By Fr. Christopher Dunn, OFM

Our Lady of Lourdes Parish held its annual Fund Raising Festival on Sunday, Feb 7^th. The all day event included soccer, volleyball, food, games, music, dancing, and a bingo. 7,408 new soles were raised – that comes to about US$2,617. The money will be used to repair the church’s roof, a grotto for the church’s façade and other construction projects.

The parish submitted a project to the local municipal government in Dec 2008 for new sidewalks, curbs, and pavement for the street along the side of the parish’s property and new sidewalks and curbs along the front of the church. Folks from the parish demolished the wall surrounding the exterior of the entranceway in Dec 2008. The project was approved by the municipal government and work began in Oct 2009. Front-end loaders dug-up all the sidewalk and curb that had originally been paid for by the parish over 20 years ago. Three weeks into the project, after demolishing the church’s entranceway, sidewalk and curbing, the contractor advised the parish that the budget approved by the municipal government did not included money for placing new sidewalks and curbs in front of the church. The person that made up the budget proposal had only included money for the street alongside the church. The budget for the front of the church and entranceway only incurred demolition costs. After many days of negotiations with the contractor, the parish and the municipal government, the municipal government refused to recognize any additional costs and was going to leave the main entranceway into the church destroyed when the projected ended just before Christmas 2009. The contractor made a small donation to the parish. But the parish ended up covering the cost of the budget error. The parish sought permission to extend the sidewalk area out onto what would have been part of the lawn area creating a large patio entranceway with two green areas. The area is now covered with stone rather than cement creating beautiful patio entranceway. As more funds become available, a grotto with a mosaic image of Our Lady of Lourdes will be place in the corner.

62 high school students and young adults made their Confirmation in January 2010. Recently ordained auxiliary bishop Guillermo Abanto making his first trip to the Archdioceses of Lima’s southern shanty town area presided. Approximately 250 children made their First Communion in November and December at the end of the school year in the main church and the chapel.

The parish council decided to begin to place more emphasis on celebrating the 12 days of Christmas in Dec 2008. This year the parish sponsored 4 Christmas programs through the 12 days Christmas season. The programs included a live nativity play, hot chocolate, fruit cake and gifts. Two of the programs also included a concert by a popular Catholic singer to incorporate an evangelization component in the parties.

My mother (81 years old) and nephew will be in Peru for a week, 12-19 FEB. While she has traveled extensively in the States by car and train, it will be my mother’s first time on a plane.

The first week of Jan the head of St Anthony’s Guild (our Province’s fund raising organization) was in Peru for a week. The auxiliary bishop was here for Confirmation Jan 31. The Visitation General was here for a week, Feb 1-6. Once every six years the General appoints a friar to review each apostolate and each friar in preparation for the election of a new Provincial. The parish annual fund raising festival was Feb 7^th. So it has been a very, very busy summer so far. Plus I am trying to find time to do the year-end financial reports.