BUILD THE FAITH was inspired by the unwavering faith in God exhibited by Christina Dangond Lacouture, who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in December 2012, at the tender age of 6. Throughout her arduous battle against cancer, Christina provided a remarkable testament to strength, courage, and faith. She demonstrated that it is possible to navigate life’s most challenging circumstances with a radiant smile and profound trust in Jesus, consistently proclaiming, “Jesus, I trust in you.”
In the months and years after her diagnosis, Christina and her parents, Monica Lacouture and Fernando Dangond, members of our Collaborative, began to organize rosary groups and retreats. The family also heard of a proposed Catholic church in their home country of Colombia that was to be built in an area stricken with poverty and in need of funding. They held fundraisers and collected donations, and together made rosaries to sell for the cause. In 2016, they founded Build the Faith as a non-profit to “help build the Catholic faith around the world.”
In 2017, Christina and her family flew to Colombia to present the church with a check for $20,000, and in February of 2018, a month after Christina died, Monica flew back to Colombia to present the church with another check, this time for $25,000.
Since 2017, BUILD THE FAITH has completed projects in Colombia, Argentina, Nicaragua, Ghana, Mexico, and El Salvador. Their current project, in Bamenda, Cameroon, has a special connection to our Collaborative – it is the community where both Fr. Gabriel and Fr. Lesley served as pastor before coming to live with us in Wellesley while furthering their studies at Boston College.
This Thursday, March 20, please join us for a special evening with Monica, Fernando, Fr. Gabriel, and Fr. Lesley to learn more about Build the Faith and this amazing project in Cameroon.