Friar Suppliers

Posted By admin on July 21, 2012

Beans

Beans are tightly packed into empty host containers and the lids taped securely for easy shipping.

Hollis and Thomas

Hollis and Thomas fill host containers.

Shipping Containers.

These are the containers that get packed with clothes, medical supplies and food. We stuff them to the gills.

Dan and Charlie

Dan and Charlie discuss logistics as the morning heats up.

Ben

Ben gets to the bottom of a packing issue.

Heavy

This containers, when full, weigh well over 100 pounds. It takes a lot of muscle to load them in the car.

Happy Helpers

Hannah, Hyacinth, Erin and Hope take a quick water break before getting back to work.

The ladies

Some lovely ladies joined us for the first time and we were so happy to have their cheerful assistance.

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Posted By admin on July 1, 2012

Dear Friars, Sisters, and Friar Suppliers:

In Christ is all freedom:  let us give thanks and praise!

July 4^th we celebrate our nation’s independence and freedom.  What is this “independence and freedom?”  Do we still have it as an individual or as a nation?  Truly, we can see that we have drifted very far from what our fore-fathers intended in 1776.

We have to remember that freedom is not an achievement or a right, but first of all, a gift from God.  True freedom is based on natural law and comes from God Himself.  We all know the 10 commandments.  That is what is meant by natural law.  If we obey the natural laws and the 10 commandments, the result is freedom.  In Galatians 5:123-14, St. Paul sums it up this way:

You were called for freedom, brothers.  But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love.  For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’.

Does this sound like America today?  In America we have become narcissistic; freedom is seen as a license to do whatever we want with our own bodies: consume as much food, alcohol, drugs, pornography, TV, and video games as we want; kill whomever is an inconvenience; and seek sexual gratification at any expense.  Did you know that America has the highest rate of depression in the world?  Are you surprised?  All

this “freedom” to do what we want with our bodies, has made us a sick nation.  Americans, by and large, are “numb”, unable to recognize evil anymore.  Americans have become deaf and dumb — unable and/or unwilling to hear the truth.  Sin has deadened the minds and souls of our nation.  Americans have become slaves of sin.

Can we fix it?  Is it too late?  I believe we can fix it “if” enough of us resist the culture of our day by leading holy lives.  Modeling chastity in our state in life, speaking up, and defending and teaching the truth with mercy and compassion (most important).  We must not be forced to keep our religious expression confined to church on Sundays.

God is raising up holy leaders like Cardinal Dolan and our bishops to lead us into battle.  Let us get behind them!  Let us not be afraid to engage the culture.  Remember, we have God on our side.  Jesus promised us persecution in this life, not happiness; so let us not shrink from it.  Let us put on the “Armor of God.”  Pick up our rosary as our weapon of choice and engage the culture rather than shrink and hide from the challenge.

I would like to encourage all of you to take up the challenge to change America.  Start by going to mass on July 4^th, and commit yourself to a rosary for America everyday; live the truth and preach the gospel without compromise.  Do not be afraid.

“For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1).

Our nurse had a wonderful week serving the sick in Haiti.   You can read about it in the enclosed letter by Maryann Scherl our head nurse.

Charlie did a lot of extra shopping for the Friars and Sisters in June to replenish some very needed items.  Thanks to the generosity of you, the Friar Suppliers, Charlie purchased not only all their monthly food, but also towels (89 bath, 77 hand, 77 kitchen and 48 wash clothes), 25 sets of twin sheets, 24 corn brooms, 5 hard bristle wide brooms (for outside), and 27 soft bristle wide brooms for inside, and 15 new floor mops for the friaries and convents.  We cleaned out the BJ’s in Levittown, Farmingdale, and Deer Park!

Charlie got a great deal on coffee last month, with coupons, he saved $2.75 on each of 100 cans of coffee – That is a savings of $275.00!

Charlie tries very hard to always stretch the dollars that you give him.  He is very careful about spending your money, and never takes it for granted.  We are so grateful.

