Caught on
Tape!!! One of the most engaging and inspiring projects
in the Diocese! On June 16, 2010 three young men, Jeff
Hennes, Dennis Bunk, and Jared Maternoski were visiting
Casa Hogar,
look what happened while they were there!
Having trouble viewing?
Click Here
The following is a
true story from the late Fr. Joe Walijewski, a beloved
priest of the Diocese of La Crosse who in 1986 founded
the orphanage Casa Hogar in Peru, where he ministered
until his death on April 11, 2006 (he has been succeeded
by his assistant, Fr. Sebastian Kolodziejczyk, another
priest of the Diocese).
When Fr. Walijewski was first
stationed at a parish church in Lima, Peru, he saw a
little boy playing in the street. He had been out there
all morning, and now it was early afternoon. Fr. Joe
greeted him and asked, “Shouldn’t you be going home?
It’s past lunch time!” The little boy told him, “It’s
not my day to eat.” That’s right – it’s not my day
to eat! His family was so poor they fed their
children on alternate days.
It was because of this level of
hunger and malnutrition, and out of a desire to assist
Fr. Walijewski in his service to thousands of poor
children in Peru, that the Rural Life Committee of the
Diocese of La Crosse started “Project Milk” in
1984. Project Milk has a two-fold purpose: to provide
milk for the hungry children at the orphanage and the
surrounding Peruvian neighborhoods, and to raise
awareness of the economic difficulties of our dairy
farmers in western Wisconsin (all the dried milk shipped
comes from Wisconsin dairy farms). Since its inception
in 1984, Project Milk has collected over $800,000 and
shipped close to 400 tons of dried milk to Peru, thanks
to the generous donations of the people of the Diocese
of La Crosse. A shipment was sent in January of 2009, totaled
35,800 pounds,
at a value of more than $43,000 dollars. Due to
several factors, which include the best timing for
milk purchasing and processing, an additional shipment of
milk to Casa Hogar arrived in June of 2010.
We hope you will find it
in your heart to help Project Milk continue to supply
nourishing milk to the children of Casa Hogar and the
surrounding neighborhoods, so that no child will have to
say, “It’s not my day to eat.” Know that in doing so
you will also be supporting Wisconsin’s dairy farmers.
We wish to thank
everyone who has given so generously to Project Milk!
Your contributions are not only an act of charity for
the orphans of Casa Hogar in Peru, but also a strong
show of solidarity for our dairy farmers!
Please donate to Project Milk.
CLICK HERE for a
PDF of the 2010 Brochure, making your check payable to
the Diocese of La Crosse and mailing it to:
Project
Milk,
Office of
Ministries and Social Concerns
Diocese of
La Crosse
P.O. Box
4004
La Crosse,
WI 54602-4004
