Hi John and Theresa,

 

Belated Easter greetings from warm and sunny Peru. Many thanks John for your greetings, it was great to hear from you. Hope you, Theresa & your families are all keeping well.

 

I am so pleased that the Covid pandemic situation has improved dramatically over the past few weeks back home, thanks be to God. Sadly, the same cannot be said over the situation here in Peru, if anything things seem to be worse than they were a year ago. The more contagious Brazilian variant of Covid has arrived in Peru, consequently more deaths are taking place, including quite a number in the parish. There is a shortage of hospital beds and availability of oxygen. Sadly, we do not have the infrastructure like back home to cope with the situation.

 

I am sorry John if I have confused you somewhat in my last communication with you. No, I do not plan to retire later in the year, as there are further works that need to be carried out before I can contemplate the thought of retiring. The structure of the church has been completed for some time, but the illumination, sound and alarm systems are still to be carried out. I am expecting the benches, altar, ambos & stations of the cross to arrive within the coming weeks, which will be a big step forward. I hope to speak soon with the bishop regarding a date for when the church can be consecrated. As you know it was due to be consecrated on 12th December last year but had to be cancelled due to Covid. As I explained above, Covid is still prevalent here, and for the second year in succession all churches were closed during Holy Week. We just have to be patient and pray to God that things will improve. Unfortunately, I cannot see that happening in the immediate future due to the fact that less than 2% of Peruvians have received a vaccine.

 

After the church has been consecrated, I would like to covert the present temporary chapel (the basement of the church) into meeting rooms for the various parish groups, also to put in indoor toilets and kitchen facilities for when we have fund raising activities in the parish. I would also like to convert the waste land behind the church into volleyball & football pitches as well as providing a shaded area so that people from the parish can relax out the heat of the sun. My wish John is that this will provide the catechists, children, and families of the parish to be able to spend & enjoy leisure time within the safety of the parish grounds. As well as of course to offer them facilities to spend to spend group days on retreat etc..

 

What I asked you John was to continue the fund raising back home at L/H until September of this year. I hope, God willing, to be able to visit all my dear friends at L/H while home, and to return with the cheque to Peru. I think I may well then have enough money to complete the projects I have mentioned above. It would be a wonderful legacy that the people back home have contributed to in helping their brothers and sisters in Peru. Then, and only then, would I be able to contemplate the thought of retiring (part-time) and hand the parish over to another St James priest and please God, in the future to a Peruvian priest. I would then be happy to know that I had completed my mission as a LAMP priest here in Peru. I have spent 23 very happy years here in Peru, but age is catching up with me, I just pray that God will give me the time to complete what I began here in the parish 15 years ago. How quickly time flies.

 

May I take the opportunity of wishing you, and all my beloved friends back home in L/H, a belated but very happy and blessed Easter season. Alleluia, Jesus the Lord has Risen, Alleluia.

 

God bless and with much love and best wishes,

Denis XX