About the institute
The Saint Michael Orphanage is a family-typed orphanage, which takes care of 24 orphans in three families besides five own children.
The institute was registered on 1 August 2005 by the Administry of Ungvar. The founders of the institute are the Saint Michael Parish of Rát and the Saint Martin Charity of Diocese of Munkacs. The establishing of the institute was urged by Bishop Antal Majnek of the Munkacs diocese.
The children of the orphanage come partly from the state orphanages, and partly from the families who became unable to bring up their children. In a family environment these children can be raised until the age of 18. They are provided with school studies, talent management and soon with physical and psychological rehabilitation so that they can prepare for a self-supporting life style and for their integration into society. The regular catechism also helps them process trauma from their earlier childhood, and develop a positive vision of the future.
The foster parents are Christian couples serving children without families with their own families. It is a complicated task to bring up abandoned children or orphans having lived a rugged fate, which requires not only unconditional love, but also competence. It is important that the parents be able to handle the problems of children having different psychological and physical difficulties, thus it is necessary to prepare them for this task adequately. The regular, once-a-month meeting to exchange experiences with parents from other type of orphanage serves this purpose as well as the consultations with mental hygienists.
Many volunteers visit these orphanages each year to help the mental and the psychological development of these children with playing games, paying attention to them and talking to them. They participate in accomplishing the mission of our institute, and in making these abandoned children's lives better.
Arpad Biro, Principal, Rát, 7 October, 2010

Pictures of the orphanage of Rát

Pictures of the "Party once a month" program