Midweek Musings
With the national unemployment rate still hovering around 10 percent and the state average close by, times are tough.
Pull practically any edition of this newspaper, and you will likely see an article about the economic struggles that our fishing industry has experienced from oppressive government and environmental regulations. Walk the downtown area surrounding Main Street and you will be confronted by multiple vacant storefronts, many of which have been empty for a long time.
These and many other signs remind us on a daily basis of how difficult it can be for families to afford the basic necessities of life — to stay in their homes, to find proper clothing, to put food on the table and stay warm during the frosty weather that is still ahead of us.
In better times, there were always a significant number of our community who needed help with all of these needs. How much more so in these challenging economic times?
Over the years, Cape Ann has been fortunate to have many helping agencies who struggle to meet these ongoing needs - Action Inc., Cape Ann Food Pantry and The Open Door, Wellspring House Inc. ... just to name a few. Sometimes working with government agencies, always relying on private donations and many tireless volunteers, these and many other service providers offer an invaluable lifeline for the many vulnerable families and individuals who live in our community.
Alongside the many secular and interfaith groups who work so well to meet these many needs, two time-honored Catholic institutions have made significant local contributions in recent years. They are the St. Vincent DePaul Society and the local Catholic Charities office here in Gloucester.
The St. Vincent DePaul Society was founded back in the mid 19th century as a network of laity who would embrace, as their apostolate in life, serving the needs of the poor and recognizing the presence of Christ in those to whom they minister.
Organized internationally, nationally, regionally and locally, their membership numbers exceed 128,000 in the United Sates alone, with more than 4,700 local councils that serve in parishes throughout our country. We are very blessed to host a vibrant local branch of the society which works very quietly and confidentially right here in Gloucester and Rockport. Merged from three separate chapters at about the same time of the consolidation of the Cape Ann Catholic parishes back in 2005, the Holy Family chapter of St. Vincent DePaul embraces many levels of outreach to the needy in our community, including stocking a food pantry and running a clothing thrift store.
Providing emergency financial assistance, budget counseling, rent and mortgage assistance as well as the basic necessities of food and clothing, the members of the Society are bound by a call to charity and love that is Gospel-centered.
You will not find a more dedicated group of lay men and women who understand the meaning of the 25th chapter of Matthew's Gospel, where it says: "Whatever you did for one of these least ones of mine you did for me." They are local people helping local people as only local people know how to do best.
A recent addition to Cape Ann's helping organizations, Catholic Charities is a local branch of a much larger network of Catholic social service agencies that operate in Greater Boston, nationally and worldwide. Providing emergency financial assistance for fuel, rent, and utilities as well as food gift certificates to local grocery stores, our local Catholic Charities office can also facilitate additional services including youth and family counseling, services for those who are pregnant or are new parents and offers family stabilization and support services.
Staying true to its founding mission, Catholic Charities remains committed to building a just and compassionate society that respects the human dignity of all. It is a great joy to have a local office of Catholic Charities right here on Cape Ann, and its presence represents a strong commitment on the part of the wider Church to care for our own brothers and sisters who are in need.
Working in concert with each other as well as the other local helping agencies, the St. Vincent DePaul Society and Catholic Charities serve up a much-needed commodity: hope.
This Advent season is a time when we celebrate the hope given to us in God's promise of a savior. That is a hope that has been both realized and is also to come.
The quiet, humble work of our local charities speaks that message of hope in a powerful way to those who need to hear it most. I have witnessed time and again the selfless work that these amazing people do everyday. It is not uncommon to find them working morning, Noon and night, in the pouring rain or freezing wind, bringing food to the hungry, meeting with clients, offering help where they can and a gentle, loving presence to all.
While our secular culture will always want to cheer on celebrities, sports figures, the rich and the famous, I will always look first to the unsung heroes of our St. Vincent DePaul Society, Catholic Charities and other local charitable agencies for my inspiration.
To a one, they would recoil at the idea of being singled-out by name for the work that they do. But you know who you are. In choosing to serve the poor and those in need, you serve Christ. In serving Christ, you serve us all. May God bless you for all that you do on behalf of those who are so dear to our God. Because of what you do, this Advent is a time when hope is fulfilled.
The Rev. Timothy Harrison is co-pastor of Holy Family Parish in Gloucester and Rockport. Midweek Musings is a column rotated among Cape Ann clergy.
