Category Archives: Christmas & Lent

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

Thank you so much for your support of this year’s 2014 Lenten Gift for Bishop Nestor and the people of the Central African Republic. The final collection totaled just over $30,000 and resulted from big and small donations from so many parishioners as well as various CCD classes. This collection will go a long way to help Bishop Nestor give people back their hope and personal dignity as they restore property and rebuild their lives. Thank you for being a true witness to Christ’s love by giving of yourself to people you don’t even know because you have chosen to “love one another as I have loved you.” John 13:34.

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on Earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks Compassion on this world.
— St. Theresa of Avila

THANK YOU!

With our Parish Lenten Gift,  the St. John’s community will collectively make an impact on the Central African Republic, where tens of thousands of innocent men, women, and children are suffering from hunger, disease and lack of security after being displaced from their homes by warring rebels and local militia groups.  In solidarity with Bishop Nestor, we will collect funds to help the people of the Diocese of Bossangoa restart their lives. We at St. John’s have this opportunity to alleviate great suffering through our unique relationship with Bishop Nestor and the Catholic Church, the only institution still functioning across the CAR.

In the Words of Bishop Nestor

While the needs are great, Bishop Nestor says, “We have learned to cut our coat according to our materials…  We thank God for what we have already received and thank the parishioners of St. John’s in advance for their support and help offered to my diocese.”

Bishop Nestor’s efforts are focused on giving people hope and returning their human dignity. Bishop Nestor plans to use the funds for the most immediate needs:

• Helping people rehabilitate their burnt houses

• Helping people to restart new farms
• Equipping people with nonfood items
• Feeding the hungry

Pope Francis’ Call

Additionally, this gift aligns with Pope Francis’ call for Catholics to better focus on helping the poor and those living on the fringe.

Small yet strong in the love of God, like Saint Francis of Assisi,
all of us, as Christians, are called to watch over and protect the fragile world in which we live, and all its peoples.
–Pope Francis

Our Action

We have been praying for the people in CAR through our Prayers of the Faithful during Lent.  It is now time to offer our financial support. Please be as generous as you can.

By Mail: Donations can be mailed to the Rectory or dropped off weekdays during regular business hours.

To Donate Online via ParishPay:  Click this link and choose 2014 Lenten Gift under One-Time Donations (Please Note: you do not need to be a regular ParishPay user to donate online – anyone can make a secure, one-time donation with a credit card.)

To learn more about Bishop Nestor’s efforts and the ongoing crisis Central African Republic, please visit the 2014 Parish Lenten Gift page  where you will find the story in words and pictures, personal reflections on Bishop Nestor from parishioners, as well as many additional links and resources.

This weekend, April 5-6, the St. John’s community will collectively make an impact on the Central African Republic, where tens of thousands of innocent men, women, and children are suffering from hunger, disease and lack of security after being displaced from their homes by warring rebels and local militia groups.  In solidarity with Bishop Nestor, we will collect funds to help the people of the Diocese of Bossangoa restart their lives. We at St. John’s have this opportunity to alleviate great suffering through our unique relationship with Bishop Nestor and the Catholic Church, the only institution still functioning across the CAR.

In the Words of Bishop Nestor

While the needs are great, Bishop Nestor says, “We have learned to cut our coat according to our materials…  We thank God for what we have already received and thank the parishioners of St. John’s in advance for their support and help offered to my diocese.”

Bishop Nestor’s efforts are focused on giving people hope and returning their human dignity. Bishop Nestor plans to use the funds for the most immediate needs:

• Helping people rehabilitate their burnt houses

• Helping people to restart new farms
• Equipping people with nonfood items
• Feeding the hungry

Pope Francis’ Call

Additionally, this gift aligns with Pope Francis’ call for Catholics to better focus on helping the poor and those living on the fringe.

Small yet strong in the love of God, like Saint Francis of Assisi,
all of us, as Christians, are called to watch over and protect the fragile world in which we live, and all its peoples.
–Pope Francis

Our Action

We have been praying for the people in CAR through our Prayers of the Faithful during Lent.  It is now time to offer our financial support. Please be as generous as you can.

At Masses this Weekend: Please give generously to our Special Second Collection at all masses during the weekend of April 5-6. (Checks can be made payable to “St. John Parish”; we will total all funds and send one check to Bishop Nestor.)

Donations will be accepted by mail and Parish Pay beyond this weekend.

By Mail: Donations can be mailed to the Rectory or dropped off weekdays during regular business hours.

To Donate Online via ParishPay:  Click this link and choose 2014 Lenten Gift under One-Time Donations (Please Note: you do not need to be a regular ParishPay user to donate online – anyone can make a secure, one-time donation with a credit card.)

To learn more about Bishop Nestor’s efforts and the ongoing crisis Central African Republic, please visit the 2014 Parish Lenten Gift page  where you will find the story in words and pictures, personal reflections on Bishop Nestor from parishioners, as well as many additional links and resources.