Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to address this particular situation which has come to my attention recently.

Like all countries in the world, Bermuda is no exception when it comes to the numerous problems and socials ills that daily and unrelentlessly occur in our midst.

But by the grace of God, we are blessed with the on going care and dedication of so many ministers and pastors of the various churches and denominations through out this Island.

Because of this priceless gift from our creator, we somehow manage to cope.

Without their unselfish and tireless work, we would be in dire straits -- that is for certain.

These most blessed members of our community are our link to God, our safe grounds, shepherds and guides through these turbulent and unpredictable times.

God be praised for each and every one of them.

A church without a pastor is like a ship without a captain -- a disaster waiting to happen. There is such a place here in Bermuda -- St. Michael's R.C.

church in Paget.

Prayers are continuously being offered to the good Lord that this situation will soon be rectified.

Recently a kind and gentle retired priest-father Vern Brunning (who has previously worked for many years as the pastor of St. Anthony's Church in Warwick) offered to come back from his well-earned and deserved rest and work for a period of six months only -- perhaps by then a full-time replacement would be found.

But dear God in heaven for whatever reason the Department of Immigration turned down this request. Surely there must be some mistake, maybe even a clerical error.

Failing that, at the very least, it is a miscarriage of justice, one that I hope and pray will be remedied soon.

It is not a question of Bermudian R.C. priests being available. This is not the case. There is only one Roman Catholic Bermudian priest in existence. He is the present rector of St. Theresa's Cathedral in Hamilton, who has the arduous task of sometimes doing the work of two priests -- such is the scarcity.

However, it is a beginning, and thanks be to God, there is at present another Bermudian studying for the priesthood in the USA. It will be two more years before he is qualified.

To make matters worse, there is a worldwide shortage of R.C. Priests. The search to find one to fill the void in St. Michael's will be a marathon task for Bishop Robert Kurtz. His dedication will prevail.

What makes it all so regrettable, that at this most critical time, a wonderful retired priest made such an unselfish offer to help out on a very short temporary basis, could have been turned down by the Department of Immigration defies all logic and reason.

John 19-11 "You have authority over me only because it was given to you by God.'' Yes -- use your authority wisely by all means but above all, please be fair. Remember -- fairness is the hallmark of true justice.

St. Michael's church is located in the heart of Paget's major tourist district. It has always been a favourite place of worship for both visitors and locals alike. This most unique house of prayer is as breathtakingly beautiful as it is simple, reflecting all the skills and craftsmanship of Bermudian architecture at its best.

In spite of all this, there is an emptiness -- yes even a sadness there. It is the missing link of the life pulse of the presence of a pastor. This terrible void must be filled soon. The Shepherd must come home.

We all know that prayer can work wonders and that faith can move mountains.

With that in mind I beseech you, my friends, in faith in whatsoever denomination you profess that you will join me in prayer by lifting your hearts and voices to the Lord that this most urgent need will be fulfilled.

We are all one family under God, and therefore must always remember that we are "our brothers' keepers''. If we pray as one for this Christmas Miracle, we cannot foil. Blessed be God forever.

UNITY IN CHRIST Reform electoral system November 1, 1999 Dear Sir, Re: Electoral reform: For 350 years, until 1968, the House of Assembly had 36 members, four being elected from each of the nine parishes.

Since then it has had 40 members, two being elected from each of 20 constituencies. It was good that the ancient parish boundaries were retained but it was a mistake to increase the number of members and to have dual-member constituencies.

The present number of registered voters is as follows: St. George N. 1,568 St. George S. 1,643 Hamilton E. 1,557 Hamilton W. 1,543 Smith's N. 1,564 Smith's S. 1,581 Devonshire N. 2,157 Devonshire S. 2,141 Pembroke E. 1,660 Pembroke EC 1,707 Pembroke WC 1,805 Pembroke W 1,696 Paget E. 1,206 Paget W. 1,322 Warwick E. 2,580 Warwick W. 2,474 Southampton E. 1,686 Southampton W. 1,720 Sandys N. 2,351 Sandys S. 2,178 Total 36,139 If the number of members is reduced to 36 then each representative should be represented by 1,004 voters. This can be achieved in one of two ways: (1) First past the post. This would require the creation of 36 constituencies as follows: Dividing each of St. George's, Hamilton, Smith's and Paget into three constituencies: Dividing each of Devonshire, Southampton and Sandys into four constituencies; Dividing Warwick into five constituencies; Dividing Pembroke into seven constituencies.

