Yours is a heart open to the world!

Thank you for opening your heart to our Franciscan missionaries and the poor, suffering people we serve throughout our world. Together with us, you make miracles happen in their lives.

I trust in the kindness and openness of your heart as I write to you to seek your ongoing support for our friars serving the poor flood victims in Madhavaram, India.

This is a part of the world where many people live in extreme poverty. They seem to experience more than their share of natural disasters.

Cyclone Michaung’s Destruction

Just a few months ago, on December 4, Cyclone Michaung plowed into India’s eastern coast as a severe storm, bringing heavy rainfall and high winds that were blamed for at least 17 deaths. The storm had sustained winds of 55 to 60 miles per hour, with more powerful gusts.

The cyclone churned over the Bay of Bengal for days before making landfall. Authorities evacuated 41 thousand people from coastal and low-lying areas. They were moved to relief camps to minimize casualties.

Heavy rains inundated low-lying areas around the city of Chennai, where Madhavaram is located. High winds brought down trees and power and communication lines, causing widespread outages and disruptions.

The Cooum River and surrounding lakes overflowed their banks, flooding many of the low-lying areas where the poor live. The flood waters have receded, but for the poor, the ordeal is not over.

Before the storm, many of the people worked as day laborers or had to beg for money to feed their families. Currently, those opportunities do not exist. People have returned home and are struggling to repair their homes and feed their families.

The Need

After the storm, our friars began immediately to provide the flood victims with hot meals and what supplies the friars could afford. But the need is overwhelming.

Father Michael Anand, OFM and our other missionary friars serving at St. Sebastian Friary in Madhavaram have submitted an emergency request for additional funding of $18,970 to help them ease the suffering of 1,200 families with relief supplies.

It only costs $10 to provide an emergency relief package per family, and it only costs $27 to provide a temporary tarp roof.

The friars want to provide each family with a relief package containing rice, canned goods, bottled water, medicines, blankets, and clothing. The food packets will feed a family for 10 days!

They also want to distribute tarps for temporary roofing. The friars hope to replace some of the books and school supplies that the children lost in the flooding.

They Need Our Help Today

But Fr. Michael and our missionary friars do not have the resources to do this alone. They need our help!

Do you see why your support is needed now so urgently?

I am inviting you to open your heart one more time by joining us in sending desperately needed relief funds for the victims of this natural disaster.

Will you please join with Fr. Michael and our other missionary friars at St. Sebastian Friary in Madhavaram, India, to ease the suffering of these flood victims?

Please Donate – Select [24A2IF] Chennai India Flood relief

God bless you for caring so deeply for children and families suffering in our time.

Your brother in Christ,

Brother Andrew Brophy, OFM

Executive Director

P.S. Please be as generous today as your heart leads you and your resources allow. God will remember you for your compassion to the poor in the missions.