St. Margaret Mary Church in Lomita inaugurated a new parish activity center on March 12 as part of its continued outreach to those in need.
The new Msgr. Pat Thompson Christian Service Center “will be a center of our parish activities and a place where all people are welcome,” said pastor Father Paul O’Donnell at the dedication and blessing of the building, which drew parishioners and Christian Service volunteers….
The program began early in the 1970s when then-pastor Father Harold Cremins would call parishioners, asking them to bring certain supplies to the rectory for needy families. In 1985, an organized program began, and Sister of Charity of Rolling Hills, Sister Liz, became its first director.
In the 1990s, then-pastor (and future auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles) Father Joseph Sartoris encouraged the program to organize itself more. Parishioners began making the rounds of grocery stores on weekdays collecting donations. At first, food was distributed from the parish office, then in the parking lot. Eventually, all those being served by the parish would come to the parish hall on Wednesdays to take home bags of food.
When Covid-19 began changing everyone’s routines two years ago, the program began welcoming people in need from Monday through Friday, assigning each family an appointment. Today, it is one of the largest food programs in the region.
Until last Saturday, the program still lacked a facility of its own where it could adequately process donations and welcome those destined to receive them. Since the beginning of the program, the Christian Service Center was always “borrowing” space from other areas on the parish grounds. Through the generosity of several individual donors, and a record-breaking second collection taken up for this specific purpose, the parish raised $81,000 in just a month…
Longtime parishioner Mike Molina said that “the parish community really believes in the words of Matthew, chapter 25, where we are to serve people, those who are in need….”
The above comes from a March 18 story in Angelus News.
With Democrats in charge of the state, more of these centers are going to be needed.
Yes, because Democrats cause poverty, crime and misery through their inept governance.
Do they have a permit for what they’re doing?
This quip is very clever and perhaps more profound than it may appear on the surface. Anything that takes power and dependence of people away from the state will be challenged. I believe that this is part of the reason for the rejection of Jesus and the apostles who encouraged their disciples to care for one another rather than to depend on government authorities.
Yes, like people being taxed for a senior center they do not even want to use. The government takes our money in taxes, then gives it back to us in the ways THEY see fit. It is one thing to be taxed for freeways and things we really have to use and quite another for useless things.
I do realize that some seniors use the senior centers as dating sites. Some are worse than teenagers. (Laughter.) I had rather keep my own money, buy and exchange my own books, etc. and see my own family and friends outside of senior only places. The young keep us young.
Governments in general are very good at giving you the shirt off your neighbor’s back while causing the conditions that make you need the shirt in the first place. We might turn here to almost any large-scale government activity that tends to grow government as it assumes the robe and the honors of a benefactor. — Anthony Esolen
How does government cause the conditions that make you need the shirt in the first place?
That really does not make sense.
I think people just like to find fault and blame others.
Maybe hand out gasoline. Fill ‘er up Regular, please.
There’s an idea
Why is the woman in the pic wearing a mask that doesn’t do anything?
Oh, another high-profile vax death that the media will ignore:
What killed Dr. SarahBeth Hartlage?
The city of Louisville’s Covid vaccine coordinator – and a vocal proponent of mRNA shots – “died unexpectedly” last week. She was 36. The city doesn’t seem to think it needs to say more. It’s wrong.
Alex Berenson
For over a year, Dr. SarahBeth Hartlage urged people to take Covid vaccines.
She urged them online, in person, and in briefings with Louisville’s mayor. She tweeted a picture of herself opening a box of mRNA jabs and said she’d had “a little visit from the Pfizer fairy.” She was thrilled when regulators authorized shots for five-year-olds and disappointed when Pfizer postponed its application for six-month-olds.
She didn’t just talk or tweet, either. She ran the city of Louisville’s vaccine clinic, which injected people with almost 120,000 shots.
And she wanted vaccine mandates.
—
Last week, Dr. Hartlage died.
She was attending a medical conference in Florida. Her death was “sudden and unexpected,” according to Louisville’s chief health strategist. Dr. Hartlage was 36.
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace.