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By Father Rob Carbonneau, C.P., Ph.D. Palm Sunday 2008 — Chongqing, China (photo taken by Fr. Rob Carbonneau, C.P.) As we celebrate Palm Sunday and carry our palms to places of reverence in our homes, I invite you to reflect upon these women and the child pictured above. As they carry on their faith traditions, consider for a moment the ways in which you pass on the traditions of your Catholic and Christian faith from your generation to the next. What childhood traditions, learned from parents, siblings, grandparents, or relatives, are most memorable in your faith life today? Which family traditions have impacted your journey of faith? How has education strengthened your knowledge of faith and ability to teach others? How has your language and culture enriched your expression of religious prayer and rituals of devotion such as the Rosary? How has your church participation and Mass attendance helped you to create a community of faith and belief that brings the generations of young and old together? How have the suffering, death, and Resurrection taken place in your family in ways that are passed on from one generation to the next? May Palm Sunday 2025 remind you to be a source of love, warmth, and affection in passing your Catholic and Christian faith from your generation to the next. Father Robert Carbonneau, C.P., served as Executive Director of the US-China Catholic Association from 2014—2017. At the Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History, he is historian and curator of the Passionist China Collection (PCC), an archive of over 16,000 photos and 60,000 documents, photographs, reports, films, and correspondence that reveal the twentieth century Passionist-based mission in Hunan, China. ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

Have you signed up for updates from the USCCA Book Circle ? Book Circle discussions are held over Zoom on select Saturdays, 6 am PT / 7 am MT / 8 am CT / 9 am ET. In April (daylight saving time), this is 9pm Chinese Standard Time. Attendees from around the world come to discuss history, Chinese culture, theology, philosophy, and the life of the Church in China. Image from Angelico Press Since January, the Book Circle has been reading John C. H. Wu's Chinese Humanism and Christian Spirituality , available from Angelico Press for 15% off with the discount code wu15 . On April 26, discussion will focus on the first part of the chapter, "The Wisdom of Chuang Tzu: A New Appraisal," p. 59-76 (until the beginning of the subsection entitled "Moral Virtues and the Living Fountain"). Tom McGuire, a Book Circle participant, has shared a good video about Chuang Tzu that well supplements the content of this reading. You can view it by pressing the Play icon on the video player below: Please consider the following questions as your reading guide for April: How would you describe Chuang Tzu as a philosopher? Does Chuang Tzu help you see some things differently, especially on these weighty topics: the Absolute, Creator and creation, the presence of God, living and dying? Please note that in our last Book Circle discussion, we experienced some technical difficulties that prevented us from starting on time. These issues have been resolved. We extend our gratitude to the Book Circle participants for their continued interest in this ongoing program. ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

