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| Letter from Fr. Hattie received via email on December 29, 2015. |
Late yesterday evening I received an email from Father Hattie with his latest letter attached. The two page letter was attached in two parts (one for each page) which I stitched together into one image (see above). I was not able to successfully adjust the tint to match the green stationary that I guess he used, so I just left it plain.
Since Father uses a manual typewriter to compose his letters, they are filled with "character" and feeling. As usual, my transcription is below. If you want try your hand at reading the original, clicking on the above image will result in a larger image popping up.
For a list of other letters from Fr. Hattie that I have posted, see my Fr. Hattie page. You will also find there information on how to communicate with Father and/or donate to help his orphans in Nsumba, Uganda (in Africa). I urge anyone reading this blog to take a moment and either send an email greeting to Father or send him a card or letter. In any case, he would appreciate your prayers.
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December 28, 2015
My dear Rick: Peace of Christ:
Would you mind terribly if I wrote on the Feast of the Holy Innocents* to thank you from the very bottom of my heart for your beautiful Christmas Card and the gracious, kind and generous Gift of $. That amount is about to be sneezed at, and it will help me to trace my adopted son whom I haven't heard a word from in over three month[s]. I just hope and pray that he hasn't been kidnapped & killed or committed suicide out of fear, for some men having harassing him for two years just because he won't accuse an unknown man of stealing money from the Bank. Prayers, please.
I wish that I could write more often, but I can now type with only 2 fingers and with one eye closed and that is hard for me. Just know that I am not neglecting you or uninterested in what you write. With difficulty can I type 2 letters a day, otherwise I make more mistakes than ever.
I was supposed to fly to KENYA on Jan[uary] 4, but God stepped in. A week before I was to have spinal surgery but, when the Dr. discovered that I had cellulitis in my legs, he cancelled it, saying that he couldn't do the spinal surgery until the cellulitis had disappeared. And, it hasn't yet. And, since I am not allowed to travel alone, I'll have to wait until mid-May to go back with the first African Jesuit priest travelling there. Now, the waiting period seems to be at least 10 years!!! Prayers, please.
Be sure that you will have special mention in my Mass on New Year's Day & those during the rest of the year. Do have a glorious & successful New Year, filled to the brim and flowing over with Their precious gifts, Graces, & blessings.
Tons of love & gratitude,
Fr. Gene, S.J.
--------------------------------------------------------------------* Feast of the Holy Innocents
Links:
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/p/letters-from-fr-hattie.html
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07419a.htm
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Written Wednesday 30 December 2015.
