CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) – Jose Camara, a retired Portuguese businessman, has donated more than 1,000 statues of Our Lady of Fatima, handmade in Fatima, to parishes around the world since January 2013. He even covers the cost of transport, including to South Africa, Madagascar, Australia and the U.S..

“I started out just over four years ago with the idea of offering 12 hand- made statues of Our Lady of Fatima – one for each apostle – to parishes in South Africa, where I lived for many years,” Camara said.

In the first week after his offer was publicized in South Africa’s Catholic weekly, The Southern Cross, he received 63 applications.

“Now I have sent more than a thou- sand statues to parishes, schools, con- vents, Catholic movements, prisons and so on – and even to some individuals – all over the world,” said Camara, who now lives in Cascais, about 20 miles west of the Portuguese capital, Lisbon.

He has sent statues to more than 30 countries.