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Dear Friends of St Canisius Parish, Berlin

Warm Greetings to you all from Sunny Vijayawada! Hope these few lines of mine would find you well during these pandemic times.
At the outset, I thank God for the gift of you as a community of collaborators for our mission of YES-J. Here I wish to update you about the recent happenings here and the current status of the project.

COVID-19 SITUATION: Right now, we are not anymore under strict lockdown. People go around doing their regular activities. Yet, some restrictions over the education institutions, religious and political gatherings etc prevail. Though life seems normal, new affected cases are added daily. Lockdown can be no more an option as things are going out of hand due to poverty and hunger etc..
After the previous lockdown periods, very many ordinary and poor people and families are struggling to get back to normalcy. We as Jesuits have been trying our best to reach out to the needy in all areas of life. On our campus at Andhra Loyola College, we partially opened the college. We are not sure, how long we would be in this situation. We hope for the best! So far, we are safe by God’s grace and protection.

CONSTRUCTION OF YES-J CENTRE: I am very glad to bring to your notice that amidst many challenges and pandemic times of 2020, God has been very gracious to us in starting off the construction of YES-J Centre. The visit of Fr Kraemer SJ (who blessed the site) along with Marie and Ann-Kristin in January 2020 was indeed a blessing to us. They represented you all fittingly, I must say.
Ever since, I worked on the needed details of the project: sought permissions from civil authorities, got the approval from Fr General, Rome, identified right builders, procured the sufficient funds etc… I managed to do these important things at the peak of lockdown period. When all of these were ready, on 08th September in the presence of Most Rev. Joseph Raja Rao, Bishop of Vijayawada, Fr K A Stanislaus, SJ, Provincial of Andhra Jesuit Province along with the local Jesuit Community members we laid the foundation stone for the construction of the centre.
The month of October and November had also hit us hard with heavy rains and floods. In spite of all these hurdles, we have been working hard without wasting anytime. In the second week of this month, we laid the first slab already. Now the curing process and preparation for the second slab is under progress. The displayed photos would give you the visual treat.
So far, we have received 15000 Euros from Sankt Canisius and Forum Jesuiten. This money that you have contributed has been vital in laying the foundation for the building. Thank you very much for your great generosity and support.

PRESENT NEED: I would like to bring to your notice that we have the money to just complete the proposed building. This in itself is a great sign of God’s Providence.
We further now need to work hard to find resources for the furniture and fixtures of the new building, Renovation of the Old building and building 10 toilets adjacent to the old building. The Brochure displayed gives you the details of the items needed.
I cannot but thank enough the great work done by Fr Kraemer SJ along with the Jesuit Community in making this collaboration a reality. It is sad that he is moved from this community. Our loss is someone’s gain! I am sure, he is part of this project wherever he is.

Our thanks are due to the Core Committee of the Project for making every effort in raising the funds for YES-J.
A big thanks to every donor, well wisher and prayerful supporter for your generosity and kindness. Much appreciated!
Through your small gestures and acts of kindness, you certainly are making a difference in the lives of many! God bless you all!
Counting on your continued collaboration and support!

Yours Sincerely
Fr. Bala Bollineni, SJ