Hundreds of families receive food, gifts thanks to parishes’ donations
Staff and volunteers at Catholic Charities offices throughout the Diocese of Charlotte enjoyed sharing the true spirit of Christmas by distributing mountains of food and gifts to deserving families in recent weeks.
Donations poured in from parishes throughout the diocese, helping to make Christmas easier on those in need. Charlotte’s St. Matthew Parish dropped off 125 baskets of food Dec. 18 at Catholic Charities’ Charlotte office, which distributed the items the same day.
Boy Scouts from St. Luke Parish in Mint Hill also arrived at the downtown Charlotte office that morning bearing 75 boxes of food. These were distributed Dec. 19 during the Charlotte office’s regular weekly food pantry.
Catholic Charities’ Western Region Office in Asheville also stayed busy with its weekly food pantry and regular markets with its partner, MANNA FoodBank. On Dec. 12, as part of their monthly market at Woodfin Community Center, children were invited to choose books they’d like to keep.
The Western Region Office also held its annual angel tree project. Piles of gifts filled the office at 50 Orange St. in Asheville over the past month, thanks to the generosity of donors throughout western North Carolina.
Longtime angel tree volunteer and Western Region Office advisory board member Susan Loveland coordinated gifts for more than 55 families. It was “organized chaos” as
Loveland led the efforts to ensure that all 279 program participants received gifts. Volunteer and advisory board member Donna Bange helped track more than 600 angel tree requests.
At the Catholic Charities office in Winston-Salem, staff and volunteers organized and distributed holiday meals and gifts from Holy Family Parish in Clemmons and St. Leo the Great Parish in Winston-Salem. Together, the parishes donated enough food, toys and gift cards to help 108 families. Joy filled the hearts of everyone concerned as they loaded trunks with all the goods needed for a Merry Christmas.
— Annie Ferguson. Photos provided
CHARLOTTE — This year the Fourth Sunday of Advent falls the day before Christmas, so Catholics should plan ahead to attend Mass to fulfill both holy days of obligation.
People will need to attend Mass for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, and then again for Christmas – two separate liturgies to celebrate the two distinct holy days. Catholics are not allowed to attend one Mass to “cover” both holy days.
To accommodate people’s needs, Bishop Peter Jugis is giving pastors the option of adding more Masses Dec. 23-25.
Masses for the Fourth Sunday of Advent can be offered anytime after 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 23. Masses for Christmas can be offered any time after 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 24, guidance from the diocese’s Office of Divine Worship stated.
As a result, Mass times may vary, so check your local parish’s website and bulletin to plan your Mass attendance schedule.
“Ideally, this is an opportunity to foster a love for the Sacred Liturgy and to enkindle a desire to celebrate the holy days as fully as reasonably possible,” the Divine Worship guidance to pastors noted.