by Father Rob Carbonneau, C.P., Ph.D. Lu Zhengxian (Photo credit: Anthony E. Clark Private Collection) Let us reflect on six ways that we might learn from the experiences of this notable Chinese Catholic. First: Lu was Born in Shanghai in 1871; he was familiar with Protestant Christianity and Confucian philosophy. Education led him to enter the Chinese Foreign Service in 1893 and assigned to St. Petersburg, Russia. There, in 1899, he married Bertha Bovy (1855-1926), a Belgian, and eventually converted to Catholicism. Meditation: No matter our age, taking time to listen to formative years of a person allows us reflect on the importance of family and the myriad of opportunities that shape our life journey. Second: Lu mourned the death of his Chinese Catholic mentor Xu Jingcheng (b. 1845), who was beheaded during the Boxer Uprising of 1900. Still, Lu continued to serve as a diplomat in the Qing Dynasty until its demise in 1911. Meditation: Mourning and enduring life during times of sorrow can be a genuine struggle, especially if it also impacts our friendships and the country of our birth. Third: From 1912 to 1919 Lu continued to apply his talents to assist China through this troubled decade. Meditation: Routine is important: we wake up and do our best with the gifts we have and contribute to society. Fourth: After World War I ended in 1918, Lu found himself as lead China diplomat at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference at Versailles, France. Incensed by the unfairness of the conference towards China, Lu refused to agree that China sign the Versailles Treaty. Meditation: One never knows when the moment will occur to take personal or public stand in life. Fifth: From 1922 to 1927 Lu represented China’s in a variety of capacities in Switzerland. However, grieved by the death of his wife in 1926, in 1927 Lu made the decision to gain comfort from his Catholicism, and become a postulant at the Benedictine monastery of Saint-Andrew’s Abbey in Bruges, Belgium, accepting the new name of Dom Pierre-Célestin Lu. In 1935, he was ordained a priest. He traveled throughout Asia giving lectures in support of Chinese war effort amid the devasting the Anti-Japanese War, 1937-1945. Meditation: In the face of world political and social instability, it is all-important to identify our moral compass. Nurturing this value provides us with capacity to act with wisdom and prudence, to ensure self-respect and promote the common good of all. Sixth: In August 1946, Pope Pius XII (1876-1958) appointed Lu the titular abbot of St Peter’s Abbey in Ghent, Belgium. In 1949 Lu died of natural causes in Bruges. Meditation: Being open to religious belief, spirituality and prayer allows us to see our journey in life as a dialogue with God, embracing the sacred tenets of world religious traditions to gain personal and social peace. To be inspired by the life of Dom Pierre-Célestin Lu, O.S.B., read his 1948 autobiography Ways of Confucius and of Christ: From Prime Minister of China to Benedictine Monk. With an introduction and notes by Joshua R. Brown . Ignatius Press, 2024. https://ignatius.com/ways-of-confucius-and-of-christ-wcwcp/ Father Robert Carbonneau served as Executive Director of the US-China Catholic Association from 2014—2017. At the Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History, he is historian and curator of the Passionist China Collection (PCC), an archive of over 10,000 photos and 60,000 documents, photographs, reports, films, and correspondence that reveal the twentieth century Passionist-based mission in Hunan, China. ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

On Mar 15, the Book Circle discussed a short chapter "Taoism" in John C. H. Wu's book, Christian Spirituality and Chinese Humanism . Participants shared rich observations on both the challenges and possibilities in living out Laozi's philosophical vision in the Daodejing . How does one retire when the work is done? How does one practice the art of wu-wei ? And how might the Daoist vision of humility and simplicity accord with the kenosis of Christ? Thanks to everyone for an edifying and stimulating conversation. Image from Angelico Press For April, we will read the first part of the chapter, "The Wisdom of Chuang Tzu: A New Appraisal," p. 59-76 (until the beginning of he subsection entitled "Moral Virtues and the Living Fountain"). Tom McGuire, a Book Circle participant, has shared a good video about Chuang Tzu that well supplements the content of this reading. You can find it here: Please consider the following questions as your reading guide for April: How would you describe Chuang Tzu as a philosopher? Does Chuang Tzu help you see some things differently, especially on these weighty topics: the Absolute, Creator and creation, the presence of God, living and dying? ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

