Recently Barnabas purchased a milk cow named Rosie! (Her calf came with her.)

A Barnabas associate in India wrote that Laxmei’s cow had died. The cow was the primary source of income for this widow, the mother of a seminarian. Most recently she was selling the milk to pay off a home loan and an education loan for her other son, who is studying law.

Someone suggested that American seminarians might want to help purchase a new cow. Dr. Peter Williamson, a professor at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, e-mailed eight of his students who were ordained to the priesthood this summer. Since it would take some time for their donations to arrive, he advanced $500 to buy the cow.

The purchase of Rosie has put Laxmei back in the dairy business. She and her family are very grateful for this gift.

The Barnabas Fund is committed to helping brothers and sisters
in India and elsewhere with funds for
education, food, housing, and other needs.
Please see our Donate page to see how you can help.

P.S. Did you know that cows really want to go to church?
They like the moo-sic.

Barnabas associate Kala sent Easter greetings from Chennai:

“May this day bring you blessings of love, joy, peace, and hope.
May it linger in your heart forever!“

The Barnabas Lenten appeal garnered $15,020 for school tuition. This provides for seven college and doctoral students and fifteen elementary and secondary students. Thank you to all who donated!
There are twelve university students and forty-four younger students who still need help meeting May tuition costs. If you can donate, please visit our Donation page.

Kala has also requested prayers for three high-schoolers approaching their final exams. More urgent are prayers for the sick: one person undergoing ear surgery, another with kidney stones, and another fighting cancer. Please join us in praying for these brothers and sisters.

Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;

save me, and I shall be saved;

for you are my praise.

Jeremiah 17:14

Since its beginning in 2012, the Barnabas Almsgiving Fund has provided aid for education, housing, clothing, and other needs among the poor in other countries and occasionally here in the United States. Now we hope to provide for some folks who are near to us in southeast Michigan.

The poor are everywhere, maybe even next door.

For example, we are currently seeking to help a single mother with many children, lots of expenses, and limited resources. We hope to provide $7,000 to help her pay off a debt incurred through someone else’s irresponsibility.

If you would like to help this sister in Christ, please go to our “Donate” page and select “Needs in Southeast Michigan” as your fund designation. Or send a check made out to “Barnabas Almsgiving Fund,” with “Needs in Southeast Michigan” on the memo line, to

Barnabas Almsgiving Fund
24 Frank Lloyd Wright Dr.
PO Box 415
Ann Arbor, MI 48106

Please include the street address, as this box is located in an office building, not in a post office.

As always, thank you for your prayer and generosity.

The righteous man knows the rights of the poor.

Proverbs 29:7

The COVID pandemic has raised building prices from $6,000 to $9,500 per home. Still work is progressing, thanks to the help of many Barnabas donors.

The pandemic has hit India especially hard. Sr. Anne, whose order runs a children’s home in Kurusady, writes of her recovery:

Love and wishes from Sr. Anne from St. Antony’s Home.
Just yesterday I finished my medication, and I feel free! Still I have some post-COVID problems that I hope will not affect me much. The other sisters show much concern for my health. And your love and concern for our children is giving me health and happiness! . . .
The government has licensed us to care for abandoned children. At present we have five newborn babies under our care. They were born out of wedlock and then thrown out. We are very happy to have them with us. Thank you so much for your concern for these children!
Will you help us get a refrigerator ($300)?
With love and prayers.
Sr. Anne

“Greetings of peace and joy in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” writes Fr. Iluri, a priest of the diocese of Nellore, India. “Heartfelt thanks for the great help you have been and continue to be to the Infant Jesus Community, one of the mission stations of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Parish.”

The community prayed for God’s provision in the corona pandemic, and they see God answering through the Barnabas Almsgiving Fund. “Seventy-six poor families received help from your generosity. We see beautiful smiles on the faces of poor children; they are happy and grateful to you.”

Fishing is the livelihood of many people in Nellore. The diocese provided tin boats to allow for fishing in deep waters, notably increasing catches. The bishop is constructing houses for seven families: five are completed, and the others are up to roof level. The diocese also provided new tires for a family’s motorbike and a gas stove for the village catechist.

Many people have “tasted real Catholicism” and are helping one another and praying for one another. This has been a great witness, bringing people to Baptism.

One man, who used to laugh at people going to Mass, fell sick in his old age, with his legs swelling up. Doctors and local soothsayers could not find the cause of his ailment. Someone suggested he go to Church and pray to Jesus. The whole community prayed for him for some days, and he was healed. The miracle led him and his family to Christ.

A woman’s eye was closed and blinded due to illness. The whole community persevered in prayer for some weeks. Slowly her eye opened, and she regained her sight.

A boy named Joseph was suffering from a hole in his heart. With much prayer, and with funds from Barnabas, Joseph had a successful operation in November 2020.

