Charitable Cause

Since its founding in 2005, Caritas Chamber Chorale has sung concerts for the benefit of the Adorno Fathers St. Francis Caracciolo Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa. Since 2011, Caritas has specifically supported the African Missions' Pierluigi Fabbiani Nursery School and Gianni Diurni Primary School in Goma. These schools serve children of all faiths, who otherwise would have little opportunity for education. Additionally, in 2020, Caritas extended its support to include the orphanage, Foyer de l’enfance Paolo Di Nardo, also in Goma, which serves those children who have lost parents, mostly through war.


St. Francis Caracciolo Mission

Established in 1984, the Adorno Fathers’ St. Francis Caracciolo Mission provides health, educational, and spiritual services to 80,000 people. Located in Nyamilima near the border of Rwanda, this is one of the poorest parts of Africa and has been the site of natural disaster, disease and ongoing tribal warfare.

In September 2009 a new mission church was created at the request of the Bishop of Bukavu on the Island of Idgwi, in Lake Kivu. This parish is staffed by 3 priests and one brother, all African Adornos.

In Nyamilima, the Mission oversees 15 parishes and has built 30 schools, which serve 14,000 students and employ 350 teachers. It runs St. John's Hospital as well as four dispensaries which provide first aid and maternity care. There is also a Nutritional Center, serving the youngest children. At the Guiseppe Diurni Pastoral Center, lay people are trained to provide spiritual, civil, social, and health-related assistance. These lay people also serve as peacekeepers and local leaders.

After being devasted by a volcanic eruption in 2002, the rebuilt St. Joseph's Seminary is now located just outside of Goma. Congolese priests and brothers, who now serve in Africa and other areas of the world, have been educated here.

In 2006, the seminary extended its apostolate by opening a nursery school and primary school in the city of Goma for the street children. The Pierluigi Fabbiani Nursery School and the Gianni Diurni Primary School currently educate over 500 children through 6th grade. Since 2011, Caritas Chamber Chorale has sung its benefits concerts for the operation of these schools.

In 2020, the Adorno Fathers asked Caritas to extend its support to include the orphanage, Foyer de l’enfance Paolo Di Nardo also in Goma. Nearly 50 young people, who have lost parents or been abandoned through the horrors of war, are under the care of the orphanage. The Foyer provides room and board, education, health care, psychological and spiritual assistance, recreation, and opportunities for work and apprenticeships. Young children are housed in four extremely simple buildings in the city of Goma and looked after by eight staff members. Some of the students attend the Gianni Diurni School, while others attend other local schools. Older children (12 and above) are eligible to live with willing foster families, with the orphanage compensating the families for their expenses.

It is for these causes, the Pierluigi Fabbiani Nursery School, the Gianni Diurni Primary School and the Foyer del'enfance Paolo Di Nardo - and the children they serve - that Caritas sings.


For more information, please see Adorno Fathers' African Mission.

The Adorno Fathers

The Order known as the Adorno Fathers was founded in Italy in 1588 by St. Francis Caracciolo, Venerable Augustine Adorno and Fabrizio Caracciolo. The founders were dedicated to the service of God and His people through authentic Christian charity and through the cultivation of a great spirit of prayer, especially adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. In addition to the common vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, the founders added a fourth vow: not to aspire to ecclesiastical honors, basically a vow of humility. The priests and brothers of the Adorno Fathers strive to sanctify themselves and the People of God by imitating the Paschal Mystery of Christ in their lives.

The Adorno Fathers first came to the United States in 1930. In December of 1937, they began a long history of ministering to the parish community of St. Joseph in Lodi. In 1962, the Adorno Fathers opened their House of Formation in Ramsey, New Jersey. They opened Immaculate Conception Parish in South Carolina in 1989 and now serve two additional parishes in South Carolina.

Inspired by the charitable spirit of their founders, the Adornos saw the need to expand as missionaries in developing countries. In 1984, the St. Francis Caracciolo Mission was formed in Nyamilima, currently Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa. The Mission runs a Pastoral Center, parishes, schools, a hospital, a nutritional center, and a seminary in Goma. In addition to the African Mission, the Adorno Fathers are now also present in India and the Philippines.

Contact the Adornos

The Adornos maintain a house of formation in Ramsey, NJ and staff St. Joseph Church in Lodi, NJ. For more information about their missions in Africa and elsewhere, visit their website at adornofathers.org.

To donate at any time to the African Mission:

Adorno Fathers' Missions
c/o Fr. Nony Villaluz
St. Joseph Church
40 Spring St.
Lodi, NJ, 07644
(973) 779-0643
Fr. Nony Villaluz

 

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Read about the Founders and Leaders of the African Mission


Letter from Fr. Ted, Adorno Superior, on his 2022 Congo Visit


Make an donation online for the African Mission anytime, or text CONGO to 71441.


Thank you for your continued support of the Adorno Fathers' African Mission and the Gianni Diurni Primary School in Goma, DRC.


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