by Gaby Jesus himself came up and walked by their side. (Luke 24:15) With the improvement of living standards, people in China have ample clothing and food. Delicious cuisine and frenzied shopping cannot fill the void in people's spiritual lives. In recent years, an increasing number of young, middle-aged, and even elderly people have begun to contemplate the ultimate meaning of life. Therefore, they come to the church seeking answers. This phenomenon reflects that in contemporary society, the abundance of material in life cannot fully satisfy people's needs for spiritual fulfillment. After their material conditions are met, many turn to exploring the meaning of life, faith, and spiritual dimensions. As a result, the number of catechumens in each diocese is continuously increasing. The Rite of Christian Initiation (RCIA) facilitators in major city churches are searching for ways to catechize that suit modern people. To meet the needs of modern people, the Church is continuously adjusting and innovating the design of the catechumenate courses. Traditional methods of teaching catechism no longer fully align with contemporary learning habits and ways of thinking. Therefore, in 2025, the Ferdinand Verbiest Foundation is organizing a Pastoral Exchange and Visit program in Leuven to assist parish priests in nurturing Christians to practice their faith in daily life. During this program, participants will be introduced to adult catechumenate courses, methods and the book “Our Journey Together” to parish priest participants to help them become as efficient as possible in their catechetical work. This training is designed to help the priests quickly understand these methods so that they can apply what they have learned upon returning to their parishes in China. Our Journey Together is a systematic catechetical manual for adults joining the Church and a guide for establishing new evangelization communities. It is a catechetical course specifically focused on the needs of contemporary adult catechumens, designed to incorporate personal life experiences, active participation, interaction, and practical application, to help catechumens deepen their understanding of faith and live out the spirit of Christ in their daily lives. This book originates from South Africa and, with the consent of Bishop Oswald Hirmer, the Chinese version was published with the support of the Verbiest Foundation in Taibei in 1996. It was republished in 2016 with the support of the Verbiest Foundation at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. This book, known for its practical approach, was reissued in 2018. It has become an essential resource for Chinese catechists to lead and accompany catechumens, serving as an effective and versatile tool for spreading the Gospel. The methodology in this book is the Lumko approach. Every lesson follows the three-step approach of practical theology, SEE (reflection on life), JUDGE (listen to the Word of God), and ACT (acting in faith), making it easy for catechumens to connect faith with daily life. The catechumens discover Christ step by step in a relaxed, free, open, interactive community, on the journey to becoming a Christian. The core belief of this book emphasizes the concept of "community." The church is a communion of believers, and becoming a believer means entering the body of Christ—the church. One must be intimately connected with Christ, the head, and the other members of the body. For this reason, the book is titled "Our Journey Together”. The entire process of catechumenate takes place within the community. Consequently, the believers who emerge from this process are nurtured in the embrace and cradle of the Church. The facilitator leads the seekers through a catalytic teaching approach, first by focusing on the realities of their daily lives. Then, by listening to the Word of God, the facilitator connects the course themes with thought-provoking questions, guiding the seekers to reflect on and revisit their own experiences. This process gradually transforms and elevates the seekers, teaching them to view situations through the lens of Christ and to think and solve problems in Christ's way. They come to understand the teachings of the Church and, based on their circumstances, are continuously transformed in their response to the Lord's repeated calls. Throughout the catechumenate, seekers gradually come to know God, yearn for truth and build a relationship with Him. This approach effectively avoids creating a perception of God as an aloof and unapproachable deity, steering clear of one-sided indoctrination. Instead, this interactive and catalytic teaching method makes it easier for seekers to draw closer to the Church and God. It helps more seekers "enter and stay" in the Church, and also enhances the quality of newly baptized Christians, deeply rooting their faith in their hearts. In 2016, Father Zhen Xuebin the parish priest in the Beijing North Church (Beitang) at that time, boldly experimented with using Our Journey Together as a blueprint of a new process parallel with the lectures for the catechumens. During eight years of training in the Beijing North Church, facilitators guided the catechumens using the Our Journey Together method. The facilitators reported significant improvements in their own faith lives. All facilitators reflected on their experience, saying, “I do not dare say that I am a good facilitator, but through training and facilitating catechumens, I have been, first and foremost, deeply transformed.” The method also helps more seekers to come in and remain as members of the Church. The faith of the newly baptized has been deeply rooted in their hearts. Gaby is a friend and contributor to the USCCA Blog. ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