Father Louis is the servant at St. Crispin’s Friary.  Here is a list of things they need if you have them and can donate:

1. push lawn mower
2. wood tongue and groove flooring (It can be old and used.)
3. a minivan
4. three dozen sinners for Fr. Louis to convert (so send in your prayer request for family and friends who need prayers for conversion Fr. Louis said he will get right on it . HE MUST HAVE A LOT OF EXTRA TIME!

St. Anthony’s shelter for homeless men run by the Friars, has a “wish list”.  If any of you would like to help out by donating, here is the list:

• Rosetta Stone Language Programs

1. English as a Second Language/ESL
2. Spanish

• Crucifix (good condition, medium/large size)
• Statues of the El Divino Nino (The Child Jesus), St. Anthony, and St. Martin De Porres.

• Teaching DVD’s on addiction recovery, the Bible, and theology
• Lap top computer
• English and Spanish Catholic Bibles
• Metro Cards
• 16 Small wall clocks
• Pillows and twin size sheets
• Bath towels
• Blue drying towels for the kitchen
• Gift Cards for any of these:  C town, Metro grocery store, Shop Rite, Pathmark

You can call them if you want:

Office       -      (718)993-5161

Director    -      (917)826-1212

Fax:          -      (718)993-4754

HOLD THE DATE:

Friar Supplier Picnic – September 9th

Our next food-packing day will be on Saturday, July 14^th, @ 10 am.  Please call if you plan on coming.

Please remember to write your checks out to:

“Friar Suppliers” and mail them by July 15^th, to:

Friar Suppliers

108 N. Greene Avenue

Lindenhurst, NY  11757-4153

Let us defend Life, Marriage, and our Religious Liberty!

Pray the Rosary and

God Bless America!!!

Jesus, we trust in you,

Joan & Charlie Moran

Eileen & Rich Garbe

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Posted By admin on June 1, 2012

Dear Friars, Sisters, and Friar Suppliers:

“Strong is His love for us; he is faithful for ever.”

A couple of weeks ago, I came across a reading in the “Liturgy of the Hours” which must have been written a long, long time ago.  It impressed me so much because it speaks for all time.  It is entitled, “From a letter to Diognetus,” (I am sorry, I do not know the guy.) and its subheading is, “The Christian in the world”.  I would like to share it with you.

The author starts out by describing Christians as indistinguishable from others, in regards to nationality, language or customs.  They follow the same customs of wherever they live.  I will quote the rest:

Taken from:  The Liturgy of Hours. Volume II, pp. 840-842.

And yet there is something extraordinary about their lives.  They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through.  They play their full role as citizens, but labor under all the disabilities of aliens.  Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country.  Like others, they marry and have children, but they do not expose them.  They share their meals, but not their wives. They live in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh.  They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven.  Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law.

Christians love all men, but all men persecute them.  Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death, but raised to life again.  They live in poverty, but enrich many; they are totally destitute, but possess an abundance of everything.  They suffer dishonor, but that is their glory.  They are defamed, but vindicated.  A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult.  For the good they do they receive the punishment of malefactors, but even then they rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life.  They are attacked by the Jews as aliens, they are persecuted by the Greeks, yet no one can explain the reason for this hatred.

To speak in general terms, we may say that the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body.  As the soul is present in every part of the body, while remaining distinct from it, so Christians are found in all the cities of the world, but cannot be identified with the world.  As the visible body contains the invisible soul, so Christians are seen living in the world, but their religious life remains unseen.  The body hates the soul and wars against it, not because of any injury the soul has done it, but because of the restriction the soul places on its pleasures.  Similarly, the world hates the Christians, not because they have done it any wrong, but because they are opposed to its enjoyments.

Christians love those who hate them just as the soul loves the body and all its members despite the body’s hatred.  It is by the soul, enclosed within the body, that the

body is held together, and similarly, it is by the Christians, detained in the world as in a prison, that the world is held together.  The soul, though immortal, has a mortal dwelling place; and Christians also live for a time amidst perishable things, while awaiting the freedom from change and decay that will be theirs in heaven.  As the soul benefits from the deprivation of food and drink, so Christians flourish under persecution.  Such is the Christian’s lofty and divinely appointed function, from which he is not permitted to excuse himself.

