The Sisters of Charity – Halifax serving in Peru have reported they are uninjured after Saturday’s earthquake off the coast of Peru. The three Sisters living in Ilo, in southern Peru, spent the night out of doors as did most people in the area. Their house sustained serious damage and will have to be torn down. The two Sisters in Lima, farther away from the quake, were not as affected.
The Sisters of Charity – Halifax have had missions in Peru since 1968 when through a joint initiative between the Congregation and the Archdiocese of Halifax, the first missionaries were sent to LaVictoria (Chiclayo) in Northern Peru. Sisters served next in Cajamarca, then they moved to their current locations in Lima in 1981 and to Ilo in the 1990s. The Sisters in these locations are involved in pastoral and educational ministry – which includes helping people in the community with their day-to-day spiritual and social needs, and assisting with disaster relief at times such as this.
http://www.schalifax.ca/pages/news_releases.html#Peru
Read article, “Peru donations top half million mark” in Charity Alive. This article was reprinted, with permission, from The Pilot.
http://www.schalifax.ca/pages/CA_oct-peru.html