By Father Rob Carbonneau, C.P., Ph.D., Director Emeritus, USCCA Image of the memorial marker in Yuanling, Hunan, China. Photo by Rob Carbonneau, C.P. Copyright Passionist China Collection. In 2024, local Chinese Catholics in Yuanling, Hunan, China dedicated this memorial marker to remember the 9 United States Passionists, 6 Sisters of Charity from Convent Station, New Jersey, 1 Grey Sister from Canada and 1 lay doctor from Germany. All gave their lives in service alongside the people in China for the sake of the Gospel. This journey of Lent 2025 provides us the opportunity to recognize international grief. Who might you know: relative, friend, or person of the past? How might their memory enable us to live with grace in the world of today? How might all of us open our hearts and minds through prayer, conversation, listening, friendship and dialogue to bring reconciliation in the face of international grief? In what way does the sacrifice of twentieth century missionaries to China assist us as we witness the Gospel locally and with peoples of the world? Father Robert Carbonneau served as Executive Director of the US-China Catholic Association from 2014—2017. At the Ricci Institute, he is historian and curator of the Passionist China Collection (PCC), an archive of over 10,000 photos and 60,000 documents, photographs, reports, films, and correspondence that reveal the twentieth century Passionist-based mission in Hunan, China. ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

How has this Lenten season challenged you to grow in your faith? Journeying together through the midpoint of Lent in 2025, we invite you to read this year's Lenten pastoral letter from Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan, SJ, Cardinal of Hong Kong . In his letter, Cardinal Chow reminds us that it is "wise to examine our hearts and re-orient them to where we want to be in eternity." May Catholics in the U.S. and in China grow together in friendship and dialogue as we journey through this Lenten season and beyond! Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan, SJ ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

