Week of November 19

11-19-2017AllFr. Andre Sylvestre

Thank you all for your generosity this past month. We now have enough fundsto support feeding the school children through the end of January. We ask your prayers as volunteers prepare for their mission trip. The two leaders of our mission teams have been busy with all the details of theirtrips. Gloria Kane heads up the Medical Mission team. They will betraveling January 25-February 1. It is a good-sized team: Amy Cox, DianeRousseau, Alicia Russell, Catherine Viers, Robbie Webb, Enrique Martinez,José Castañeda and Trace Harris. Marla West heads up the Building HopeMission team: Mike Sheehan, Jean Harris, Sue Beernink and Mike Jones.Several projects are being planned: new concrete block house, painting 2 newclassrooms and stenciling classrooms. They also take pictures of all the schoolchildren. They plan to travel February 2-9. Thank you, volunteers, for takingtime away from your work and assuming all costs to serve God’s family in oursister parish NotreDame de la Merci.

Week of November 12

11-12-2017AllFr. Andre Sylvestre

Several years ago after a fulfilling mission trip to Haiti, we had a meeting to tackle any business at hand. Riding on that high crest of enthusiasm, it was hard to come down to the “valley” from the “mountaintop.” The best part of that moment is when someone remarked that our work in Robillard will never be completed in our lifetime. There was more to do. With smiles across our faces, we went forward. This week we revisit the realization that the fulfillment of God’s kingdom is “already, but not yet.” We are making significant progress to bring health to a community. We are educating children to be literate. We satisfy a spiritual hunger.

God uses our hands to heal and to build structures. And we answer the call to dispense our faith through our touch, smiles and eye contact. And you who support our Mission—those on the “frontlines”—you are providing the help that the missionaries need to serve the hungry, the stranger, those in need of clothing, the sick, and those imprisoned by poverty and ignorance. And they visit with these members of God’s family. In a sense, you are providing the banquet described in Luke 14:12-14--You invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind. And Jesus tells you:” Blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you; for, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." And we know from Fr. Andre that he prays for our parish each day at Mass and so do his parishioners. They pray in unison, “God bless you!”