Parishes planning acts of charity

By Maria LeDoux
CFP Correspondent

Parishes around the diocese are again planning acts of charity to help people who are facing difficulties during the Christmas season.

“Although we cannot change the whole world alone, as a community we can change the harsh reality of some suffering brothers and sisters and be able to rediscover on their faces the smile of a poor Christ, and, in their hearts, the beating of a heart that feels loved,” said Father Daniel E. Moreno, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Dudley.

Father Moreno acknowledges the Christmas season as the “perfect time for giving” and that it is during this time that Christians are reminded of the state of poorness, humility, and simplicity in which the omnipotent God was born as man and took on the human experience in its entirety but for sin.

“Christmas is a time of grace, a time when we are reminded of that wonderful moment where we can see the first glimmer of hope and salvation in the person of Jesus Christ,” he continued. “In the same way, we can become carriers of that glimmer of light and salvation for those who are facing difficulties.”

The Dudley parish will hang 100 tags on its Giving Tree for gifts to be donated to Urban Missionaries of Our Lady of Hope in Worcester and the United Church of Christ, Federated in Webster.

Inspired by the phrase Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love), also the name of an encyclical written by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the parish seeks to help those in need locally, nationally, and internationally throughout the year to spread God’s love through action. Currently the parish is asking for donations for the Franciscan Friars Conventual of Sincelejo, Colombia, which is looking to install solar panels in a soup kitchen for families who are displaced by violence, crime, and migration. The goal is $20,000 for the installation of the solar panels as well as food and necessities.

Meanwhile, in Southborough, St. Anne Parish also will have a Giving Tree and these gifts will be donated to Urban Missionaries of Our Lady of Hope, Southborough Youth and Family Services and United Parishes of Southborough which consists of St. Anne’s, Pilgrim Church, St. Matthew Parish, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and First Community Church.
In 2021, St. Anne collected $6,120 worth of gifts and gift cards for 274 people in need, according to Father Albert Irudayasamy, pastor.

In addition, St. Anne will be distributing 50 boxes of Band-Aids of all sizes for the Our Father’s Table holiday appeal. Our Father’s Table is a feeding ministry in Fitchburg.

St. George’s Parish in Worcester will have a Giving Tree with more than 200 tags. These gifts will be donated to elder-care facilities in the city including Winter Hill Rest Home, Blaire House, St. Mary’s Health Care and St. Francis Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. There will also be tags for diocesan seminarians, the children at Our Lady of Providence Parish, the Mustard Seed Catholic Worker, and parishioners in need.

According to Ann Doyle, parish outreach administrator, St. George’s has provided Giving Tree gifts to individuals, families, and agencies that serve the most vulnerable for more than 20 years.

“Our parishioners fill the church with thoughtful and beautifully wrapped gifts every year. I notice that they often tuck in an extra treat even beyond what was requested or needed. We try to give to those who would otherwise have little or nothing on Christmas morning,” said Mrs. Doyle.  “It is an honor and a privilege to hear their words of gratitude,” she said.
Instead of a Giving Tree, Holy Cross Parish in Templeton conducts a children’s mitten, hat and sock drive. The parish also has a monthly food drive.

The Office of Communications sent out a survey asking parishes if they provide food baskets at Thanksgiving and Christmas, or had a pantry where people could pick up food.

Of the 63 parishes that responded, 53 noted that they give out food to between 50 and 250 families. Several parishes noted that they host a community Thanksgiving and/or Christmas meal, and some even deliver to homebound people on the holidays. Many parishes hold Brown Bag Sundays where parishioners are given empty shopping bags which they return full of non-perishables the following week.

Parishes also noted that they take up food collections for other parishes in communities that are not as well off as theirs. As a recipient, Father Jonathan J. Slavinskas, pastor of Our Lady of Providence at St. Bernard Church, expressed gratitude to others. “Through the generosity of several parishes, St. Bernard’s is able to assist individuals in need,” he said.

Most parishes also partner with other local organizations that help people in need.

Deacon Benjamin Nogueira, who is retired but still helps at St. Bernard Parish in Fitchburg, reported that “during the month of November parishioners bring non-perishable food and place it in front of the altar. A week before Thanksgiving the confirmation students take the food to Catholic Charities and stock the shelves.”

St. Vincent de Paul Parish has a program that restocks the local Templeton Food Pantry, Father Francis A. Roberge, pastor, reported. Sacred Heart of Jesus in Milford partners with the Daily Bread Food pantry; and Sacred Heart of Jesus in Hopedale helps the Milford Food Pantry and noted that, “We assist any family that asks for help at Christmas.”  

Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Our Lady of Loreto Parish in Worcester will have a Giving Tree with more than 200 tags with gifts to be distributed to the St. Agnes Guild, Nazareth Home for Boys, and the Rainbow Child Development Center, all in Worcester.

Sixty-one parishes reported a Giving Tree as part of their community outreach.


 

Ministry expects shortfall of gifts

By Maria LeDoux | CFP Correspondent

Urban Missionaries of Our Lady of Hope, a social action ministry in the Diocese of Worcester, was founded in 1979 with the mission to help “the least, the last, and the left out.”

The organization has partnered with more than 50 parishes in the diocese to aid in their outreach, particularly during Christmas with the popular Giving Tree in each church displaying the needs of the vulnerable or asking for a toy for a child who otherwise may not receive one on Christmas.
Starting the first weekend of October and continuing until Dec. 23, Urban Missionaries is busy working to keep up with demand, according to Deacon Walter F. Doyle, who founded the organization with his wife, Kathleen.
The gifts are brought to a distribution center to be sorted before families pick them up. Urban Missionaries serves thousands of children each year through the generosity of more than 250 volunteers and the thousands who give to the ministry through parish Giving Trees.

Because of lower Mass attendance in parishes since the pandemic, Deacon Doyle predicts that they will receive up to 1,000 fewer gifts than usual this year. To combat this shortfall, the ministry has provided alternatives to the Giving Trees. The website, urbanmissionaries.com has a virtual Christmas Tree. A tag may be selected, and the gift shipped to Urban Missionaries of Our Lady of Hope, 242 Canterbury St., Worcester, MA 01603. In addition, a GoFundMe page has been created for cash donations to be directed toward Christmas giving.