It has been quite a while since my last newsletter - October, 2009 to be exact. For this I
apologize. It seems that the wrinkles of time do set in when one moves on in
years. I had planned to travel to
India in October, 2009 but called that off due to severe hip pain. Then again
in January. After getting a shot
of cortisone (or something akin to it) the pain started to diminish. So, India
awaits. I will be traveling there, God willing, this coming October. I am
hoping to celebrate the feastday of Saint Francis (October 4th) in
Alleppey.
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Bishop
of Alleppey to California
There is much news from India. The
most recent is from Bishop Stephen, the Bishop of
Alleppey, concerning his travel to the United States. As you know the
diocese
has very little in way of financial resources consequently the need to
make
mission appeals overseas. He has been given permission by the dioceses
of
Sacramento and San Francisco to preach there the first three weeks in
June. He
then will spend three days in Connecticut. This is a great opportunity
for those
of you living in these areas to visit with him if you wish. If you want
his schedule please contact
me at ffaindia@att.net.
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Goodbye to a Wonderful Woman - Miki Lovett
I want to take this opportunity to sing the praises of Miki
Lovett, our webmaster. Miki came to us first as a sponsor, then as a webmaster
and lastly, as a member of the FFA board of directors. Our website,
www.openhearts.org is the product
of her genius. I am indeed thankful for what she has brought to the Apostolate.
Not only has she created a thing of technical beauty but brought us into the 21st
century world of cyberspace. Today, because of her, we have sponsors from
Scotland, England, New Zealand and,
just this month, from the
United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). This would have been impossible a decade ago. I
can only credit this to the attractiveness of our website and Miki's hooking us
into Paypal which facilitates our foreign exchange problems. To date 155
families have been sponsored off our site.
Regrettably, Miki
will be leaving us this year in July.
We are losing a great talent and a great woman. We all wish Miki well in
her future endeavors. I am sure
she will likewise bless others with her presence and talents.
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Welcome Donnie Welsh...Across the Pond
It is said "when the Lord closes one door He opens
another." Welcome to Donnie Welsh.
When he signed up over two years ago as a sponsor from Lancashire, England, Donnie, a professional website designer,
offered to assist with the website. He has agreed to step in as webmaster. He will be sending us
some recommendations at the end of this month. So "wither goest" our website? The Lord only knows...and
Donnie. Be on the lookout for
changes. Again Donnie...many thanks
for helping your friends "across the pond."
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Think Again, Please if You are Ready to Give Up
Given the downturn in the economy I expected we would loose
some sponsors. I have received
some letters reluctantly dropping family support due to either a loss of work
or problems in just paying the bills.
This, of course, is a sad situation. Some sponsors have not notified me
and just stopped. So it took a little while for me to catch on that support is
not coming for a particular family. But there has been good news also - two sponsors
just this month (I would love to mention their names but I don't want to
embarrass them) decided to pick up 16 families who have lost their sponsors
since the economic debacle of 2008. Also two gifts arrived, one for $15,000 and
one for $5000, to be used at the FFA's discretion. So, if you are having a hard time and are thinking of
leaving the FFA please do not. Give me a call and I will make arrangements to
pick up the family as a "ward of the Apostolate" until you can get back on your
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On the Road Again - to my fellow Secular Franciscans
At the age of 73 I am again hitting the road. As you may know, because I am a Secular
Franciscan, the Secular Franciscan Order was my first audience when I started
this apostolate 39 years ago in 1971. It's creation was my way of addressing
the spirit of Franciscan poverty required in the Rule. The whole idea of Franciscan poverty is very difficult for Americans. The
very idea of an American Franciscan ( read: rich /poor) seems to be an
oxymoron, the use of to
contradictory words to explain something. I found the best way for me was
through the idea of stewardship. Today,
much to my surprise, there are many Secular Franciscans who never heard of the
FFA regardless of it having been a nationwide apostolate since its founding. That means it is time to hit
the road. I am hoping to address the problem at the regional level. Please, if you need a speaker at your
regional chapter - meeting
encourage an invitation. I
do a pretty good "dog and pony act" for the poor. It is the best way to reach
down to the many fraternities in the various regions around the country.
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Your Family is Only a Click Away
Sister Daphne has been with us for over a year now. She is
really very wonderful (as are all our Canossian Sisters). She is energetic,
full of ideas and persistent in her claims on behalf of the poor. She loves
visiting the families and is enjoyed by our wonderful staff - Babu, Lilly,
Beena, Darly, Annamma, Karoline, Sophie, and Soona. They all have your
interests at heart. One of my boasts during presentations on the FFA is our
technical ability to reach out to our families through our staff. If you have a
computer they are only a click away. You can reach them at ffaalleppey@gmail.com or you
can "Skype" them if you like. Just look for "Franciscan Alleppey" in the Skype
directory. If you want info on
your family, email them, they will go out and visit the family directly and
send you photos of the visit if you wish. When I first started the Apostolate
in 1971 it took a few weeks for a letter to get there and a few weeks to get
back not including the time it took to think of an answer! Now your poor family
is only a click away. So don't be shy. Indian time is ten and a half hours
ahead of our time. If you send an
email at night it will be day in India. You will have a response when you get
up in the morning. So, we have done much better than the old USPO.
This also goes for our Andhra Pradesh sponsors. Sister Carmel
Paul is busily involved with all our families there with the help of Sister
Thankam. If you wish to contact her she can be reached at carmelpaula@yahoo.com.
Our problem in Andhra however is one of distance. The areas we care for
families in are very spread out and quite distant - taking a whole day to reach
in some cases. So we must give Sister Carmel, who is doing fantastic work, more space in which to do her work.
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And So...
Lastly, hearing
the news everyday points out how fragile we all are - from top to bottom, from
the single "you" to the corporate "they" to the government "we". No single entity
can do it alone. We all need each
other at every level. The world is changing and doing so in God's good time or
I should say "God's God time". Please remember the importance of daily prayer
so that we can move with Him as instruments rather than obstacles living the
prayer of Saint Francis "Lord, make me an instrument..."
Next month I hope to get another one of these bulletins to you
but from Sister Daphne. Let's hear what she has to say.
It is said the Holy Spirit moves as a driven leaf on an autumn
day. As we prepare to celebrate the upcoming feast of Pentecost - be prepared!
It could be you.
Warmest regards in Saint Francis
Alan J. Ouimet, S.F.O.
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Franciscan Family Apostolate
93 Country Way, Madison, CT 06443
203-458-8172 --ffaindia@att.net
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Franciscan Family Apostolate
Alan Ouimet
Founder and President
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