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Christmas Giving Tree an Opportunity to Bless Others
For many, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day bring plenty of excitement — it’s a time for being with family and sharing delicious food and gifts. But for others, there is not enough money for gifts. It may even be hard to put food on the table.
“It is not humanly possible to take care of all needs of any one individual or family, but we can do something to ease suffering, even for one day, for just about anyone we encounter,” says St. Vincent de Paul Volunteer Sue Penicka.
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The Immaculate Conception St. Vincent de Paul Society, or SVdP, works year-round to ease the suffering for those throughout Willoughby. At Christmastime, parishioners have a special opportunity to assist in that good work through the Giving Tree, which is placed in the southwest vestibule.
The Giving Tree is decorated with ornaments that list gift ideas for children in need. Parishioners then select what items they wish to purchase, and the wrapped gifts are returned to the church and placed under the tree. The gifts are distributed within 10 days of Christmas. The ornaments also include ideas for the adults in the home, like gift cards or personal care items. Immaculate Conception usually provides gifts for 15-20 Willoughby families in need.
Due to COVID-19 precautions, the Giving Tree will be set up a week earlier, over the weekend of Nov. 7-8, so there is less crowding when choosing ornaments. Sue notes that while more families are in need this year, many of those in need have more resources this year because of Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding and exceptions.
Sue says there is no more important time than Christmas to help those in need. Showing Christ’s love to those in need is the main goal of the SVdP Society.
“The vocation of the Society’s all-lay membership is to follow Christ through service to those in need and to bear witness to His compassionate and liberating love,” Sue says. “My faith and my love for serving the poor has grown substantially in no small part because of SVdP Society at Immaculate Conception.”
As Christians, we must not ignore the needs of those around us — especially the needs of children, says Sue.
“Children did not choose the circumstances into which they were born,” she says. “We can provide things to them to make them aware that God loves them and has not forgotten them, no matter what their circumstance in life.”
Christmas gifts are commonplace to most of us. So, let’s not forget those for whom a happy and exciting Christmas is not common. Sue says our parish has provided so much support in the past — we should make this year just like any other, or even better.
“Immaculate Conception parishioners are extremely generous, and it would not be possible to do anything to help those less fortunate if it were not for the generosity all year round,” Sue says. “Thank you to all parishioners for living their faith and being faithful witnesses to the goodness of God.”
