Fr. Ray has shared some photos of the Church dedication in India. The celebration took place on Jan. 20, 2020. The Church was blessed and dedicated by Bishop Poola, the bishop of Kurnool. Fr. Ray will share more details with us upon his return.
Fr. Ray is currently in India to visit with his family and get ready for the new Church in India's planned dedication on January 20, 2020. He was also accompanied by a small group of St. Catherine of Siena parishioners. He sent us these pictures of his travels. From the photos, you can see the finishing touches on the church, it is almost complete. Click here for more photos.
At the end of April 2019, the State elected the new political party and the newly formed government immediately took over the sand distribution into its own hands. At last, the government declared a new sand policy but by then the monsoon season started and surprisingly the land experienced plenty of rain which made all the rivers and creeks overflow with the water, which in turn made the sand availability difficult for the builders. The monsoons finally subsided and sand extraction began and now we have sand in hand. Now you can see the progress of the work. From this point on, if everything goes well, we should have the full structure completed by the end of December and the dedication by June 2020. Let’s hope and see that the things will go well, obviously not according to our plans, but according to HIS plans. Thank you all for all your prayers, patience and above all love towards the extension of St. Catherine in this rural part of India. Sincerely, Fr. Ray Pothireddy (Click here to see pictures of the site.)
In May, our Ablaze high school students hosted a Bake Sale to benefit Fr. Ray’s mission in the Diocese of Kurnool, India. The funds they raised by selling muffins, cupcakes, and cookies were donated to one of the schools. The school was able to purchase 20 desks for the students who had been sitting on the rough floor of the school. Now the students and the teachers are very happy with their desks. Fr. Ray received some pictures of the school to share with our parish. Job well done!
On March 23 and 30, Father Ray presented his essay on the Passion of the Christ, taken from the Gospels of Matthew and John. Although you may have not been able to attend, Father Ray has placed the entire essay here on the parish webpage. This essay makes for an excellent reflection as Holy Week approaches. Differentiating between the two Gospels, Fr Ray's scholarly writing will give you a Biblical view of the Passion that you may have not encountered before. Click here.