Father Au's 60th Birthday Pages
Donate to our building projects
Father Au's 60th Birthday PagesThank you for your support, our event was a huge success!
If you'd like to continue to contribute to the building projects (New Early Learning Centre, Parish Office, etc) you can do so below:
Last July, Archbishop Miller appointed me as a pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish. I took it as God's will to take care of His people at this Parish by strengthening their virtues of faith, hope, and love in order to lead them to follow Christ more faithfully and to help them to bring the Gospel to the ends of the world. This is my lifelong mission as a priest. Beside helping my parishioners to grow spiritually, I noticed so many places needed renovations in order to help this Parish to be a place of evangelization.
I looked at the Parish Office, church, hall, music portable, Early Learning Centre, school, and the playground. So many places need repairs and improvements. In November, it happened to be my 60th birthday. Some parishioners want to throw me a birthday dinner to thank the Lord for his care. I thought of mixing this dinner with fundraising.
The purpose of the fundraising is as follows.
The boiler of one of the school buildings have stopped from time to time during the last winter. There was a plan to replace it, so we need to change it as soon as possible.
The roof of Fatima Church has shown signs of aging due to leaks and the supportive frames being rotted. This is a top priority.
The City of Coquitlam told us that our Child Care Centre portable were given only temporary operation permit. The current bylaws will not encourage temporary permit, so we need to change our Early Learning Centre into a permanent building. To make a secondhand portable to a permanent building would cost an estimate of $400,000. This is not ideal. Our child care service to the parents is a fantastic testimony of helping young families in Coquitlam, and especially in the work of evangelization. Therefore, it is better to build a newer and better facility. Also, our daycare is an important source to help parents to choose Catholic Education at our Primary School.
The existing Parish Office is crammed. Sometimes, parishioners have to wait outside the door at the car park in order to see the priests and the secretary for Parish business. I hope to see a new suitable place for offices.
Of course, while raising fund from the birthday party for the Parish, one must not forget the poor, especially those who do not know Jesus. A small amount will fund the construction of a new church and to build a priest residence in a small poor Catholic village in Laos. This residence for priests for them will become a Mission Centre, so that they can support the earthly needs of the poor, at the same time to lead others to know Jesus Christ.
We are all called to share the mission of evangelization and to elevate the poor. It is difficult to look at the road ahead now, but I trust in Almighty God since he has sent me to Our Lady of Fatima Parish to take care of his people. He will definitely give me the grace to face the difficulties ahead.
Your participation at our fundraising activities surrounding my 60th birthday will be a great manifestation of Divine Providence. I sincerely thank God for taking care of me over the past 60 years. The Good Lord has enriched me by His divine favour and is calling me to be His priest. Brothers and sisters in Christ, please work together and pray that we will make this fundraising dinner on November 9th and 10th a great success.
God bless you all.
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.