Friday, February 3, 2012

FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK …February 5-6, 2012 St. James Bulletin

The following bulletin is available in full at the following website:  http://content.seekandfind.com/bulletins/01/0294/20120205B.pdf


FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK …
I would like to share the following letter we recently
received from St. Elizabeth Community Center:


On behalf of St. Elizabeth Catholic Community Center, please
accept my sincere thanks for the incredible contribution of
Christmas gifts for children in need. For many years now, St.
James has assisted the Center in providing gifts for children
whose parents are struggling to meet the most basic needs of
their families. For most of these parents, the ability to provide
Christmas gifts for their children was simply beyond their reach
this year. Your thoughtfulness brought joy to 75 boys and girls,
and it helped to ease the stress on their overwhelmed parents.
As we are all aware, the economy has been a brutal and relentless
obstacle for so many families in our area. Over 90% of the
children in our youth programs come from very low income
families. Many of them were facing uphill battles before the
economy bottomed out. High unemployment, reduced work
hours and increased prices for things like food and fuel have
made difficult situations almost impossible. In our emergency
service programs, the number of people we serve on a monthly
basis has sky-rocketed. Three years ago, our food pantry was
serving an average of 850 people per month. Now that number is
pushing 4,000 per month. The need continues to rise and the
resources seem to be dwindling.
We are so grateful for parishes like St. James with people who
take the time to figure out where they can make a difference and
then do something about. As we begin our second century of
reaching out to the less fortunate among us, we are profoundly
aware that we could not do what we do without the help of generous
people like the parishioners of St. James Catholic Church.
Thanks once again for your very gracious act of kindness. Your
thoughtfulness is truly appreciated by those we serve!


In Christ Jesus,
Father Geary

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