Missionary Projects
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One of our parishioners, Ann Dickson, serves on the Foundation Board of the University! Bethlehem University has been called ‘an oasis of peace’ and its continued existence is vital for all who live in the Holy Land! And so, each year for the past 14 years, we have taken an annual Collection! This year we will have that Second Collection on the weekend of 10th-11th January!
Our annual special Collection was initiated here at St. Andrew’s to honor our now retired Bishop Kicanas and gained wide support across our Diocese and by members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Because that Scholarship Endowment was fully funded, in 2021 we set up a new Scholarship: “St. Andrew the Apostle Parish Annual Nursing Scholarship”! This scholarship is for $4,000 a year for 4 or 5 years, depending on the specific course. We receive the name of the student and an update from the student on an annual basis. The Nursing Program at the University has existed for several years, however with the completion of the new hall, the University is able to accept additional students. As you might imagine, nurses and other health care professionals are in great demand.
Our Annual Collection has exceeded always exceeded $4,000 each year since we first began supporting Bethlehem University, so it is certainly very “doable” for our Parish to fund this Nursing Scholarship. When we read the news from the Middle East and hear of the collapse of tourism and basic income for many so many families - it is important that we do something to help build bridges of understanding and peace. Your support of Bethlehem University is building one very important bridge toward a future of peace for all of the peoples of the area – and, through this Nursing Scholarship, to extend our Lord’s ministry of healing!!
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FOCUS: The Fellowship of Catholic University Students
Our parishioners support two FOCUS missionaries, Alicia Stokes serving in Oregon with her husband Jesse, and MaKenna Ketter serving in South Dakota.Learn more about FOCUS, discover the heart behind the mission, meet our missionaries and find out how you can support the apostolate.
Read the latest update from Alicia here.
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Fr Anthony in Russia
Born in 1963, Fr. Anthony entered the Society of Jesus in Grand Coteau, La., in 1985 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1996. He has served as a missionary in Russia since 1997, shortly after the end of communism there. You can read an interview with him about his work HERE.You can read his most recent letter from October, 2025 below. And catch up on his work from over the years at the bottom of the page.
October 2025
Dear Parishioners of Saint Andrew’s Parish,
Христос Воскрес! Christ is Risen!
Warm greetings from the Church in Kyrgyzstan.
It has now been a month since I have returned from visiting your parish community. I returned filled with such strong impressions: Your vibrancy and prayerfulness are striking and I know that I am not the only one who experiences this in a powerful way when together with you. Thank you for this witness.
I am struck by what I experienced as, indeed, a true “missionary” spirit among many of you—perhaps not in the sense of a foreign mission but in a truly “catholic” mission—to each other, to people in the surrounding areas, and even to the “ends of the earth” as evidenced by your generosity to the local Church here in Kyrgyzstan during the visit. I came as a foreign mission to my home parish to meet and experience your missionary hearts and prayers.
With the first snow here having fallen last week, we recognize the inevitable change in seasons. We welcome autumn and those events in the life of the Church occurring these weeks: continued work with those who come to the Church; preparations to launch the new kindergarten and early childhood center—the first step in establishing Catholic education in this land; construction of the new church in the capital—the cathedral of the Good Shepherd; and, most essential, the ongoing life in Sacraments, prayer, community, and service to those in need. God is beyond good and it is privilege to live in this land in this time with these people. Thank you for sharing our faith on this journey.
I have continued to share with our tiny Catholic communities here in Central Asia about you. It is impossible to convey the hope our people experience as they learn about Catholic activity in other places such as St. Andrew’s. These impressions will remain with me, along with profound gratitude. God bless you and your families abundantly. We count on your prayers—as we all meet in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, Who is Risen and Who is coming.
Fr. Anthony Corcoran,
Apostolic Administrator of Catholics in Kyrgyzstan
9 October 2025Archived letters:
2025 Summer Letter
January 2023 letter
2022 Fr. Anthony meeting with Pope Francis
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Fr Silas in Nepal
Fr. Silas Bogati serves a small Catholic community in Nepal. He says: “Our mission is to bring consolation and trust.” St. Andrew's parishioners recently helped fund the building of a Catholic chapel for the community pictured below.
Where is Nepal?
Father Greg gave us an update after his December, 2025 visit HERE
You can read his newsletter from August, 2025 HERE.
