Hello and blessings from our Lady of Good Health Vailankanni.   We are starting another devotional and spiritual year of praise and worship from the devotees of the Indian subcontinent.    We are in the process of preparing for our 19^th Annual pilgrimage at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to be held on September 10, 2016. I invite you to join us for this wonderful pilgrimage with your loved ones to celebrate our devotion to our Lady of Vailankanni.   We will make many disciples of nations again this year.  Our aim is to spread our Lord Jesus words through song, prayer strong faith, works of charity, and devotion to His and our blessed Mother Mary.  This is an even special year with our homeland Mother Theresa to be canonized in September 2016.

Indian American Catholic Association (IACA) is an umbrella organization constituting of Catholics from the Indian subcontinent including Srilankans, Bangladeshis, and Pakistanis.  We are based in Washington DC and run by support from many volunteers and well-wishers like you.  Our aim is to bring Catholics from different walks of life and to bring the culture of the Indian subcontinent to the church and to our youth.  We join with our fellow Americans and participate in our monthly, rosary and novena held on every first Saturday at the Crypt church at the Basilica of the National shrine.   The Basilica staff is very happy of the commitment and enthusiasm we show every year during the pilgrimage and throughout the year.  They tell us that the oratory to our Lady of Vailankanni is the most visited shrine.   In addition to our Annual pilgrimage we also have other celebrations like Mother’s day celebration (this year on May 15^th, at the Grotto of Lourdes in Emittsburg, Maryland) and the Christmas celebration (this year on December 10^th, location to be determined).     IACA also does charitable work one being feeding the homeless monthly, and contribute our time and treasure for unfortunate natural disasters like the Chennai floods, etc.

The pope has declared this year as a year of mercy.  Let’s do something unique this year as fellow Catholic Americans to reach out to the sick and the vulnerable by visiting them.   We ask you to continue to support our cause and hope to see many of you at the pilgrimage of our Lady on September 10^th, 2016.  Please become a member for $20.00 a year or consider sending in your donation.

Mother Teresa once said, “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. “

Let us pray and hope that each one of you will be that little drop in the ocean.

Thank you and may God Bless you all.

Sumathi Croos

President, IACA

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