ACN's Mission
Our Mission
Supporting the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in need, through information, prayer and action.
Our Mission
Aid to the Church in Need is a Pontifical Foundation of the Catholic Church, supporting the Catholic faithful and other Christians where they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need through support, charitable work and generating awareness.
"I invite you to work with Aid to the Church in Need throughout the world to carry out works of mercy."
Our objective is to advance the Christian religion by supporting and promoting the Church, especially in countries where Christians are suffering persecution or discrimination.
We also seek to further the other charitable work of the Church by providing practical assistance and pastoral care for persons in need, especially those who are living in, or are refugees from, such countries.
Our work around the world
Aid to the Church in Need is an international Catholic organisation with offices in 23 countries. Each year Aid to the Church in Need makes grants to help fund over 5,000 projects, primarily in the following areas:
- provision of catechetical material and books to spread the word of God
- broadcasting the Faith to those who wish to listen
- help with church buildings so even the most remote faithful can have a place to worship
- support for the training of seminarians to grow the future of the Church
- subsidies for priests through grants and Stipends through Mass offerings
- emergency aid and humanitarian support during times of crisis
- provision of transport for those involved in the Church’s mission
The story behind the symbol
The ACN logo is recognised the world over as a symbol of our mission to support the persecuted Church through pastoral and humanitarian aid but almost as long as the organisation has existed, so too has the ACN logo as a symbol of providing freedom to the faithful in a post Second World War Europe.
The circle represents the world, the white line down the middle the iron curtain. This line represents the ideological, political and social divide between the West and Communist Russia and Eastern Europe.
The Cross on represents the Church in the West supporting the Church behind the Iron Curtain, piercing through the line. Today it illustrates our continued journey worldwide - encircling the globe.
The colour red represents the blood of the martyrs, past and present.
