Extension Magazine - Fall 2021
In 1978, St. Pope John Paul II said, " Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ!" His words echo in our ears today as churches across the country have literally reopened their doors after many months of restrictions. The Catholic Church's mission to serve, to heal and to reach people's hears in Christ's name has never shut down, as is revealed in the accomplishments of our 2021 Lumen Christi Award finalists- such as Racheal Jacoby, who recently restored ST. Francis Xavier Mission in Melvin, Texas.
In 1978, St. Pope John Paul II said, " Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ!" His words echo in our ears today as churches across the country have literally reopened their doors after many months of restrictions. The Catholic Church's mission to serve, to heal and to reach people's hears in Christ's name has never shut down, as is revealed in the accomplishments of our 2021 Lumen Christi Award finalists- such as Racheal Jacoby, who recently restored ST. Francis Xavier Mission in Melvin, Texas.
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<strong>Extension</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2021</strong> 45<br />
Many priests serving in impoverished communities, such as Father Omar Soto Torres<br />
in the Diocese of Ponce, Puerto Rico, (photographed in front of his parish hall) have<br />
lost most of their income due to a hurricane, earthquake and the pandemic. The Catholic<br />
Kinship Initiative has supported their salaries.<br />
learned through our survey<br />
that 1,000 poor parishes (or 20<br />
percent of all parishes in <strong>Extension</strong><br />
dioceses) are in serious<br />
financial distress.<br />
Why is this so concerning?<br />
Because these are the parishes<br />
that provide support and<br />
spiritual care to the poorest<br />
among us.<br />
Our Lady of<br />
Guadalupe<br />
Mission,<br />
a Catholic<br />
church built<br />
from a trailer,<br />
serves an<br />
engaged<br />
community<br />
in Sandhill,<br />
Georgia.<br />
Parishes<br />
across the U.S.<br />
supported this<br />
church during<br />
the pandemic.<br />
They are places like El Buen<br />
Pastor mission, which is located<br />
in one of the poorest<br />
communities in the Diocese<br />
of El Paso, Texas. In a town of<br />
4,000 residents, 40 percent<br />
live below the poverty line.<br />
Yet this poor parish, which at<br />
one point was raising as little<br />
as $45 on a Sunday during<br />
the pandemic, remained very<br />
active in the community.<br />
It reached out to help its<br />
neighbors in greatest need.<br />
This is why the Catholic<br />
Kinship Initiative is so important.<br />
It is helping to ensure<br />
that the Church can continue<br />
to fully extend her care<br />
to all people of this country’s<br />
poorest regions.<br />
The response to this initiative<br />
has already been extraordinary.<br />
Hundreds of parishes<br />
are answering this<br />
urgent call for help, bringing<br />
immense relief to those struggling<br />
to keep their church<br />
doors open.<br />
One parish that supported<br />
this effort to help struggling<br />
parishes said it best:<br />
“In the Year of St. Joseph,<br />
the patron of the universal<br />
Church, we all ought to honor<br />
the unity of the Church as best<br />
we can. Catholic <strong>Extension</strong><br />
is one of the best means we<br />
have as the Church in America<br />
to care for one another across<br />
the nation.”<br />
“We are so humbled and<br />
grateful for the parishes that<br />
have joined us in our Catholic<br />
Kinship Initiative so far, but<br />
the need remains great,” said<br />
Natalie Donatello, director of<br />
Parish Partnerships.<br />
Many low-income parishes<br />
are still praying for help to<br />
arrive.<br />
You and your parish, school<br />
or other community organization<br />
can join this national<br />
movement of Catholic kinship!
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