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Congregation of the Sacred Hearts
of Jesus and Mary
January - February
2007
Dear Friends of Sacred Hearts Missions,
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Blessed Fr. Damien
of Molokai, ss.cc. |
 Every
large city has its slum area. Often,
I
would hear Blessed Mother Teresa say,
“If
you have the eyes to see, Calcutta is everywhere.”
She used to share these words with so many
people who wanted to come to Calcutta to help her.
She felt that they should stay where
they were and needed only to look around them to reach out to the
poor.
Father Gerry Shanley, ss.cc., works in
a town located on
the Mexico-USA border.
Hundreds of families have resettled here
and built their dwellings in an empty irrigation canal. To survive,
they collect
the waste and scraps of others.
Father Gerry literally understands and
lives the words of
 Blessed Mother Teresa as his ministry
includes this extremely poor
community.
Amidst this poverty, Father Gerry has
constructed a chapel
for inhabitants of the
area;
and it is a sign of hope.
Father Gerry is there to reach out: to make
class rooms and play areas , help with repairs, bring food and
clothing each week or to help the young stay in school.
The list is lengthy and could be longer!
Our presence as members of the
Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, inserted in
this desolation, is duplicated in many other parts of the world.
It is a spiritual presence which
uplifts, encourages and affirms people
who are so desperately disadvantaged. With God’s grace the
Congregation helps them experience that they are important,
and that they are loved.
 In
my missionary work, there were episodes every day that connected me
to the scripture passage
“Come to Me all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you
rest”.
When a person enters into the life of someone
in need, something happens.
A spiritual stimulation takes place as
supportive words, encouragement and affirmation are given.
Everyone can share in this experience by
cultivating a sensitivity to how people might be in difficulty, be
pressured, or overburdened.
Just the offering of
an encouraging word can be transforming.
As we begin 2007, may we all express our
gratitude for blessings we have received and pray for
so many who are in need.
God's
Blessing's
Sincerely,
 Father
William F. Petrie, ss.cc.
Provincial |
...an encouraging word can be
transforming... |
The people who are
in the slums seem to work the hardest
and get the least. Babu, who believed in working even though
he was a patient, had no feeling in his feet as a result of
leprosy.
Babu should not have been doing
this work. |
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"Come to Me
all you
who labor
and
are
burdened
and I
will give
you rest"
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Photos by
Fr. William F.
Petrie, ss.cc. |
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Rabindra was
only eight years old when he died. I arrived at the slum
in time to offer prayers before his cremation, according
to Hindu Rites. He died of an enlarged liver, probably
from the diseases that were so rampant in the slum areas
in 1978. |
View Father Bill's past
letters
Consider how you too can be a part of
“Helping the Needy and Abandoned Around the
World”
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Gifts
–
Become a friend of Sacred
Hearts Missions
and ask to be added to our
mailing list. Respond when you
can… with as much as you can…
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Pledges
–
Make a pledge and
spread your gift out over a one
to five year period. Gifts are
deductible in the year a payment
is made...
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Memorial Gifts
– Offer a lasting tribute to
someone who has made a difference in
your life with a Memorial Gift, perhaps choosing
something that might have
special meaning to you and your
loved one...
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Wills
– Once the needs of your family
have been taken care of,
consider honoring and thanking
those
SS.CC. members who may have made
a difference in your life by
remembering Sacred Hearts
Missions in your will...
View PDF brochure
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Charitable Gift Annuities
– While ensuring a future gift
to Sacred Hearts Missions, a
charitable gift annuity provides
the donor with a dependable
income for life...
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Insurance
- Designate Sacred Hearts
Missions as a beneficiary of
life insurance policies, IRAs or
other assets...
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Autos/Boats
– Donate your “tired” auto,
truck or boat and let a portion
of the proceeds continue to
improve life for others...
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Real Estate
– When you find yourself ready
to move to another stage in life
where your home is no longer
needed, allow Sacred Hearts
Missions to be a special
caretaker for a very precious
gift...
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Through the kindness of our benefactors, we
have been able to follow Christ’s footsteps
into some of the world’s most desolate and
forgotten places ; to Reynosa,
Mexico, where Fr. Gerry Shanley, ss.cc., works tirelessly to
not only bring the Good News but also the
essentials of food, clothing and shelter to
scores of
impoverished people; to India where Fr. Bill
Petrie, ss.cc., began and now Fr.
Subal
Nayak, ss.cc.,
continues the
Damien Social Development
Institute
(DSDI)
to bring compassion and dignity to those
afflicted with leprosy and HIV/AIDS and
their families; to our vocation programs and
House of Study in
India and the Philippines where
so
many young men
and women have chosen to become the hope and
future of Sacred Hearts Missions.
Our Visions are Far Reaching Our Efforts
are Tireless
Our Needs are Great!
Please Become a Part of Our Mission.
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