Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
My infinite gratitude to the Brotherhood and all the donors who, despite the difficulties and needs in Greece, do not forget us. I received the sum of 8,000 euros for the needs of the orphanage and I thank you again.
We fervently wish from far-off India that the Lord Jesus blesses your lives and guides the steps of all of us on the path of salvation.
On November 21, a solemn Divine Liturgy was held in the Holy Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary of the orphanage for girls. It was a double joy for us on these holy days, as we were honoured with the presence of His Eminence, His Grace Metropolitan Constantine of Singapore.
With a great struggle and with God’s help, we still maintain the most vital of our charitable programmes: our two orphanages and our school, our soup kitchens for the poorest of the poor and breakfast for the homeless children of Calcutta, while our five schools and five dispensaries are operating in the villages.
The course of the school “St. Ignatius” is upward, judging by the substantial progress of our children and the number of applications from poor children in the area for enrolment in the new school year. Thanks to a donation from Thessaloniki, we have begun construction of the outdoor sanitary facilities and additional risk costs required for the school’s certification for the higher grades. This project, which is expected to be completed within two months, has given a respite to the anxiety about the educational future of our children.
Thanks to the collection of donations from America and Australia, the operation of our orphanages has been extended. Our sincere thanks to all of you, who in the gloomy climate of the financial crisis, thought of us and eased our anguish.
The objective of setting up a farm to meet our food needs as fully as possible, for the needs of the institutions and the soup kitchens, remains important. Especially now that food prices in India have doubled and the cost of meeting the ration has skyrocketed, this essential project is becoming vital! However, with the dramatic reduction in donations due to the crisis, the pace of completion of the required infrastructure is slow. We have made a great deal of progress in fencing off the site and partially filling it, but we still have a long way to go before it is finally turned into fertile land.
Even the smallest donation removes the possibility of our children returning to the streets where they were born. We are grateful for your continued support. Your every contribution – spiritual and material – makes us witnesses to your compassion, your spirit of solidarity and your Christian love.
Sister Nectaria