I thought this reading was good food-for- thought for this month’s reflection.  The life of a Christian has not changed in these modern times.  Ask yourself, if you were arrested for being a Christian, would they have any evidence to accuse you with?

Doing food shopping for the Friars and Sisters for some 18 years, we always find the month of May the most challenging.  With Mother’s Day happening in our florist and Ordinations and vows happening with the Friars and Sisters, and First Communions on Saturdays in May.  Finding time to do the shopping, food-packing, sorting, newsletter, and pick ups and deliveries are a challenge every May for everyone who is involved.  Amazingly, it always works out and the job gets done.  Thanks to all our faithful volunteers and all who juggle their schedules around to squeeze it in.

We thank all of you for your faithful commitment to helping Friar Suppliers through your donations and volunteer help!

Thank you donors for the portable TV’s, and VCR/DVD’s for the Sisters to use for their formation.  They are very grateful.

If this letter gets to you on time, remember you are all invited to attend the final vows of 5 of the Sisters on Saturday, June 2, @ 2pm at Our Lady of Good Counsel, 90^th Street, NYC (between 2^nd and 3^rd Avenues).

Congratulations, love and prayers to our sisters!

Haiti News:

On May 27th, a group of nurses returned to Haiti for one week to continue caring for the sick whom they have been treating for three years now.  They bring medicine and comfort to those most vulnerable.  Keep them in your prayers, and please continue to support our Haiti mission.

During the month of July, we will pack rice and beans here at our house in Lindenhurst on every Saturday in July, and ship it all to Haiti.  If you would like to help, call Chris Volpe at 631-842-8551.  This is a fun job for kids to do.  Kids love to scoop and pour rice and beans.

June is the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Feast of Corpus Christi.  Maybe you can find a little extra time to spend in Adoration.  If we only understood how much Jesus loves us, we would fall to our knees with tears of humble gratitude.

Our next food-packing day will be on Saturday, June 16^th, @ 10 am.  Please call if you plan on coming.

Please remember to write your checks out to:

“Friar Suppliers” and mail them by June 15^th, to:

Friar Suppliers

108 N. Greene Avenue

Lindenhurst, NY  11757-4153

Remember to send us your prayer requests on the enclosed index card.  We forward them to the Friars or Sisters when we deliver the food.  They promise to pray for your needs.

Jesus, we trust in you,

Joan & Charlie Moran

Eileen & Rich Garbe

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Posted By admin on May 1, 2012

Dear Friars, Sisters, and Friar Suppliers:

Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to God, for the Lord our God the almighty reigns, alleluia.

Spring has sprung, and while still in the Easter season, we look forward to the Feast of the Ascension and Pentecost.  All the while, we reflect on Mary’s Month of May.  What can be more pure than the heart of Mary?  Consider the purity of Mary; never an unkind thought, never any jealousy, resentment or selfish desire.  This kind of purity only comes from the absence of original sin. “ Blessed are the pure of heart, they shall see God.”  Even in a child we can observe the effects of original sin, but not in Mary.

When I was a young child in second grade, it was always fun to pick the peonies growing in my yard during May and bring them to Sister to place in front of the Blessed Mother statue in our classroom.  However, even as a young child I confess that my intentions were not purely out of love for the Blessed Mother or Sister Francis Assumpta.  My young devious heart had two desires; one was to “butter up” the teacher so that she would like me, and the other plan was to retaliate for all the discomfort she caused me by strict discipline and “forcing” me to learn.  And so, I chose the prettiest peonies I could find with the most “ants” on them to present proudly to my teacher.  What a little phony I was already at 7 years old!

Purity of heart is probably the hardest virtue to acquire.  Obviously, it is for me!  I have been working at it for a long time.  There are four battles to be fought in doing so:

1. Choosing to do the right thing for the right reason.  Sound easy?  Look at #2.

1. Dying to ourselves by stifling our evil inclinations.  This is the hardest because of our original sin.  This is the battle that divides the sinners from the saints.  This is why so many saints have been so particularly hard on themselves, with fasting, prayer, and penance.  There is no other way to “beat” it out of ourselves.  We have to do combat with ourselves our whole life long.

