Xavier Society for the Blind
                                                   
XAVIER SOCIETY FOR THE BLIND
Vol. 10   No. 8
  August   2016
 
  
What's New at XSB
HAPPENINGS AT THE XAVIER SOCIETY FOR THE BLIND

Celebration for Terrence - 10 years at the Xavier Society for the Blind
On July 17, Terrence McCafferty celebrated ten years at the Xavier Society for the Blind. On the following Wednesday the whole staff gathered to present him with a card, a gift card, a certificate, and since one of his favorite sayings when he does something especially good (and that is usually 2 or 3 times a week) is "Aha! Another feather in my cap!" we decided to give him an Indian headdress, so now he has a cap full of feathers. He was also the guest of honor at an informal lunch here at the office. 


FATHER JOHN IS GOING TO JORDAN

By now I assume everyone knows that I will be leaving the Xavier Society for the Blind, and that there is a party ("Father John's Farewell Bash") on October 14th.  If you have not gotten information about that party, please call or email the office, and we will get you information and an invitation immediately. If you got the email invitation and would like a print version, or a braille version, just let us know.
 
I have received word that in the first week of February, I will be heading to Amman, Jordan, to work with our community there at the Jesuit English-speaking Church and Parish Center. I have started working on Arabic (it is a LOT more complicated than braille!) and planning what I will sell, give away, store and take with me. 

PLEASE NOTE OUR HOURS:
Our phone lines are open from 8:30 to 4:00 PM each working day, eastern time. If you call before or after those hours, or if staff is busy outside of the office, you will get our answering machine. Please leave a message, with your phone number, your name, and what you are calling about. If you are requesting a specific book or item from the catalogue, we will only return your call if there is a problem. Otherwise we will return your call as quickly as we can. Thank you for understanding.  

Two of the most important things we do are get to know our clients, the people we serve, and to produce braille catechisms and worship aids so that blind children can be in the same class with the same material as their classmates, and those who go to Church have the same access to prayers and readings.

St. Mary's Press is an ally of ours, and they have a wonderful magazine they produce for children that we will be making available in braille. Helping young children read braille is a critical part of their education, and we work hard to try and find and emboss as much braille as we can, books and other materials that fit into our mission.

This is a story about a delightful young lady who is a client, and we are proud to call her our friend as well. 


   




ASSORTED ITEMS
and ways you can help
SMILE
Caption: A yellow smiley face with dark glasses. 

Use Amazon smile. If you use Amazon.com for any of your purchases, help out Xavier Society for the Blind at the same time. Go to www.smile.amazon.com and sign up. Or use the direct link:
              

There is no charge to you, and when they ask you what charity you wish to support, type in Xavier Society for the Blind. Any time after that, if you go to Amazon through the smile entry, a percentage of whatever you spend comes to us.

*   *   *   *  
MASS CARDS
 
Masses may be said at your request not only when someone dies but also to celebrate a special event. And the stipend for the Mass card helps support the work of the Xavier Society for the Blind. 

Call us at (212) 473-7800 or email us at info@xaviersocietyfortheblind.org for more information. 


*   *   *   *

FINAL WORDS FROM FR. JOHN 

As a regular reader (or at least recipient) of this newsletter, you have received the E-invitation for Father John's Farewell Bash, and some of you might also receive the snail mail version. In case you killed it without reading, or it went to Spam and is now on its way to Mars, you can check our website or follow this link    http://bit.ly/28S8wtl. 
It is really going to be a TERRIFIC party! 

Although August is not one of the official months dedicated to Our Lady, during this month we celebrate both the great solemnity of the Assumption, and the Queenship of Mary. (I always remembered that feast because it was my mother's birthday.) Mary continues to be a tremendous inspiration for us, with her example of faith and confidence in answering God's call. In looking at our futures, whether individual or the future of our organization, it is always good for us to remember that as long as we are answering God's call, we can move forward with confidence. 

In the next edition of this Newsletter, we hope to be able to introduce the new Director of the Xavier Society for the Blind. The search has been impressive and has gone on for a number of months and I am sure the new Director will be equally impressive and more than capable to lead this organization. 

Thank you for all you have done for us in the past, please remember us in your will, or if you win a major prize in the Lottery, and thank you as well for whatever God might inspire you to do with us and for our clients in the future. 

Caption: A photo of  Fr. John Sheehan, SJ 
Chaplain for American Legion Post 2001
 


Gratefully,
Fr. John R. Sheehan, SJ  
Xavier Society for the Blind
Two Penn Plaza, Suite 1102      
New York, NY 10121
   
Email: 
FatherJohn@xaviersocietyfortheblind.org
                     
Phone: (212) 473-7800 
 

(If you would like to donate directly online, you can go to


CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

August 18-28
World Union of the Blind International Meeting
Orlando, FL

September 5
Labor Day - XSB Offices closed

September 11
Patriot Day

September 22
XSB Board of Directors Meeting
1st Day of Autumn


SAVE THE DATE!
October 14
Father John's Farewell Bash


October 15
White Cane Day

October 21 - 23
American Council of the Blind - NY State Convention
Buffalo, NY

October 28-30
National Federation of the Blind - NY State Convention
Albany, NY

November 6
Daylight Savings Ends

November 8
National Election Day

November 11
Veterans Day - XSB Offices closed

November 17
XSB Board of Directors Meeting

November 20
Christ the King
End of the Year of Mercy

November 23
XSB Offices close early - re-open November 28

November 24
Thanksgiving Day

December 2
Feast of St. Francis Xavier

December 13
Feast of St. Lucy
(Patron Saint of the Blind)
Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral


 
Secure Server
On our web site, we have a secure server connection. This means you can contribute money to the Xavier Society using your credit card in perfect safety. When you get to the web site, there is a button "Donate." If you click on that, you will be taken to the Secure Server area where you can make any contribution in complete safety. (If the server is not working, please call our office at 212 473-7800 and ask for Donald.)