Each voter would put one X on the ballot paper against the nominated candidate of his/her choice.

(2) Proportional representation.

The best system is the single transferable vote which would require the creation of five constituencies as follows.

St. George's/Hamilton 6,311 voters 6 members Smith's/Devonshire 7,443 7 members Pembroke 6,868 7 members Paget/Warwick 7,582 8members Southampton/Sandys 7,935 8 members Total 36,139 36 members Each voter would number the nominated candidates on the ballot in the order of his/her preference.

YOURS TRULY William M. Cox Strikes please no one November 3, 1999 Dear Sir, It is obvious that "Stop Moaning'' has failed to see the point of my published letter; and once again I sense a great deal of hostility and anger.

It was my intention to spell out and provide this individual and other members of the public with an overview of my typical day/work-week in an effort to shed some light on the reason behind the industrial action taken by the BUT on Wednesday, October 20, 1999, and not a mere means of "sidetracking to defend my hours''.

Industrial action has never and will never be approved of and accepted by everyone in the community; neither will it be understood by everyone. When I read letters such as this, I smile and chuckle in utter amazement; for I have yet to read a letter to the Editor that criticises the bus drivers for supporting their fellow union members -- when posed with the thought of industrial action.

Are parents not inconvenienced? Does this not affect learning? Is this not seen as being unfair to the children? I believe the answers are all affirmative ones; yet the general public manages to cope and endure the inconvenience until the matter has been resolved. There isn't public ridicule; instead there is public acceptance.

I am sorry that I was unable to appease you, "Stop Moaning'', and I'm sorry to hear that you won't be spending a week with a teacher. In fact, I am rather surprised at your reluctance to do so, especially since it's apparent that you have some general concerns regarding the teaching fraternity.

"Stop Moaning'', it is my hope and prayer that you and other members of the public, will become more involved and proactive in the plight of the education system, and work along with the teachers of Bermuda.

I realise that you have submitted your two letters under the guise of the above pseudonym; however, should you wish to continue the dialogue, you have my "real'' name and my place of employment.

I welcome the concerns of parents (and I am assuming you are a parent, based on the content and nature of your letters); for student success can only be adequately obtained through teamwork. Please note the following equation: Supportive Parents plus caring teachers and industrious students equal optimum success.

Miss Reeshemah Swan CedarBridge Academy A Caribbean conundrum November 7, 1999 Dear Sir, In the movie "Back to School'' actor Rodney Dangerfield, opens with a line which I paraphrase "if you want to look skinny... always be seen with fat people''.

This thought came back to me as I read of the invitation extended during the most recent trip of Prime Minister Patterson of Jamaica. Let us first ask the most basic of questions like what or who would have given the Caribbean the idea that we would want to belong to their associated island states.

It should be a concern to all of us that this is the second VIP invitation extended by our Government and it appears that their influence, and potential guest list, extends to that area of the world almost exclusively.

I offer for example the Premier's need to attend a funeral of a former Caribbean leader when at the same time we suffered a loss of our former leader and sadly no representation was seen from south of the Island.

The radio and television station here do a considerable service by using some of their local airtime to transmit Caribbean news programmes. I for one enjoy them not only for their general news content but probably for the reason of reminding myself that we could be a lot worse off than most people perceive.

Please Mr. Editor, do not believe that I am suffering from Caribphobia for my pride of living in the best place in the world equally extends to our neighbours east, west and north.

I just am getting the general feeling that somewhere our leaders are seemingly trying to prove a point of importance and affluence at the expense of those not so successful or fortunate.

It has always been a Bermudian trait to have understanding and compassion for all of our global neighbours and not to be seen wearing our fortunes on our shirt sleeves. Hubris and rodomontade did not work in the old Bermuda and does not fit in the new Bermuda.

D. SULLIVAN