In response to the call of the Holy Father for the World Day of the Poor, the theme of which was Stretch Forth Your Hand to the Poor, the Daughters of St. Paul of Portugal began a journey of preparation for this event.
It started with publication of the book Stretch Forth Your Hand to the Poor, after which our sisters held several online meetings to provide people with a space for prayer and sharing.
Listening to the Word of God and the message of Pope Francis, important guest speakers commented on the Holy Father’s message, urging everyone to become more aware of what each individual or community can do to combat poverty in today’s world.
Challenged by the message of Pope Francis and the difficulties that Portugal is facing because of the pandemic, the FSPs of this circumscription celebrated the last week of November as Pauline Week–an annual event that includes offering special book discounts to all their customers. In addition, in preparation for Christmas, they will be donating to Caritas Portugal a percentage of the price of the books they sell during this period.