Many Oblate parishes across the provinces take part in Christmas donations and service. Here we highlight some of our parishes:
Inside Look: St. Rita’s Church, Clarklake, MI
At St. Rita’s, Pastor Thomas Helfrich, OSFS, and the parish community have been partaking in St. Vincent de Paul Christmas program since 2014 when their conference was established. The conference continues to grow spiritually, membership and programs.
The Christmas program is one of four large annual events, the others are Easter, Head to Toe Back to School, Thanksgiving. With over 65 volunteers sharing their time and talents at various times to make all of this possible. Parishioners, their families, and community continuously provide financial support to the organization for these programs. A St. Vincent De Paul goal, while volunteering is to always see the face of Christ while serving our Friends in Need.
For 2021, t. Rita’s was able to help 114 families (242 adults and 273 children) within their community. Family names are provided to St. Rita’s by local school districts within the area, by the Brooklyn Area Council on Aging, and the Cary House. The event pictured here was hosted on Saturday, December 18th, in the St. Rita parking lot, and all distribution areas were outside for safety.
Volunteer drivers delivered to each family:
3 boxes of nonperishable food items
Breads & Sweets
A ham and various meat, produce & dairy products
A family bag including referrals for additional assistance, a parish calendar, a religious item, a Christmas prayer
Every family member received a hat and a pair of gloves provided by a community group of women
A crochet blanket made by a group within our parish, all yarn was donated by parishioners
Each child received a gift
Each teenager received a gift card
Any family in need with a baby was offered various baby items; diapers, clothing, furniture, etc. by one of the parish ministries: Baby Love program
Premade bags of food were available to anyone in need who drove by and asked for assistance
At the end of each of big donation event, administrators find other agencies that could use items that are leftover. For Christmas, items were shared with Catholic Charities, Birth Rite Foster Care, the Brooklyn Food Pantry, and the Brooklyn Presbyterian Church.
Thank you St. Rita’s and all parishes and volunteers who partake in donations during the Christmas Season and throughout the year!
