Dear Friends:

I would like to take this opportunity to inform you of an initiative underway to raise funds to help construct a new Catholic Church in new Delhi.

This story hits close to home as I have personally witnessed the hardships the parishioners of Divine Mercy Church have been facing for almost two decades now.  Although the Archdiocese of Delhi was allotted an excellent piece of land to construct the church, due to bureaucratic and other political tussles, the allotment was revoked, and awarded to a group of people with political pull.  After this, the priests of the diocese as well as the parishioners themselves, made all possible effort to obtain an alternate piece of land to build the church.  The good news is that after a long wait, the land has been sanctioned, but the bad news is that the construction is being hampered by the constant escalation of raw material prices, etc.  The Archbishop of Delhi, Dr. Vincent Concessao, has issued an appeal to Catholics and non-Catholics alike to donate whatever they can to help make these parishioners' dream a reality.  The parishioners themselves have each contributed a good portion of their month's salary to fund the construction and have held numerous fundraisers, but it is not enough.

On a recent visit to India, one of our fellow GOA members, Angelica Fernandes, received a letter from Archbishop Concessao requesting help to raise funds for the church.  The letter will soon be posted on our GOA website.  On her behalf, I would like to appeal to your generosity to donate whatever little you can, so that the same can be sent to the Divine Mercy Parish from the Goan Overseas Association in Washington DC. Please feel free to ask Angelica any questions you may have regarding this appeal.  May God Bless you and your families for your generous gesture.

Contact Information for Angelica Fernandes
Email: Afernandes1@worldbank.org
Phone (home): (301) 460-5657

Sincerely,
Manuel Fernandes
President of the Goan Overseas Association
Washington, DC