1. Accepting humiliation.  Because no matter how pure our intentions are, someone else may misjudge our intentions and cause us suffering.  This is good reparation for all the times our hearts are not pure with holy intentions.  We should take it willingly even if we do not deserve it.

1. We have to completely trust in the mercy of God, which we know we do not deserve.  God loves us and sees how hard we struggle.  We can depend on His mercy.

Jesus says:  “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.”

Oh Jesus, create a clean heart in me oh God.

Achieving purity of heart is a lifelong battle for all of us.  By emulating the Blessed Mother and by asking for her help we can make progress in this worthy virtue.  During the month

of May, let us all try to imitate Our Lady, mediate on her purity of heart and put it into practice in our lives.  We will all be a step closer to sainthood.

May and June is a beautiful time of year to celebrate; Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and most especially the sacraments of First Holy Communion, Confirmations, marriages, and holy Orders and religious vows.  Our Church is so rich with sacramental life.  We are so blessed!

This May the Friars look forward to the ordination of one of their Brothers; Brother John Paul.  Antoine Ouellette, CFR, will be ordained to the Holy Priesthood.  What a blessing and joy to receive a new priest!  His ordination will be on Saturday, May 19^th, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  Fr. John Paul will say his first Mass on Sunday, May 20^th @ 9 am at St. Adelbert’s Church, 420 East 156^th Street, Bronx.  All are invited to his first Mass.  RSVP:  Br. Giles fjpcfr@gmail.com or call 1-914-968-6200 ext. 88016.  Say a prayer of thanksgiving for Father John Paul.

The CFR sisters are proud to announce that five of their sisters will profess final vows on Saturday, June 2^nd, @ 2 pm at Our Lady of Good Council Church, 230 E 90^th Street, NYC (between 2^nd and 3^rd Aves.).  Remember these sisters in your prayers:  Sr. Monica, Sr. Francesca, Sr. Mary Pieta, Sr. Joseph, and Sr. Maria Theresa.

Congratulations to Fr. John Paul and to the Sisters, and thank you for answering “the call.”  God bless you always!

The Sisters are in need of a VCR-DVD player to use for watching formation tapes.  If you have one you do not need, please consider donating it to sisters.  Give us a call or drop it off at our house (631-226-0015).

Thank you, to all of our faithful packers and volunteers who give their time to help us with the many jobs involved in Friar Suppliers.  We know so many of you wish you could help, but live too far away.  We know you are here in spirit and sustain us in prayer.  That is why we send out this newsletter each month, so that we all feel connected as Friar Suppliers.  Each one of you is important to us.  The Friars and Sisters pray for all the Friar Suppliers and their intentions every day.  Thank you all.

Haiti News:  Since the January mission trip, ten houses have been built for families where at least one member is blind; thanks to a very generous donor and Charlie’s faith that it could be done. These poor families were living in small tents since the earthquake.  Not anymore!!

Remember to check our website once and a while for interesting information.  Friarsuppliers.com

Our next food-packing day will be on Saturday, May 19^th, @ 10 am.  Please call if you plan on coming.

Please remember to write your checks out to:

“Friar Suppliers” and mail them by May 15^th, to:

Friar Suppliers

108 N. Greene Avenue

Lindenhurst, NY  11757-4153

Remember to send us your prayer requests on the enclosed index card.  We forward them to the Friars or Sisters when we deliver the food.  They promise to pray for your needs.

Jesus, we trust in you,

Joan & Charlie Moran

Eileen & Rich Garbe

EMAIL ADDRESSES

I currently am sending out this letter also via email. If you do not receive it,  is because I do NOT HAVE a valid email address for you. Please PRINT your email address and mail it with your donation, and I will add you to that list so that you receive your letter earlier. Remember please PRINT it. I have received some addresses but if they are wrong they bounce back as undeliverable. Thanks  Charlie.

