8/20/2023

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake,

I am very grateful to welcome Fr. Louis for our annual mission appeal this year on Saturday, August 26th & Sunday, August 27th. Fr. Louis will be celebrating all of the Masses at both parishes. He has been faithfully serving in our Diocese for the last 20 years as a missionary. He is a faithful and holy priest and a good brother to have in the presbyterate. My twin brother, Fr. Gary, spent a year with him when he was a transitional Deacon and learned much from him. I visited them quite often and can attest to how good of a cook Fr. Louis is as well- we had some really good curry dishes! It will be a blessing to support his home Diocese in India even as he continues to help us in our own.

God Bless,

Fr. Todd

A mission appeal on behalf of The Catholic Diocese of Gumla (India) By Father Louis T. Ekka The diocese of Gumla was created on August 22, 1993. It is in the state of Jharkhand in the North-Eastern part of India. It was started by the Belgian Jesuit Missionaries and American Jesuits of Baltimore. Because of their selfless service, the diocese is thriving. Today the diocese proudly serves 189,855 Catholics with over 150 diocesan priests and around 53 religious priests. We have convents in all the parishes with about 367 nuns working in schools, hospitals, and orphanages. The missionary work is far from being fully accomplished. The area is vast and the needs are many. More places of worship, schools, and development centers are needed to educate and evangelize the poor and marginalized of the area. Every gift from the heart makes a difference and I thank you for your sacrifices and generosity for supporting the education of our seminarians and helping with resources for better evangelization. Father Louis has been a member of the Lansing Diocese Presbyterate for the past 20 years. He loves his priesthood and enjoys working in the diocese of Lansing.

Patron of the Diocese – St. Patrick

Area – 6754 sq. kilometers (2608 sq. miles)

Total population – 1,025,656

Catholics – 189,855

Languages – Hindi, Kharia, Mundari, Oraon, Sadri