Many thanks once again for a splendid performance, for having been there for six summers, even at a distance, I can still appreciate all those lovely tunes, especially the much loved “English Country Garden.”

It is jumper time in Lima, but in the southern highlands, it’s that time of year when many young children succumb to the rigors of the wet, cold weather where temperatures drop to –18 with no means to keep warm.

All over the country, everyone is being careful not to catch the dreaded “swine flu.” So far there have been five deaths; here in South America, the country with the highest number of deaths has been Argentina. School holidays have been brought forward the Independence Day celebrations at the end of July, and all marches and gatherings cancelled; even the Bishop’s conference has issued it’s own set of directives.

Thanks to your generous support at the Christmas Concert, Sr Clara and our nurse friend, Aidé, continue to take the children to Lima for their therapy assessment. Some results are hopeful, others not so, but even for those children who will obviously have a shorter life span, Michael Murphy the Irish Engineer and promoter of the project has been able to make their own little spaces at home more comfortable. Quite near the Therapy Centre, a new Medical Centre has been opened, and the doctors are showing great interest in the children’s health and well being, which in itself, is a blessing.

Many, thanks for everything, for the discipline of the choir practices, etc, and above all for your great generosity. On behalf of the children, many thanks and God Bless.
From all of us.
Sr Anne and Sr Clara

Greetings and blessings for the Christmas Season, and many thanks for your continued support, which now runs into years of dedicated service. I’m sure there have been many Monday nights when other options and commitments have presented themselves, but Fidelity always had the final word. Many thanks and Congratulations.

Here life goes on, like the world all over, feeling the crunch of the economic slowdown, the only difference is that there are no government bail-outs, but there is always the Barn Choir and the many other donations, which in their own right are bail-outs of a different kind, but none the less effective.

Like the rest of the world, we are extremely saddened by the plight of the poor in Zimbabwe, and witness how once a healthy economy could be brought to it’s knees. If there is one place in the world where ‘the cry of the poor’ seems to go unheeded, it must be the African Continent.

Apart from our work in Santa Rosa, we are hoping to become involved in a small centre for children with special needs, taking them to hospital and arranging for therapy. During the summer months when things are relatively quiet in the parish, we thought that we could dedicate some time to the children at the Centre, and have proper assessments done in a downtown hospital. Just as the choir, has tonight dedicated it’s singing to the Lima mission, we will be happy to dedicate the proceeds to these children with special needs, with thanks and prayers, and every good wish for a happy and blessed Christmas to all.

Sincerely,
Sr. Anne McLaughlin,
Sr. Clare Lynch

Arpitha and Jyothi have joined the pre-postulancy stage.

Please keep all this new Community in your prayers. They pray each day for you and your families.

Peru Earthquake:

We are pleased to announce that the Sisters are all fine. Everyone is shaken by the magnitude of the quake but little structural damage appears to have been suffered in Santa Rosa. Over the hill in Project Peru orphanage, some old houses suffered, but no one was hurt. Sister Barbara has flown out to help. Please pray for all those involved in this tragedy.

The money you give helps the Sisters subsidise the food needed to run the Comedor and to maintain it.

The Comedor is now fifteen years old and is in need of repair. As people built their houses above the Comedor, the side of the Comedor became ‘filled in’ with rubble and stones. This was then used as a pathway. Observe the white house to the left of the Comedor, this shows the rubble and pathway.