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Posted By admin on March 12, 2012

Watch Charlie Moran speak with Fr. Groeschel about this year’s trip to Haiti

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Posted By admin on March 8, 2012

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Posted By admin on February 1, 2012

Dear Friars, Sisters, and Friar Suppliers: “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you do to me.” Love, it’s all about love.  God is love.  In the January 1-14, 2012, edition of The Catholic Register, I read an article written by a former atheist, Frank Cronin, entitled, “Atheism and the Myth of Love”, (p. 7).  I would like to share some of his thoughts, and a few of my own, on love. A true atheist would say that love is no more than a biochemical sensation or a personal experience, or an instinctual adaptive response necessary for our survival (i.e. a product of evolution).  To an atheist, love is not real beyond what we experience.  Think of what humans would be without love’s reality?  To be fully human, is to love.  Love is in our nature.  Without love, we are a shell of selfishness and self-interest!  Love is the very core of our being.  How can this be a godless, empty, silent, purposeless universe and still there be love?  It cannot be.  To acknowledge love’s reality, is to admit to God’s existence.  Love is the most obvious, most unmistakeable proof of God’s existence. Frank Cronin writes: Love is common sense, a common sensation, a common truth.  Love is real, and we know it.  We know it in our bones and in our being.  Love is real. If love is real, it must have a source, a cause.  For it to be really “real’, it must be more than just simple sensation, otherwise it is just a passing thought, impulse or experience. Frank Cronin says in the article” The love we feel and live and share has a perfection we all recognize.  And this perfection reflects the source, the cause, the embodiment of love.  Just as we know the universe has a first cause, so too must love have a first cause.  Just as our reasoning must have a reality and cause outside the sensory universe, so too must love have a reality and a cause outside the physical world.  That source of love is God.  Love is God’s very nature. When we love, we bear the image of God. Today I was talking to Fr. Conrad on the telephone.  He was telling me some “God” stories.  (True life experiences that reflect the presence of God.) He told me about a poor, homeless man in the Bronx who collects bottles and cans for a living and how he frequently comes to the Friary to ask for prayers (not money).  This simple soul goes about his day talking to people about God.  He is a genuine street evangelist!  He witnesses and reflects the presence of God by the way he loves. Another story Fr. Conrad told me was about a fellow living at St. Anthony’s Residence, who felt so loved by the Friars because when the men returned to their rooms on Christmas Eve after mass, they found Christmas presents.  He described his joy as something he had not felt since he was a child. Another St. Anthony resident expressed that his own family never remembers his birthday and how loved he feels by this simple remembrance from the Friars. Fr. Conrad told me how all the men at St. Anthony’s Residence talk all the time about how special a place the St. Anthony’s Residence is because God is there; they feel His presence; they feel the love.  These men, who have felt nothing but rejection, are amazed that there are actually people living the gospel of Christ, loving and reflecting the image of God! Love is real, there is no doubt about it. God is.  And He is love. “Friar Suppliers” is an example of the living presence of God because love is so visible in this ministry.  In this ministry of serving the Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Renewal and our ongoing ministry to the poor of Haiti, we strive to reflect the love of God.  We, all of us, are His image bearers. We know you are anxiously waiting to hear all about the Haiti mission trip.  As I write this letter on January 4^th, we are still a week before the trip.  This letter has to be printed and ready for envelope stuffing by our packers on packing day – Saturday, January 7^th.  Charlie and the other 30 people will be leaving for Haiti on January 10^th, and 12^th, and returning on January 19^th.  Watch our website, www.Friarsuppliers.com.  We will try to post updates and photos as soon as we can.  You will hear all about the mission trip in our March newsletter. On January 1, EWTN aired Fr. Groeschel’s Prime with Charlie and Br. Crispin.  The show was a big success, and donations for Haiti are still coming in.  You can see it on u-tube at our www.friarsupplier.com website. Thank you, Friar Suppliers, for all your help throughout the year.  Your donations sustain and encourage vocations.  Your donations support those Friars and Sisters who work so closely with the poor. “Whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for Me.” Our next food-packing day will be Saturday, February 4^th, from 10 am – 12 noon.  It is early this month because of Valentine’s Day in our florist — it would interfere otherwise.  Please remember to call if you plan to attend (631-226-6060). Please remember to write your checks out to: “Friar Suppliers” and mail them only to: Friar Suppliers 108 No. Greene Avenue Lindenhurst, NY  11757-4153 Please remember to send in your prayer request card along with your February donation by February 15^th, 2012. Jesus, we trust in you, Joan & Charlie Moran Eileen & Rich Garbe P.S.: If anyone needs a power wheelchair, we have someone who will donate it to you.  We cannot send it to Haiti, so it is up for grabs to anyone who could use it.  Please call Eleanor at (516)909-6340.

