Limburg (Fides Service) - Tomorrow January 17 the international aid organisation Aid to the Church in Need, active all over the world, will celebrate the 90th birthday of its Dutch founder Fr Werenfried van Straaaten. Since 1947 the organisation has taken special care of needy Churches in eastern Europe and elsewhere. The ACN has its international head office at Konigstein, in Germany, in the diocese of Limburg where tomorrow a solemn thanksgiving Mass will be presided in the Cathedral by Bishop Franz Kamphaus. Special guests will include chairpersons, directors and delegations from each of the 16 offices in countries of Europe, America and Oceania. Every year the head office in Konigstein receives an average of 10,000 requests for help from diocese in more than 150 countries. In fact over the years ACN has become a reference point for the universal Church. ANC focuses on projects for formation of seminarians, priests, nuns, building or repairing churches, convents, other religious institutes; the publication and diffusion of bibles and other religious books; support to Catholic media. See short biography of Fr Werenfried van Straaaten in English >> (Fides Service 16/1/2003)