University, Maternity teens focused on service.“There are more than 6,000 people in Kankakee County who are below the poverty line, and experiencing financial difficulty, medical difficulties, or may be elderly and in need of a helping hand,” says Patty Bailey, youth minister. “These are the very people we strive to help.”
Saint Viator High School teens worked in the Viatorian Community Garden during the Song & Service Camp in July.
At Saint Viator High School in Arlington Heights, 120 current students combined with junior high teens to participate in the second annual Song & Service Camp. Young people in the song track learned different liturgical music, while students in the service track did a variety of hands-on projects. “Our intention was to let students directly serve those most in need in the local community,” said Fr. Corey Brost, CSV. Finally, for the 15th year, Viatorian Associates Ken and Michelle Barrie led teens from St. Patrick Parish to help residents in one of the poorest areas in the country: Pembroke Township, located less than 30 minutes from their homes in Kankakee and Bourbonnais. They set up camp at Sacred Heart Church, run by the Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary sisters, and worked in teams on a variety of projects. “I truly feel that working in Pembroke is carrying out Fr. Querbes’ vision,” Michelle says, “of working with those accounted of little or no importance.” Members of the Viatorian Community joined with more than 170 faith leaders in Illinois in signing a letter dispatched to Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk on Capitol Hill. The letter was written by the leaders of Bread for the World, a Washington-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to mobilize Christian leaders in urging Congress to end hunger. The letter urged Senators Durbin and Kirk to take
a leadership role in reforming international food aid, so it does a better job of helping hungry people and responding to humanitarian disasters around the world. The Viatorian Provincial Council joined with nearly 150 national organizations and faith communities, as well as nearly 175 state and local groups, in signing a letter dated July 21, that endorsed the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2014, before it was introduced to Congress. The act builds on the advancements of the Affordable Care Act, in eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities. Eileen O’Grady Daday
Email: news@viatorians.com Website: www.viatorians.com Provincial: Fr. Thomas R. von Behren, CSV Editor: Fr. Thomas E. Long, CSV Director of Communications: Eileen O’Grady Daday Editorial Board: Fr. Thomas R. von Behren, CSV Br. Donald P. Houde, CSV Fr. Lawrence D. Lentz, CSV Br. Leo V. Ryan, CSV Eileen O’Grady Daday Barton Hisgen Associate Joan Sweeney Layout and Design:
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