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Posted By admin on January 2, 2012

Well I can’t believe that in 12 days we will be leaving for Haiti! There will be 25 Missionary’s going on this trip. The details have been enormous on this trip. I don’t know why. You would think that after all these years of me doing this I’d have it down to a science. The amount of people helping on this trip is amazing. I need to thank the Barrett Family for going above and beyond. Katie and Erin took on the job of setting up for us a mailing list just for Haiti donors. Sounds like a small job but when you figure that they had to type over 600 names into their computer and then figure out if there were duplicates and then delete them and only save the current names so that the list would be accurate. Dave Barrett oversaw the whole project and made sure that they did a GREAT JOB! Thanks Katie, Erin and Dave I don’t know what I would have done without you!

On December 2 I went to St Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers for the taping of the Fr Benedicts TV show. Br Crispin who went on last year’s trip joined me. Father Benedict was real pleased with our work last year and this year he gave us a HUGE PLUG on the air. The show will air on Sunday January 8, 2012 at 7pm. So check your station for the correct channel. The only disappointing part was that it is airing 4 days before we leave. His audience last year was very generous so this year I know donations will come in but it won’t be until the time we are in Haiti.

Our nurses have been counting medicines and repackaging drugs so that they are easier to dispense during the trip. Pat Mctigue who is the senior Nurse for this trip is overseeing it. We have 3 Doctors and 7 nurses and nurse Practioners along with Sr Ann Kateri and Sr Guadalupe.

In the Construction crew we have all of last years guys plus 2 new ones. All are working so hard to make this years trip a success. Fr Herald Brock will be the senior CFR Priest, Br Crispin, Br Pierre Toussaint and Br John Mary will also be on our trip. Leslie Small will be coming again. Leslie was our “ANGEL” back in 2010 after the earthquake. He did the welding work. Thanks Leslie for joining us.

I want to thank all who have taken our monthly challenges and have been sending us checks for the trip. Every one of you has made a difference! As I think about the trip I think about life without a bathroom! Building the bathrooms is actually a two-fold process. Since the earthquake Cholera has been found in some parts of Haiti. For a while it was spreading and killing many Haitians. In the town that we serve, Carrefour, the cholera has not been a huge problem. Cholera is an air-born disease. Proper sanitation can help reduce the spread of Cholera. That’s why we are building the bathrooms. To see a picture of the bathrooms < outhouses> go to our website to see the pictures. It will be under the January 2012 Haiti letter.

If you have not helped us yet I ask you to PLEASE don’t hesitate and send us your check immediately. No one deserves to live like a Haitian. You know that I can make your money go a long way. We have no overhead. All the money raised goes straight for the project. A very generous family even sponsored all the air fare money for the Friars and Sisters. Each Missionary going on the trip is helping.

Please pray for us! Ask your Family and friends to help us financially so that the trip is a success. Please keep my wife Joan in your prayers while I’m in Haiti. If it wasn’t for her I would not be going. She is watching over our store while I’m there.

If you have any questions please call me at 631-226-0015

Yours truly in Christ Name,

CHARLIE MORAN

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Posted By admin on January 1, 2012

Dear Friars, Sisters, and Friar Suppliers:

Peace be with you!  And with your spirit!

I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful season of Christmas with your family and friends in good health of mind, body, and soul.

Here we are, ready or not, to begin a new year.   Our Holy Father has proclaimed this new year of 2012 as a year of “faith”.  Faith is so precious that it is considered a gift from God.  Infused in our souls at baptism, faith requires an action on our part.  As with all virtues, we have to use our God- given free wills to accept faith and to develop it, nurture it, and keep it going.  Left unattended, it is like a lamp that runs out of oil.

