“Love and charity, are service, helping others, serving others. There are many people who spend their lives in this way, in the service of others. … When you forget yourself and think of others, this is love!” – Pope Francis
GARY – Filled with a new desire to spread the love of Jesus to others, the Diocese of Gary is preparing a special event titled simply, Day of Service, on Saturday, Aug. 17.
Father Declan McNicholas, director of missionary discipleship and evangelization for the Diocese of Gary and associate pastor of St. John the Evangelist in St. John, stated that following the recent National Eucharistic Congress “there are a number of things that we, the faithful, are to take away with. One of these is service to the poor. If we have received Jesus sacramentally in the Eucharist we then MUST serve our brothers and sisters like Jesus has commanded us to.”
Father McNicholas pointed out that if Catholics are to be missionary disciples then service is one of the core principles of missionary discipleship. He hopes those participating will have a moment in which they encounter Christ through serving those in need.
“We will provide opportunities for service throughout the city of Gary and Hammond,” he said. “We are also considering people's safety and the people we are partnering with are keeping people's safety in mind.”
The Day of Service starts with the celebration of the Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Angels led by Bishop Robert J. McClory at 9 a.m. Fed with the Eucharist and the Word of God, those gathered will go out together and share it in service and love, from 10 a.m. to about noon, working with local charitable organizations.
The organizations involved include: Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ and the Missionary of Charity Sisters (gardening, cleaning, packing food bags and organizing donations), Ss. Monica and Luke (food pantry), St. John-St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery (resetting monuments and cleaning up landscaping), senior housing (making and serving breakfast in their community room), Office of Missionary Discipleship (organizing and packing care boxes for the migrant workers) and the cathedral (painting and cleaning).
Coordinator for Hospitality and Pre-Evangelization Lisa Curley said she is personally looking forward to helping at the cathedral.
“Our cathedral is a place of history that we all love,” she said. “There are some projects there available that I want to put time into and give Holy Angels some love and help those who work there.”
Mike Welsh, chief operations officer at Gary Diocesan Cemeteries, explained he is also a member of the Catholic Foundation, and the chair, Judy Holicky, asked him to take part in the Day of Service to represent the Gary Diocesan Cemeteries, to which he agreed.
“Through this participation, and in continuing the Corporal Work of Mercy for burying the dead, I am hoping that even more people are aware that the Church and our cemeteries are here to help them, and that they take a proactive approach in making arrangements for themselves to lighten the load for their families and loved ones,” he said.
Welsh added that he hopes that a take away for the people who attend this event is to see what the cemeteries do as a ministry, as opposed to a “necessary evil.”
The staff of the Gary Diocesan Cemeteries meets with families who have either just experienced a loss, or in some cases, are making pre-arrangements. They help them select their graves/crypts/niches and complete a purchase agreement, but it also does much more. For example, the diocesan cemeteries bury the unborn every quarter in a designated section and also maintains a special section for diocesan priests.
The Day of Service will end with a cook-out, courtesy of the Franciscan Fathers and the Secular Franciscans, at 1 p.m. outside the Cathedral of the Holy Angels.
The diocese is collecting items such as shampoo, soap, facial tissues, toilet paper, band-aids, deodorant, toothbrushes, shave cream, razors and other items to create the care bags. For more information and to sign up to volunteer during the Day of Service, visit dcgary.org/2024service.
Caption: During the Day of Service on Aug. 17 in the Diocese of Gary, care bags similar to the one seen here that was assembled
during the National Eucharistic Congress, will be made and distributed to migrant and homeless people in the area. (Erin Ciszczon photo)