Summer/Fall 2022
Baby Isacah’s
Rosary Mission
The rosaries
have arrived!
Our Rosary Mission in memory of Baby Iscah has been extremely popular. Iscah’s parents are working with the Rector of the Catholic Cathedral in Faisalabad and he is very excited about our program. Our shipment of 2500 rosaries just arrived and we have provided prayer booklets in Urdu.
A Note of thanks from Fr. Shafiq Bashir
I’m really very thankful to you for doing so big favour to me by sending rosaries for the faithful of my parish. The shrine of Mother Mary’s construction in my parish is still going on and relying on the divine providence it will hopefully be completed in two months time.
We will have it’s solemn blessing on 9th October, 2022 and His Excellency Bishop Indrias Rehmat, the Bishop of Faisalabad Diocese will perform the Rite. We have three day annual celebration in the honour of Mother Mary.
I pray for your ministry and service you are rendering in the Church as a deacon. May the Lord be with you and grant you his countless blessings so that through you many souls be saved. You are always in my thoughts and prayer. Thank you very much. God bless you.
Yours in Christ
Fr. Shafiq Bashir
St. James Catholic Church
G.T. Road Okara, Pakistan.
Shipping costs continue to be a challenge
even though we receive a 75% discount from DHL.
If you are interested in helping,
contact Deacon Michael at
michael.russo@atlanticbb.net
Thank you!
A Day to Celebrate!
Chris (little boy on the right) just finished his first school year.
This is a family photo. His mom (Ruby) is standing right behind him.
Chris and his teacher.
This was a very tearful day for Ashfaq and Ruby
because they never thought they would be able to send Chris to school.
Update: February 2, 2022
Born on August 8, 2020 in Pakistan, baby Iscah touched the lives of so many during her short time with us. Born with an inoperable heart defect, Iscah fought hard through her illness. She was just learning to talk and her eyes lit up the room when she reached out for her mom and dad. As her breathing became more difficult, her heart weakened and she was called home to the arms of the Lord on February 1st. Her family reached out to us after finding comfort in the prayers and Mass offered on the St. Benedict website.
We at St. Benedict and the Deacons and deacon candidates and their wives became her second family. Ashfaq and Ruby, her parents, ask for prayers at this painful time in their lives and know that we are and will continue to be there for them in their time of need.
Contact Deacon Michael for additional information.
michael.russo@atlanticbb.net
or 814-288-3036.
A few days after Christmas, Iscah became ill. She was having difficulty breathing and had to be hospitalized. She was moved to the ICU unit at another hospital where she remains today. By God’s grace and many, many prayers, she has been improving and no longer needs to be on oxygen. She is not out of the woods yet, and still needs our prayers. Please continue to lift Iscah and her family in prayer.
Little Iscah (eesh-a-cah) was born in Pakistan in August 2020. She was born with a heart defect that cannot be repaired. Our Foreign Ministries has been able to provide much needed medications, a nebulizer, and an air conditioner for her room. The temperatures in Pakistan reached 108 degrees in the summer, making breathing very difficult for her.
