Dear Friends in Christ,
The following letter arrived from Father Francis Reginald, who preached our Mission Co-op in September. Each year the Propagation of the Faith assigns preachers from Mission countries to appeal to your church of St. John the Baptist, to obtain help, to alleviate the pain and suffering of our brothers and sisters in other countries. This year the Mission Appeal was for the Diocese of Mannar in Sri Lanka. I was privileged to make this Mission Appeal in your church on September 8 and 9 at all the Masses, on behalf of the people of Mannar Diocese.
We are proud to record that the sum of $12000 was raised to help the people of Mannar Diocese, especially to take care of the basic needs of the children who have been orphaned and the elderly people who have been affected by Tsunami and the ongoing brutal Civil War for twenty five years. The Catholic Church is deeply involved in humanitarian work among the suffering people of Sri Lanka, where the majority of the people are Buddhists and Hindus. This way of witnessing brings Christ’s love and compassion to the people. Pope John Paul II said, “Our faith in Christ opens our eyes to see beyond our own parish community to the life of the Universal Church and the needs of the world around us.” These children and the affected fami-
lies who are blessed with your generous help are praying for you and remembering you with love and gratitude.
It is incumbent upon me to thank you most gratefully for your concern, care, prayers and generous financial support, on behalf of the suffering people of Mannar Diocese. A famous poet William Wordsworth once reminded us that “More things are wrought by prayer than the world dreams of.” In this spirit, your generosity was a response to our prayers, in the hope that God would reward all those who trust Him for many blessings that come to those who trust in His ways. “Thoughts are deeper than words but feelings are deeper than thoughts” so goes the saying. With a feeling of profound gratitude and love that just cannot be expressed in words I say a big “THANK YOU”. May I plead with you to continue to pray for Peace in the world, in Sri Lanka and for one another.
May God bless you.
With love, prayers and gratitude,
Fr. Francis Reginald
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