Faith does not come from reason.  We can never prove the existence of God or any truth of our faith.  Faith comes from trust.  Trust comes from experience.  An infant learns that when she cries, her mother feeds her.  A child will jump out a window of a burning building into the darkness and into his father’s arms because he hears his father and trusts that Dad will catch him.  Children have faith in their parents because they have learned to trust in their parents from the experiences they have had which are consistent and never failing.   The same goes with our relationship with God.  Our trust in God comes from our experience of knowing His constant and never-failing love for us.  This is why we call it a “gift from God.” We have faith in those whom we trust.  The more we trust God, the greater our faith.  The more we experience God’s consistent and unfailing love, the greater our trust, which will increase our faith.

Many people lack faith because they are not aware of this consistent and never-failing loving presence of God in their lives.  They live their lives in the pursuit of happiness, rather than in the pursuit of the source of happiness, that being the one who gave them life in the first place.

Great faith comes from great trust.  Great trust comes from the awareness of the presence of a loving creator.  In 2012, dear Friar Suppliers; seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

In just a few more days on January 10^th, my husband, Charlie, and 5 others will be off to Haiti to make the final preparations for a mission trip which will begin when the other 20 arrive on January 12^th.  There are 6 Friars, 2 sisters, 7 nurses, 3 doctors, and 10 carpenters who are going.  Each person contributing a minimum of $2,000 for this trip which barely covers the cost for their food, lodging, transportation, security and translators.  All the money for the building supplies, medical supplies, medicine, food for the poor, and salaries for the Haitian workers come from donations from family, friends of the people going, Friar Suppliers, churches, organizations and other contributors through the efforts of everyone fund-raising.

For the past three months, I have been listening to and observing all the preparations that are going on: e-mails (back and forth), shopping, begging, fundraising, and shipping of medicine and provisions to Haiti.  Mission trips do not just happen; there is a lot to consider and a lot of preparation and organization that goes into them.

On January 8^th, on EWTN at 7 pm, Charlie and Br. Crispin will be on Fr. Groeschel’s, Sunday Night Prime program (Channels:  Cable: 135, DISH: 261, Direct: 370, Verizon: 285.  You can go on the computer to EWTN’s channel guide for more information.)  I am sure you will want to watch this on your TV or computer.  You will hear Charlie and Br. Crispin describe their experience in Haiti and detail their plans for this trip.

Please pray for our missionaries while they are in Haiti from January 10-19.  Pray for their safety and for their success in helping the people in Haiti while they are there.  They will be treating the sick, feeding the hungry, and building at least 100 sanitation facilities (outhouses) in the community where there is no sanitation, no running water, and no electric.  Please help us with your prayers and financial donations which are so needed.  Charlie needs to raise $80,000 for this trip.  So far he has raised about $30,000.  Please help us in any way you can.

Our monthly work of shopping for food for the Friars and Sisters continues to be a great help to the CFR community.  Many of the OLPH Confirmandi students are doing their service hours each month by helping with food packing and the mailing of our newsletters, and by running “food drives” in the neighborhood for the poor that the CFR’s provide for.  It is amazing how many people help as Friar Suppliers!  We thank God for all of you!  You are always in our prayers!  Thank you so much!  So much!

Next month we will be able to tell you all about the trip to Haiti.  It is so exciting!   Do you feel the same excitement and anticipation that we do? You are all so much apart of it, even if you can’t go.  I never get to go, but I get just as excited as everyone else.  The anticipation is exciting! Helping the poor is so much fun and so rewarding. We can all be missionaries!!!

Our next food-packing day will be Saturday, January  7^th, from 10 am – 12 noon.  Please remember to call if you plan to attend.

Please remember to write your checks out to:

“Friar Suppliers” and mail them only to:

Friar Suppliers

108 No. Greene Avenue

Lindenhurst, NY  11757-4153

Please remember to send in your prayer request card along with your January donation by January 15^th, 2012.

We wish you and your family, a Blessed, Happy, and Healthy New Year!