By Yiyi Zhang Photo of Mother Elizabeth, shared with Yiyi Zhang by Mother Eliane, who serves at the Skete of the Holy Cross in Romania, founded by Mother Elizabeth. Mother Elizabeth, a cloistered missionary in Chongqing, endured profound turmoil in the middle of the 20th century. Yet, her memoir reveals a soul who carried the cross not with despair, but with peace, hope, and even joy. She kept a gentle smile while facing war, persecution and upheaval, not because it was easy, but because she trusted that God was with her. Mother Marie Elizabeth of the Trinity (Mother Elizabeth for short) was born as Marie Roussel in Remiremont, France in 1903. Raised in a devout Catholic family, she entered the Carmel of Nancy in 1926, and responded whole-heartedly to a call to be a missionary soon after. As a result, she came to live in a cloistered monastery in Chongqing, China during the tumultuous years of 1933-1951. Though unable to remain in China after 1951, her ministry continued in other forms, as she later founded a Byzantine Rite Carmelite monastery in St-Rémy, France in 1986, and a skete in Romania in 1994. Her dying words were: “it seems as if I am in a great company, keeping watch. I am falling asleep in the Light .” Between 1938 and 1943, during five years of relentless bombing, Japanese planes dropped a total of 21,593 bombs on Chongqing, the temporary capital of China. The devastation was staggering—11,889 lives lost, 14,100 wounded, and 17,608 buildings reduced to rubble (Li and Yang, Fenghuo Suiyue Chongqing Dahongzha , p. 8). Amid this chaos, Mother Elizabeth and her fellow sisters endured constant destruction: tiles ripped from their monastery’s roof, windowpanes shattered, floors torn open by explosions. Yet, in the fallout shelter beside their monastery, they reserved a place for the Eucharist, ensuring that the Lord’s presence remained both safe and near. Their bishop urged them to take refuge in the mountains, farther from the capital, but the sisters refused. They chose to remain, steadfast in their vocation, offering their contemplative lives for China as long as God willed it. Even as bombs fell and debris flew, they continued to pray—whether between air raids or in the very midst of the bombing itself. “ We were squeezed into the shelter in the middle of a fine autumn night,” Mother Elizabeth recalled. “ Our chaplain put the holy ciborium in its little niche, and we adored the Risen Christ, sacramentally present in our midst... What a comfort that divine Sacramental Presence would be to us! ” (Mother Elizabeth, Leaving for, Living in, & Farewell to China , pp. 69-71). As the earth trembled beneath her, she turned her gaze to Christ—scourged, climbing the road to Calvary. She prayed for those on the front lines, for peace in China and in Europe. Her calling as a Carmelite was clear: to “keep in our hearts and in community the peace, hope, and joy of the Beatitudes ” (Mother Elizabeth, Leaving for, Living in, & Farewell to China , p. 71). Yes, not only peace and hope, but even joy was to be preserved in the midst of suffering. There were even moments of laughter in the shelter. One night, in the darkness of their cramped refuge, Mother Elizabeth records that her mother superior, overcome by exhaustion, fell backward off her small bench—straight into a pool of water. On other nights, she dozed off, only to launch forward unexpectedly. Even in the midst of great sufferings, these faithful sisters still found reasons to giggle. Photo of Mother Elizabeth and the Carmelite community in Chongqing, shared by Mother Eliane Through the trials of war, the deaths of fellow sisters, and countless other difficulties, Mother Elizabeth maintained her capacity for joy, not because the suffering was insignificant, but because her Christian hope was not dependent on the circumstances. Her strength did not come from sheer willpower, but from her deep faith in the Eucharistic Lord and her total reliance on His grace. “ In the Eucharist ,” she wrote, “ we communicate in the glorified Body of the Risen Christ; we receive the Pentecostal gift, from the Spirit sprung from Christ the Lord. Should we not then be in the world bearers of Christ and bearers of the Spirit, sowers of love and joy? ” (Mother Elizabeth, Leaving for, Living in, & Farewell to China , p. xv). If Mother Elizabeth could hold fast to Christian hope and joy while bombs rained down around her, so can we. The question is: do we truly believe in the sacramental presence of the Risen Lord, made so tangibly available to us each day? Do we carve out the silence necessary to hear Him, or do we allow the noise of the world to toss us around constantly, to steal our awareness of His nearness? Concluding Reflection: During this Third Week of Lent, may our travels enable us to learn from Mother Elizabeth and from many more missionaries to China who have lived out peace, hope, and joy in the midst of suffering. May we pass through these forty days as a desert, a time to consume the world’s voices less and to sit in the Eucharistic presence of God more, to meditate on the way of the cross, and to die with Christ so that we may truly rise with Him, smiling in the Light. References and further reading: Mother Elizabeth (Mère Élízabeth), Leaving for, Living in, & Farewell to China – the Life Experiences of a Carmelite Nun . (Eastern Christian Publications, 2010). Jinrong Li and Xiao Yang. Fenghuo Suiyue Chongqing Dahongzha . (Chongqing Press, 2005). Click here to learn more about Mother Elizabeth.   Yiyi Zhang is a PhD student in Theology at Boston College. Her decision to study theology was inspired by John C.H. Wu and his example of striving to be both fully Chinese and fully Catholic. In her Ph.D. work, she seeks to draw on the wisdom of Chinese religious traditions to inform her theological—and especially Christological—reflections . ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

by Kathy Stout, Ph.D. This Lent, may you taste a portion of the transfiguration experienced by Wu and promised by Christ. Image from The University of Notre Dame Press To strengthen us in our Lenten journey, the Church recalls the memory of Jesus’s Transfiguration on Mount Tabor in this Sunday’s reading. According to St. Maximus the Confessor, the Transfiguration reveals the future of human destiny as a direct participation in the divine light of God. The second reading of this Sunday reminds us that Christ will change our corruptible body “to conform with his glorified body” (Phil 3:21). If this promise of immortality and divinity by participation sounds difficult to believe, we may receive additional encouragement from the Chinese Catholic John C. H. Wu (1899-1986), who in the darkest hour of his life came to believe through the humble witness of the Little Flower, Thérèse of Lisieux.  Why was a statesman and legal scholar converted by a cloistered nun who died at the age of 24? Why did Wu spend his time translating the Psalms to classical Chinese during the Japanese attack of China? Why did he leave politics at the end of WWII to teach comparative mysticism in US colleges? Why did he never lose hope when his political dreams for China failed to materialize? The answer is this:  With Christ, There is peace in war The poor are rich Adversity is sweet The ignorant are wise And life is a prelude to Heaven Adapted quote from John C. H. Wu, Beyond East and West (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2018), 307. Dr. Kathy Stout is a facilitator of the USCCA Book Circle and an Incoming Associate Director of the USCCA Board. She received her Ph.D. in theology from the University of Dayton, and she has taught classes on Catholic theology and Chinese traditions at the University of Dayton and the University of Oklahoma. Her current research interest is the dialogue between Chinese Buddhism and Christian spirituality.  ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

