For our Alternative Spring Break, we travelled to the P.I.M.E. mission in Mexico and were transformed by the hospitality and love of the people. Mexico is in turmoil as it wrestles with changes to its traditional culture, the rights and treatment of indigenous peoples, the exploitation of the poor, and the violence associated with the drug trade and yet our group gained solidarity and connection with the people of Mexico and the P.I.M.E. mission which we hope will grow at Holy Trinity.
Please check out our photo album and join us for a Mexican Fiesta on April 17th to learn more about the trip and ways you can help. Details will be posted soon.
Rachel Thelen, the director of 1Cup, will share how you can put your faith into action this summer right here in Ypsilanti through this new and exciting volunteer program.
...for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me . . . Mt 25:35
Monday, February 8-Monday, February 15
lower level, John XXIII Campus Center
Working with the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County, Holy Trinity will once again host an emergency winter shelter for homeless men of our community. We will welcome twenty men each night and provide them fellowship, hot coffee and something to eat, and a warm place to sleep. Without this assistance, these men would have no where to escape the dangerously frigid temperature. Volunteers are needed each morning and evening to drive our guests to and from Ann Arbor. In addition, we need volunteers to provide hospitality while they are here as well as overnight hosts. If you are interested in volunteering, please sign-up in the atrium or contact the office.
Conventional wisdom says that people are homeless because they are either lazy and don't want to work, they are all addicted to drugs and alcohol, or they are mentally ill. These falsehoods and half-truths blame the homeless person for their predicament rather than exposing the real causes for these problem. The reasons and causes for homelessness are as varied as the people who experience it for each homeless person is unique and valued and has their own story to tell but there are some common causes.
The lack of job opportunities and affordable housing, the lack of affordable health care, limited social services and poor access to help, domestic violence for women and children are all causes of homelessness but the number one reason for homelessness in America is poverty. There are homeless people who have jobs but find that their source of income is not adequate to provide for all the necessities of life (food, clothing, child care, health care, transportation, and housing). Something has to give and with the high cost of housing, it is often a home. An accident, an illness, or a lay-off can be a catastrophe for someone living at the poverty line.
To be sure, many homeless people do suffer from addictions and/or mental illness but there is no correlation that their addictions or illness caused their homelessness. There are also many people who suffer with addictions and/or mental illness that do not find themselves living on the street. Addiction and mental illness coupled with poverty will increase one's risk of becoming homeless. And homelessness will exacerbate the problems associated with addictions and/or mental illness. It is a vicious cycle.
Contact the National Coalition for the Homeless to learn more about homelessness and poverty in America as well as find out ways you can help.
Catholics on Campus and Holy Trinity parish will be taking a trip to NewLife Women's Center to help them with their annual Martin Luther King Day street ministry. We will be helping pass out clothes and other items. Come prepared to work and have fun!!
We will be meet at Holy Trinity no later than 7:30am and then carpool to
Flint.We will return by 4:00pm.
We are looking for drivers. If you can drive or have any questions, please contact Kristen at kcatenac@emich.eduor Bill at balt@htspemu.org.All resident and student parishioners are welcome.
We are once again providing a home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner for the Ypsilanti-Ann Arbor community. Please come help us serve the meal and enjoy hospitality and fellowship with your neighbors.
We will be working with the Mixtec people of the PIME mission in Mexico and the community of Nazareth Farm in the hills of Appalachia.
The PIME mission in Mexico
The work of the PIME Missionaries in this country is unique. Opened in 1993 to assist the local Catholic Church and the Mixtec community, PIME has had a hands-on role in Guerrero, one of Mexico's poorest states.
In these sixteen years among the Mixtec people, much has been accomplished: mission centers were put up, many programs have been started, many people have grown in awareness of their dignity and have begun to work towards living that dignity, many interested persons have visited and given their time and talent for the betterment of the people. We will be a part of PIME Missionaries ministry of assistance in health, nutrition, education, development, the promotion of women and children, ecology, and other pastoral works.
You will give but you will also receive. It is about mutuality and solidarity. Opportunities for real interaction with people of diverse backgrounds allow you to be enriched with the faith perspectives of those with whom you serve. To describe the Mission is not easy. It is better to see it once than to hear about it one thousand times. There is no substitue for a personal visit to experience the heat, the smell, the flavor, and the interaction with the people, to become globally aware.
Surprise yourself and put your faith into action.
Nazareth Farm, West Virgninia
For thirty years, the community of Nazareth Farm has tried to live the Gospel through the cornerstones of prayer, service, community, and simplicity. In solidarity with their neighbors, they address sub-standard housing by providing home repair to those in need. They celebrate the richness of Appalachia and experience God by building relationships between volunteers and the local community. Through their unique service-retreat experience, they have transformed thousands of lives. Nazareth Farm is truly Almost Heaven and an experience you do not want to miss.
The State Park Stewardship Program works to restore native tall grass prairie, lakeplain prairie, and oak savannah ecosystems. Catholics on Campus will be helping the DNR preserve these unique ecosystems for future generations by collectings native wildflower seeds. Volunteers should bring a clean, empty gallon milk jug for seed collection and wear sturdy shoes. (We will be hiking.) A water bottle and hat are also recommended. We will be carpooling from Holy Trinity so please let us know if you can drive. Contact Kristin at kcatenac@emich.edu to sign-up. Come and learn about the natural and cultural histroy of this area while caring for God's creation.
Food Gatherers exists to alleviate hunger and eliminate its causes in our community by: reducing food waste through the rescue and distribution of perishable and non-perishable food, coordinating with other hunger relief providers, educating the public about hunger, and developing new food resources.
Saturday, February 14
9:20am-12:30pm
food gatherers
Valentine's Day is about love. What better way to show your love for the community and your neighbor than to VOLUNTEER and SERVE?
We will be working with Food Gatherers in their warehouse so dress in layers. We will meet at Holy Trinity and then carpool to their warehouse in Ann Arbor. If you can drive, please let us know. We should return by 12:30pm
If you have any questions please feel free to contact Kristin Catenacci via facebook message or at kcatenac@emich.edu.
We shared food, stories, and love with our Ypsilanti-Ann Arbor community at our Thanksgiving Day dinner. For many people, this was their only opportunity for a turkey dinner with all the trimmings.
We thank Ron Gilgenbach, our coordinator, and all the volunteers who helped with preparing the food, serving and sharing with our guests, and cleaning up afterwards. Your generosity is a witness to God's reign of love and prepares us this Advent for the coming of Christ.
Check out more photos in our Thanksgiving Day photo album.