Jesus, we trust in you,

Joan & Charlie Moran

Eileen & Rich Garbe

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Posted By admin on December 2, 2011

Earthquake- Hurricane- Cholera- and the January Trip

Im sure that you are all aware of what is going on in Haiti. It seems to get worse as each month goes by. In the days leading up to the Hurricane that hit Haiti I spoke with Fr Leandre twice. He was so worried because he didn’t have a place to hold ALL of his parishioners. He was worried about how much rainfall he was going to get and what was he going to do if more damage was done to his Church. I just let him talk and then said to him that Friar Suppliers would be back in January and that we would help in any way we could. Father immediately relaxed. I know that his order prays for all the Friar Suppliers every night. Father knows that you do not give of your excess but that you give of what you need to live on. He is very much aware that we are not millionaires, but that we are middle class Americans that care very much about his Community and his parishioners. After the hurricane he called to say that it was not as bad as he thought it was going to be and that he had no damage to the Church at all. The problem he did have was that the water was 3 feet deep in most of the village!!! As an American we would be screaming with 3 inches of water in our house. Can you imagine 3 feet of water? Most of the houses in Fathers villages have blue tarps. A lot of those tore in half. Some could not be found because of the 60 mile an hour winds. He said his Church was full of people during the storm. They were all in there to pray that they would be safe. And yes God answered their prayer and everyone in Fathers village was ok. Their houses are a different story.

Our trip from January 13-20 2011 has had so many God stories I could not remember them all. As of today we have 27 people going on the trip. 6 CFR Priest, Brothers and Sisters, 2 Doctors and 8 RN’s and 11 men to help rebuild the houses.

In fact of the 3 men that are coming on the trip I actually met 3 of them on my visit to see my daughter Grace while in Austria. I find myself always trying to help Friar Suppliers so while on the trip I told everyone on the trip <15 families were there> about our June 2011 trip. It was amazing that all 3 men coming, Alan, Bernie and Greg all asked me on the same day if they could come. The best of all is that they all have some sort of carpenter skills. I could not have asked for any more! Even when they asked me I gave them each a series of questions to see if they would fit in within the guidelines’ that I have set up to go on a trip like this. Each one answered all my questions successfully enough to come on the trip.

In order to make this trip successful I need help from everyone. All of the men and women coming on the trip have to do some sort of fundraising. I’m finding it harder and harder to get it all done myself. This trip has a very high budget because of the cost of the medicine that we have to purchase and because of the number of homes that need repair. My goal is to raise $60,000.00. I know that that is a huge amount of money but I think it is attainable.

In talking to Father I realize that we might not be able to fix all the houses in his village. He estimates that we can do about 4-5 house a day. Each house needs about 20 pieces of sheet metal, at $9.00US each plus we need to build a frame to mount it to. Total cost per house is $210.00+-. He said that some houses will need some concrete work but he said that is real cheap. In addition to fixing the houses I will also do a food handout sometime during the week. It’s what Friar Suppliers is all about so doing a food handout just seems natural. In June we did one and it was done very orderly. We had people sign up for it. After we handed the food out to all of those on the list then we gave food to every else on the ever growing line. By the grace of God we fed everyone on the line something. No body left without food. It was like the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. Everyone that was handing out food could not believe that we had enough. God is so good!!

I would like to thank each of you who accepted my November challenge and sent to Friar Suppliers what you would spend on a dessert for Thanksgiving. Your generosity is very much appreciated.

For December I would like to focus on what it would be like if you lived in a house without a roof. Can you imagine trying to sleep under the skies each night because your home has no roof? Now try and imagine what it would be like to sleep with a tarp on your roof, which leaks! Now picture being in that same house with a tarp that leaks during a hurricane! I’m sure that’s unimaginable. I know for myself it is. Could you help us by paying for a house to be re-roofed or for any portion of one? My biggest fear is that while I’m there that I’m going to have to tell some poor people that I can’t fix their house because I ran out of money. I currently have Father counting the number of homes in his little village with how many pieces of sheet metal each one needs. I’ll have that info by your next letter. But for know we can all focus on Christmas. Can you imagine how it was for Christ to be born in a manger under the sky? That’s how Haitian’s are living 2000 years later! I really need your help!

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