Hello Bishop Nestor,
Greetings and warmest regards from St. John’s Parish in Wellesley, MA. My name is Jim Miller and I am one of the members of the St. John’s Service Commission. You may recall that we emailed each other this past February. I am now writing this email to update you on St. John’s Lenten Gift effort. You and your diocese have been and remain in our thoughts and prayers. As you know, St. John’s Parish has used the season of Lent to direct our prayers and almsgiving to the people of the CAR. Specifically, we have been praying for solutions to the suffering and political unrest in our Prayers of the Faithful at each Mass during Lent. Additionally, each St. John’s religious education class has been opening class with a special prayer for the children and people of your diocese. Lastly, we have taken a special Lenten gift collection which will be donated to you for the aid and support of the people in your diocese.
Please know that many parishioners and the staff at St. John’s remember you well and feel a special spiritual connection with you and your people. The St. John’s Service Commission worked hard to educated our parishioners on the human suffering and political unrest in CAR and more specifically on your situation in the diocese of Bossangoa. We emphasized your desire to restore hope, give people back their dignity, offer reassurance and stress self-responsibility so people can return to their villages and rebuild their lives. Through the Grace of the Holy Spirit and because you are well known to us and your needs are so great and compelling, St. John’s parishioners have raised just over $30,000 to be given to you to address the needs of the diocese.
Fr. Tom will be contacting you over the next several days to communicate the final amount of the Lenten gift and discuss money transfer and the use of proceeds. We feel so blessed to offer our assistance. We pray that it will greatly assist you in your mission of restoring hope, rebuilding physical assets, restarting lives and returning people their dignity. Our best wishes to you
and all the people of your diocese for a blessed Easter Sunday and Easter season!
Sincerely,
Jim Miller & the entire St. John’s Service Commission