Fr. Iluri closes: “The diocese is very grateful for your magnanimous heart, extending hands to the poor.”

Psalm 34 reminds us of God’s faithfulness to the needy: he “delivers them out of all their troubles.” In this holy season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, please join the cry of our brothers and sisters in India. Their needs are overwhelming, and some cannot be met by dollars: for example, needs brought on by COVID and its restrictions, family dysfunction, anxiety, addictions, and more. Recently Sr. Anne wrote that two children lost their already widowed mother, and Sister hopes that her community can provide these children with “a happy life.”

Let us ask our ever-faithful God to care for our brothers and sisters in India and give them his peace—even joy—in their challenges. Perhaps we can lift up our fasting for those who face hunger every day.

May God bless us all with a wonderful Lent of growing closer to the Lord and loving him more deeply.

There is an urgent need for $812 to cover exam fees for two students—one studying ophthalmology and the other dentistry. Another medical student needs $560 immediately to cover his overdue tuition.

Forty-five students—from first grade through grad school—need tuition aid for their coming semester. Tuition payments due in April and May total $22,250. Please ask the Lord what you can do to help.

If you would like to donate to our India Education Fund, please click on the “Donate” button in the menu above. God bless you for your generosity.

by Dennis Mitzel

Charitable planning can be very different, depending on whether you are under or over the age of 70 ½.

The primary purpose of charitable giving is to support charitable causes, not to obtain tax benefits. Nonetheless, it is important to understand new changes in the US tax law so as to take advantage of tax deductions associated with charitable gifts. The age of 70 ½ can be a turning point in charitable planning because of these changes.

Under Age 70 ½: Change in Standard Deduction

One of the biggest changes in the new tax act was the doubling of the standard deduction: $12,000 for singles and married couples filing separately, $18,000 for heads of households, and $24,000 for married couples filing jointly. Many people who used to itemize deductions now find it advantageous to take the standard deduction. There are options for these people to consider:

1. Continue your current pattern of charitable giving. Most people will likely continue their current pattern of charitable giving and then take the standard deduction, forgoing itemizing.
2. Bunch charitable gifts. Some people might bunch their charitable giving, making two or three years’ worth of gifts in a single year. They can then itemize in that one year of giving and use the standard deduction in the alternate years.

One of the practical considerations of bunching is that the donor must have the funds to prepay contributions. This issue might be addressed by donating securities rather than cash. An added advantage is that the resulting deduction equals the fair market value of the stock without any need to report capital gain.

Some individuals might want to bunch donations in one year but have the payments distributed to charitable causes over time. One way to do this is through a donor-advised fund. A donor-advised fund is a charitable fund that allows a contribution to be made in one year and distributed over time according to the donor’s preferences. Donor-advised funds are offered by many foundations and most financial institutions.

Over Age 70 ½: Dramatic New Opportunities

Individuals who are over 70 ½ and have IRAs have a great opportunity under the charitable rollover rules. These individuals can transfer funds directly from their IRAs to a charitable organization without reporting the withdrawal as taxable income. This will give them a 100% income reduction for the amount of the gift. This benefit is so dramatic that most individuals over 70 ½ should make all charitable contributions from their IRAs.

If you are interested in learning how the new tax laws affect your situation, I suggest you meet with a tax advisor or financial planner.

Dennis Mitzel is an estate planning attorney with Mitzel Law Group PLC in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and a frequent speaker on estate planning and charitable giving. He is currently chair of the finance committee at his Catholic parish.

Thank you, our Barnabas Fund donors, for your generous response to our recent appeal for poor families in India. Your gifts totaled $11,200—enough to provide Christmas clothing for 96 people, treatment for a struggling alcoholic, and a house for a family, including a much-needed bathroom.

Sr. Anne writes from Kurusady:

We … are blessed by your great love and concern. God gifted his Son to humanity, to redeem us from sin and darkness. You have gifted your love and financial support to the abandoned and marginalized people around us, saving them from poverty and opening doors to literacy and love. So you are Christ to them. …
Though you are far away—across the ocean and continents—our hearts are close to you. Every day we thank God for you. … May the Child Jesus pour the rain of his blessings on you!…

The King of Heaven came to the earth
with fleshy heart and physical traits.
The Maker of man came to us
as the Son of soil and the Star of the night.

The heavenly cloud poured its drops
on thirsty ground and wiped away sin.
The dream of the prophets bloomed
as the Son of God and Gate of Heaven.

Now we are in the shade of his birth
and looking for the gift of peace and joy.
Let it wipe out the darkness from us
and bring a bright and blessed life.

Wishing you a Happy Christmas and a Wealthy and Healthy New Year!

Sr. Anne and Community
St. Antony’s Home, Kurusady

Our friend Kala has alerted us to this family’s need for $1500 to add a bathroom to their home. Your tax-deductible gift can help. Please donate at the Barnabas Almsgiving Fund donation page.