Have you ever wondered about the first Christians in China? On March 20, ChinaSource will host a free public lecture by Dr. Glen Thompson, Professor Emeritus of Asia Lutheran Seminary in Hong Kong. The topic of the lecture will be "China's Earliest Christians: Who Were They and What Can We Learn From Them?" Dr. Thompson's book, Jingjiao: The Earliest Christian Church in China , was recently given an Award of Merit from Christianity Today .  Dr. Thompson will introduce us to an eighth-century stele indicating thata community of Chinese Christians of the time understood and referred to Christianity as "luminous teaching." By learning about these early Chinese Christians, we can draw lessons for the Church in China and beyond. The lecture will be held at Nazareth Chapel, University of Northwestern - St. Paul, on March 20, 2025. Light refreshments will begin at 6:15 PM, followed by the lecture itself at 7:00 PM. Please click here to read more and to register . Image from ChinaSource ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

by Rev. Rob Carbonneau, CP, Ph.D. image from The Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History at Boston College The life of Xu Guangxi reminds us how our Lenten encounters offer us the opportunity to increase our respect for people we meet, intellectual discovery, and offering support for greater religious understanding and harmony. Xu Guangqi first met a Catholic missionary in Guangdong, China in 1596. In 1600, he traveled to Nanjing to visit Jesuit Matteo Ricci (1552-1610). Xu was baptized at Catholic in 1603, taking the Christian name Paul. Xu Guangxi passed the Chinese Civil Service Exam in 1604. Thereafter discussions he had with Ricci led him to translated into Chinese texts on astronomy, hydraulics, and geometry. As a result of their personal heartfelt friendship, Xu Guangxi wrote a statement in support of the Jesuit missionaries in 1616.  Guangxi's statement prompts consideration of how all of us might find harmonious paths and relationships with each other in 2025. According to one source the statement reads: “(Catholic missionaries) are the disciples of the holy sage, their way is right, discipline strict, knowledge vast, understanding deep, hearts pure, opinion firm, and in their country they excel above most people.” He further argued that Christianity was a positive influence on China, and not incompatible with loyalty to the emperor and the ideals of Confucianism.” To learn more about Xu Guangxi, go to  this article from China Heritage Quarterly . Father Rob served as Executive Director of the U.S.-China Catholic Association from 2014—2017. At the Ricci Institute, he is historian and curator of the Passionist China Collection (PCC), an archive of over 10,000 photos and 60,000 documents, photographs, reports, films, and correspondence that reveal the twentieth century Passionist-based mission in Hunan, China. ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.

This Lenten season, may we remember Pope Francis's invitation to "journey together in hope" ( Message of the Holy Father Francis for Lent 2025 ): This Lent, God is asking us to examine whether in our lives, in our families, in the places where we work and spend our time, we are capable of walking together with others, listening to them, resisting the temptation to become self-absorbed and to think only of our own needs. Let us ask ourselves in the presence of the Lord whether, as bishops, priests, consecrated persons and laity in the service of the Kingdom of God, we cooperate with others. Whether we show ourselves welcoming, with concrete gestures, to those both near and far. How might Catholics in the United States and in China journey together in hope through this year? Peace and blessings to you on this Ash Wednesday 2025. ---------------------- The USCCA is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Your donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law. The success of our work depends upon the generosity of people like you.