr. Aleandro Castrese has worked in PIME’s mission in Mexico in Ayutla de los Libres in the highlands outside Acapulco, Guerrero, since 2023. Here he works together with another PIME priest at St. James Parish and with other PIME priests in the nearby parish of La Concordia, which is an hour away through the mountains. Together, the PIME fathers care for the pastoral needs and support the people who live in the mountains. Three indigenous groups coexist in this area: Mixtec, Tlapanec, and Nahuas.
The families of Ayutla de los Libres are spread among many remote villages, and they have few resources. Despite the challenges of the location, Fr. Castrese has created a space for a much-needed food pantry in the parish’s Blessed Paolo Manna Room. With the visit of U.S. Mission Center Director, Fr. Daniele Criscione, and U.S. Mission Center Development Coordinator, Fr. Piero Masolo, to the mission, Fr. Castrese reached out for help of $5,556 USD in setting up their pantry with equipment, shelving, a refrigerator, and food staples. In addition to the everyday needs, there is more need than ever due to Hurricane Erick that hit the Pacific coast on June 19th. The hurricane brought severe rain, mudslides, fallen trees, and material damage to the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca. Your help for this project will support the most vulnerable in the time of their greatest need.
Leader