Dear everyone – it’s been a while, so a letter today to catch up, even a bit. Hope you are all well. Prayers and respect to all of you. Fr. Joe & all of us here

Good morning. Was up quite early sending seven of our kids back to boarding school. A 10 hour drive – we send them with our own driver and staff; it’s safer that way, and our legal folks can chat personally with the teachers there about our kids legal cases also. This time our lawyer went up with them as a couple of the kids have rather sticky cases, & are good kids & everyone plus the kids themselves want to put the past behind them & begin again.

Crudely said: Remand schools, under the Dept. of Justice. However, actually quite decent schools – out of the way – ( no iron bars or guarded gates ) with teachers who care and proper curriculum where kids can get a good education and at the same time, be kids - & none of the pressures that beat them up here in Klong Toey. Two of the kids are top of their class in Computer Science & Math & - of all things - Capt. & Co-Captain of their official school Tug of War team (which they tell me encourages teamworkthus is a big deal in their school competing with other schools in the area)

The Pope coming to Thailand is an official visit, invited by the Palace & Thai Government, and thus all will be vere dignum et justum est. Klong Toey, and such, will not be included in the visit. It is best for everyone that we keep our heads below the parapets.

Here we are well into the School year: the October vacation (three weeks) finishing now and the enrollment in our slum kindergartens stays about the same, (about two thousand ) although most of the private vis a vi Catholic schools are ‘going under’ and our beloved Catholic Church is rather a ship without a rudder / although Holy Redeemer Church for Sunday masses is packed to the rafters: over 3,500 Holy Communions per week, and standing room only for the TEN masses on Sat. & Sun. As I think told you, I now say regularly the Sunday p.m. English5:30 - Mass. It is a good Community, held together by Fr Wirach, the superior/// without him … oh dear….And he works like a field hand – 3 – 4 funerals a week/ a couple weddings/ CCD on Sunday with over 300 kids/ legion of Mary/ Couples for Christ and etc. and etc. – a hugely busy parish.

As for me, and Mercy Centre. We are still ‘hail fellow, well met.’ And the CSsR are interested – the young men do like what we do. And the Parish is taking an interest, buying into ‘ownership’ - I just hope it’s not a ‘dollar short and a day late’ but I think there I still time. As I think I mentioned before, and you your good self also mentioned, our young men are not interested in walking thru pig pens and slums and rice fields and rural villages – I guess that was for an era of yesteryear.

But I don’t think now, after all these years – a life-time really – I do not think that I was duped or cheated or lied to or fooled. I signed up / promised to serve the poor – to the end – and thus I shall be – if others fall to the way-side or walk different paths – that is their choice…but I keep my slaughter house Klong Toey path as I always have = leading to glory land Leading to the Jubilee.

Most important, the inner workings of Mercy Centre function well: e.g. folks from our different departments actually share with one another, and the account leger books are in order, and no one is cheating, and the kids are in school, and scholarships are being given, and paid for – and our reputation is good everywhere, and we are non political / and we really try to find and help the poorest of the poor, especially slum children, and basically the only way we can help= send them to school, but feed them first. In short, the Poor are being served best as we can. Not perfect, but best as we can. And we treat them with dignity. Or try to.

The day to day situation here is not as calm as one would want it to be,

but as I tell myself daily, IF the Poor will continue to join us, and IF they want our beloved Mercy Centre to carry on my biggest task is to listen to them. That

I was put on this earth sent to serve the slaughter house Catholics to say Mass as devoutly and holy as I can, with my whole heart and soul, And as someone once taught me to read and write and pray, so I should do the same. IF I do that, we not only shall carry on with or without me, but flourish.