By Karen Noel
While we all understand this past year posed great challenges, it also provided great opportunities for growth and heroic perseverance.
It is with great joy that I greet you in this New Year!
While we all understand this past year posed great challenges, it also provided great opportunities for growth and courageous perseverance. I believe Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph was able to meet these challenges in a grace-filled manner.
You may have read Pope Francis declared 2021 the Year of St. Joseph, which is very fitting as we immerge from the COVID trials of 2020. St. Joseph, the man that adopted Jesus, persistently and lovingly provided for his family through the dignity of work, and did so creatively when faced with difficult situations. “The carpenter of Nazareth,” explains the Pope, “was able to turn a problem into a possibility by trusting in divine providence.”
May we all proceed through 2021 with the calm, hopeful, and faith-filled perseverance of St. Joseph.
Catholic Charities Emergency Assistance Fund As we start the New Year, dedicated staff members will be visiting churches to educate parishioners about our service and ask for participation in our Catholic Charities Emergency Assistance Fund (CCEAF). This fund provides emergency assistance for our clients in the form of rent, utility, hygiene, and food assistance – things we so often take for granted. We anticipate this year will look very different than in years past, as many churches are left with empty pews due to the pandemic.
That being said, we need your help. If you wish for a Catholic Charities staff member to come speak at your parish, please contact our Parish Liaison Nancy at 816 659-8266.
Exciting Changes Ahead Last year, we began working on a transformative plan to further serve our clients in crisis. These expanded services will be revealed in early 2021 and will transform our agency, revolutionizing the way we reach community members in need and providing new resources for the most vulnerable. Plus, our new services will provide families and individuals opportunities to live out their faith through service. These changes are long in the making, so stay tuned more to come in the next few months.
I pray you have a happy and blessed year.
In Christ,
Karen Noel