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H E Cardinal Hume OSB - An Appreciation....
Cardinal Basil Hume was more than a figurehead at the top of our list of patrons. He took an active interest in our work and showed great sympathy for the plight of leprosy sufferers.
This showed itself very particularly in January 1980 when the Guild was given a slot on the BBC "Good Cause" appeal programme. Then, as now, the amounts were not very big but every little helped and with the Cardinal himself as appealer the BBC thought we might get as much as £5000, an exceptionally large amount at the time.
He did not paint a rosy picture of cure because the new drugs were not then available and Dapsone by itself only had limited value. He told of the love and care given to those in great need in homes and colonies thoughout the world supported by St Francis Leprosy Guild and other similar organisations.
He raised the staggering amount of £91,000 in direct contributions and as importantly, started a continuous source of income from legacies. Just last year he forwarded a large cheque which had been sent to his "leprosy appeal".
He promised to celebrate Mass for our 100th Birthday in Westminster Cathedral in October 1995 but sadly at the time was convalescing from a hip replacement operation.
He is sadly missed. Requiscat in pace.
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Directing you to the St Francis Leprosy Guild Website, thank you for your patience.
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