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Joan Martin in Haiti
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Our parish supports Joan Martin on mission in Haiti. " As disciples of Jesus we are called to love and to care for one another. We accept our call to reach out to all God's people, especially to those in need, so that the reign of God may be realized in our community, in our nation and in our world." To learn more about her ministry
December 2025 UpdateChristmas party for children in our Mole St-Nicolas Parish schools in HAITI!
Joan says that the festive meal of chicken, beans and rice is a tremendous treat for the children!
October, 2025
We sent $3,300 to our 'sister Parish' - Mole St. Nicolas in Haiti - to complete the roof on the Rectory/Offices and $1,000 to provide food to 10 desperately impoverished Parish Priests in that area - $100 each, whom Joan Martin had identified as needing 'emergency assistance'. The funding is from our "World Mission Fund"! The below is the email received from Father Yvon, the Priest in Mole St. Nicolas. The roof was completed just before the torrential rains of Hurricane Melissa hit. If you ever wonder if you were making a difference in this world - read on!
"I am Father Yvon Dorisme, the new parish priest of Saint Nicolas Parish in Môle Saint Nicolas. How are you, Father Greg? Father, I haven't found the right words to thank you and the parishioners of St. Andrew's. It is often said that gratitude is the memory of the heart. A thousand and ten thousand thanks, for this great gesture of generosity and kindness that has revived the Môle presbytery. We are facing Hurricane Melissa, which has just hit the coast of Haiti with rainwater. We thank God for protecting us during this hurricane, which has severely affected other Caribbean countries. Today, we were able to finish the roof of the presbytery without hesitation. May God bless you, Father, and protect you in your ministry. I pray for you all, and may the Virgin Mary, our heavenly mother, fill you all with her graces. United in prayer. Happy feast day Saint Simon and Jude the Apostle.'Bon P. Yvon"June, 2023
Did you know that we received a beautiful letter of thanks from Fr. Leonville Canois, who is returning to HAITI, following his year of sabbatical/medical treatment? Fr. Leonville was the pastor of our “sister parish”, Mole St. Nicolas, in NW HAITI, and is now being reassigned within the Diocese of Port-de-Paix. Fr. Leonville’s letter was a ‘thank you’ for all the support received from St. Andrew’s/Good Shepherd parishioners, and a heart-felt appeal that we will not forget our sisters and brothers in Mole St. Nicolas!
Through our own Joan Martin (now living in Indiana), we have kept in touch with the situation in Mole St. Nicolas and the desperate need in HAITI, where the collapse of government has made conditions chaotic. One of the ‘points of light’ is a Parish, like Mole St. Nicolas, where spiritual life continues to grow and whose small parish schools continues to educate and give hope to children and their families.
Because of serious health concerns, Joan is unable to return to HAITI at this time and is also restricted on travel. She will not be able to be with us personally next weekend but has made a video presentation to share with us, to ask for our continued support for our “sister parish” – especially, to provide the needed funds to pay teachers’ salaries ($100 per month), as well as other parish needs, such as food and fuel for the Priests. Through Joan’s contacts in HAITI and the very high regard with which she is held by the Bishop, Clergy, and Sisters there, our donations to the HAITI PROJECT are secure and fully accounted for in regular reports.
A note from September, 2022 from Joan Martin in Haiti:
I just read the "Did You Know" (How to live in a Third World Country) in this week's Sunday bulletin. I wanted to say that it is a fairly good description of life in Haiti. I would only add:
1. The "no police force" item is more important than it seems. With no police and with the gangs having more guns than the few police that are still around, there is no security for anyone. People are afraid to travel or even to go to the market.
2. Haiti had rampant inflation, and now the US dollar has again been devalued. So $1 US now gets much less local money in the exchange. The price of food and water has not gone down.
3. It is hard to know who actually devalued the US dollar, because there is no functioning government (Some people might see that as a plus). There is no president since President Jouvenel was assassinated); the prime minister is somewhat self appointed; there have been no elections for 4 years (so no Parliament or Senate).
But we try not to look at the big picture. We do what we can for those parishes or problems that are put right in front of us (or right behind us as the article mentions).
Thanks to you and St. Andrew parish for all you do for Fr. William and the people of St Nicolas in Northwest Haiti.
Joan Martin
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St. Paul Street Evangelization
We do this in a non-confrontational way, allowing the Holy Spirit to move in the hearts of those who witness our public Catholic presence. St. Paul Street Evangelization provides an avenue for you to share the Person of Jesus Christ and the truth and beauty of the Catholic Faith with a hungry culture.
Here is a link for more information on how to be Holy and numerous short videos on sharing the faith: Link
Contact: Jude Nichoison at 520.508.7301
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