The presentation of a hardy feast and then the adorning of frosty trims may remind the faithful of the special spirit of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. An alertness to those who may go without has also spurred people across the diocese to step in to make the season warmer and brighter.
Leading up to Advent, angel trees – those Christmas pines decorated with ornaments that double as postings for items requested by someone looking for the essentials of life or a desired gift – have sprouted up in diocesan institutions. The displays offer a chance for the charitable soul to go on a shopping trip to make someone’s wish come true.
A longstanding tradition at St. Thomas More parish, the angel or giving tree, was prepared for its spot in the narthex at the southwest corner of the church just ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. When it is picked clean of decorations by church goers headed into the sanctuary, parish ministry coordinators say they “get excited” knowing the requests are soon to be fulfilled.
The Munster church works with Catholic Charities to identify names of the less materially fortunate and allows parishioners to purchase requested gift items for later distribution before Christmastime.
“We take children’s names and adults – a lot of times we see (requests) coming through from adults because it’s nice that they also get a gift under the Christmas tree,” said Noreen A. Bickel, St. Thomas More director of parish mission. “This year we have 180 tags (with names), which is up about 25 or 30 from last year.”
St. Thomas More students also collect baby and mother essentials for donation to crisis pregnancy centers at this time of the year.
At St. Paul Catholic School on Nov. 17, students, teachers and administrators gave new meaning to putting faith into action. The Valparaiso campus was like a snaking conveyor belt of kindergarten to eighth grade hands moving food items to a collection area.
A tradition dating to the opening of the new school building in 2006, St. Paul Panthers have championed the cause of food insecurity in Porter County. Non-perishable items dropped off at parish collection areas were amassed at an east side entranceway and handed off from one student to the next in a food chain.
Diminutive second graders stood next to taller adolescents among the school’s junior high classes. Cheers erupted, “Pass it down!” and “One more!”
At the end of the line, older students and adult volunteers spun into action working like baggage carousels to receive the foodstuffs. A dozen tables were soon stacked with boxed and canned goods, categorized and ready to fill orders that registered individuals and families would soon receive.
Eighth-grader Lilly Hoffman, 13, recalled her days as a little Panther. “I thought that it was so cool that we got to pass the items down.”
Now the school’s National Junior Honors Society president, she was among the sorters making sure all the items were readied for charitable delivery.
“The adults seemed pretty impressed about how quickly we were moving,” Hoffman said. “This is definitely our biggest (food) drive and I think we got a lot more than last year.”
Father Douglas Mayer, St. Paul pastor, was on hand to assist food chain coordinator Liz Decenzo and volunteers Jay and Trudy Derucki, Mike Gratson, and Dana Trudeau and his sons Ari, 11, and Cody, 8.
“The beautiful thing is that this connects them with that whole idea of finding a place to serve Jesus,” Father Mayer said about the endeavor's impact on the youth.
The St. Paul pastor said his homily at the student Mass that preceded the food chain happened to relate to their efforts. On what was her feast day, he shared the story of St. Elizabeth of Hungary who, after the death of her husband, “spent the rest of her life serving others.”
In Valparaiso on Mondays and Wednesdays, St. Paul volunteers gather at the Christian Food Pantry where members of seven city churches have offered food assistance for more than 40 years.
On Nov. 19 in Chesterton, the Westchester Neighbors Food Pantry got a major boost from parishioners and guests at St. Patrick church. To replenish the stores of the organization that seeks to help alleviate hunger in the Duneland area, the faithful filled the steps of the sanctuary with packed food items.
The rows of goods seemed to multiply after each weekend Mass and by the conclusion of the noon liturgy, scores of individuals harvested the items from near a large cornucopia, or horn of plenty.
Not nearly as old a tradition as the Pilgrim’s famous feast, the St. Patrick initiative has had a real impact for many years, according to those coordinating the effort. The stock of consumables at St. Patrick is added to items that are regularly donated at the Chesterton Police Department, and distributed every other Tuesday.
“They are very generous,” said St. Patrick parishioner Sandy Carney, who assists the pantry’s director Dawn Ruge. “A friend of mine said, ‘I was at nine o’clock Mass and people were still bringing things in.’”
Carney’s grandson, Bonham Strudas, 10, didn’t miss a beat. He carried armfuls of cans and boxes to the distribution vehicle.
“I helped get a bunch of food and goods to bring to the food pantry, " said Strudas. “To help people out feels good, and it’s the right thing to do.”
His dad Mark Strudas said, “It’s truly wonderful to see people come together and amass such a generous donation.”
Father Jon Plavcan connected the charitable endeavors and the front-and-center display of foodstuffs in the church with recent Gospel readings and the faithful’s journey of Advent to the incarnation of the Christ Child.
The “Cornucopia of Praise and Thanksgiving” was positioned prominently, “To show the people that we are fed at the altar of the Body of Christ, and we become that Body of Christ to continue to feed the world,” said Father Plavcan.
He added, “From what we receive, we are called to go out to the world.”
Caption: Young St. Patrick parishioners including Stephen Raffin (left), 13, and Cecelia Ruge (center), 6, select ornaments with attached gift requests at the Chesterton church on Nov. 19. Across the diocese, faithful coordinating angel trees, food chains and other charitable efforts have sought to help those in need during Advent and Christmastime. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)