A Roman Catholic priest from the Netherlands, in 1947 Werenfried (“warrior for peace”) founded the Aid to the Church in Need, initially to help war-ravaged Germans. Knowing that the people near his Belgium abbey had more food to give than money, he asked for food.
The response was so great that he became known as “The Bacon Priest”. He then turned to other causes, such as obtaining vehicles for priests and churches, money to rebuild churches in postwar Europe, and so many other causes that he was given a new nickname: “God’s beggar” — literally passing a worn hat around anytime he had an opportunity and telling people, “the hat is old and has many holes, so no coins please. Only notes!” By the time of his death, it is estimated that he collected more than two billion dollars for charity. Fr. Werenfried died January 31 at age 90.