+ All Categories
Home > Documents > El Correo Summer 12

El Correo Summer 12

Date post: 05-Apr-2018
Category:
Upload: rosie-chinea-shawver
View: 215 times
Download: 0 times
Share this document with a friend
5
L ORRE VISION co el li ng future state toward T p w aspire an strive  A community thriving in t he abundance of GOD’s love and selflessly serving the needs of one another. on-Prot Org. US Postage PAID A uquerque , NM Permit #01234 Thank you for Supportin at o ic C arities t roug  your esignate gi ts 3301 Candelaria NE, A buquerque, NM 87107 The “Han s of th e Hol y S piri t A war s” came into eing in 2009. Catholic Charities has lo ng reco gnize that o ne of it s great est strengths was a core group of persons who tirelessly worke to etter the lives of people in our communi ty. These in ivi uals we re  just not onors or volunt eers ut often went ey on wha t wa s ex pe cte an i so wi th out seeking pu lic acknowle ge me nt of their activities. Further, many of these in ivi uals saw what they i as a means of rece iving grace an were th ankful for t he op portuni ty to se rve their nei gh ors. In 2009 one of these limel ig ht -a vo i ing in ivi ual s sought t o quietly retire from his volunteer activities on ehalf o f Cath olic C haritie s an in particul ar our Hi ernian House of New Mexico Housing Corpo rati on. However, i t se eme so unfair that someone who was a mo el fo r all of us in his commitmen t an ac tions sh oul just fa e away . Tha t year we h ono re Michael Kel eher with a han cr afte cross ma e y a Zuni silversmith that sy m olize his commitment to his f aith, t o New Mexico an to his community . In 2009 i t was a recognition of one pe rson’s contri ution to o ur organization an our communi ty. But i t o pene our eyes to fact that there is not just one, ut perha ps hun re s o r even tho usan s of f ol ks like Michael Kel ehe r serving their neig h ors. In 2010 an 2011 we continue to ho nor these in ivi ual s who o not give jus t of the ir excess, ut rather invest a signicant portion f their eing in eecting positive outcomes here a t Catho lic Charities an amon g their nei gh ors. The hon oree s have come from some re lig ious or ers an lai ty of t he Chur ch. These in ivi ual s rec eive a han cra f te ross esign e y a Zuni artist as well. In 2012 we continue to recognize such special in ivi ual s wh o gi ve t he ir time, tal ent an treasures in exchange for the receipt of grace n nothing more. This year each of the new me m ers int o th e ci rcl e of th e “Han s f the Ho ly S pirit” awar ees will rec eive a han carve Santo of St. Francis of Assi si ( the Patron Saint of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe) who remin s us t hat we n ee onl y re ach for wor s to expre ss the Gos pel wh en our ac tions fail us. Th e woo use to make the Santos ame fro m the forest here in our Arc h iocese. One of the most important missions f Catholic Charities is to reach out an partner wi th “Pers ons of Goo Will.” T hese re in ivi uals wh o ma y o r ma y not shar e ur particul ar faith an elie fs, ut o share common elie f in the o liga tio n to e of service to their n ei gh or. Th e “Han s o f t he Ho ly Sp irit” awa r ees serve as rol e mo els who seek to e such partners in service. On ehalf of Catholic Charities, I wish to express ur appreciation to each of those who serve s the han s of the Holy Spiri t in perfo rming cts of kin ness an char ity . Th ey stre ngth en ur resol ve to make a iere nce an e the ierence for so many in our community. Being an int er- ait comm unity Hoping for the things unseen Believing with strong conviction A sense o unde rlying one ness Mani esting charity CARING ompassion or all Empathy or all RESPECT Dignity of others The individuality of others The uniqueness o others INTEGRITY onesty Transparency Trustworthiness a rness INCLUSIVITY penness vers ty Rec oncili ation o di ere nces Partnering with others Seeking others with the abilities to ind solutions MISSION ur u ue p ur po se t hat de nes i wh y w i t, wh om we serve and e s e produce t We create hope for those in need by promoting self-sufficiency , strengthening families, fighting poverty and building community. CORE VALUES pr cip es t at gui e us an T in con t te w at we eieve ti The Hands of the Holy Spirit Awards | by Jim Gannon Executive Director,  Jim Gannon  Hands of the Holy Spi rit Award
Transcript
Page 1: El Correo Summer 12

7/31/2019 El Correo Summer 12

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/el-correo-summer-12 1/4

L ORRE

VISIONco elling future state towardT pw aspire an strive

A community thriving in the abundanceof GOD’s love and selflessly serving the

needs of one another.

on-Prot Org.US Postage

PAIDA uquerque, NM

Permit #01234

Thank you for Supportinat o ic C arities t roug your esignate gi tsto Unite Way an t e

Com ine Fe era Campaign.

3301 Candelaria NE,A buquerque, NM 87107

The “Han s of the Holy Spirit Awar s”came into eing in 2009. Catholic Charitieshas long recognize that one of its greatest

strengths was a core group of persons whotirelessly worke to etter the lives of peoplein our community. These in ivi uals were just not onors or volunteers ut often went

eyon what was expecte an i so withoutseeking pu lic acknowle gement of theiractivities. Further, many of these in ivi ualssaw what they i as a means of receivinggrace an were thankful for the opportunityto serve their neigh ors. In 2009 one of theselimelight-avoi ing in ivi uals sought toquietly retire from his volunteer activities on

ehalf of Catholic Charities an in particularour Hi ernian House of New Mexico HousingCorporation. However, it seeme so unfairthat someone who was a mo el for all of us inhis commitment an actions shoul just fa eaway. That year we honore Michael Keleherwith a han crafte cross ma e y a Zunisilversmith that sym olize his commitmentto his faith, to New Mexico an to hiscommunity. In 2009 it was a recognition of one person’s contri ution to our organizationan our community. But it opene our eyesto fact that there is not just one, ut perhapshun re s or even thousan s of folks likeMichael Keleher serving their neigh ors.

In 2010 an 2011 we continue to honorthese in ivi uals who o not give just of theirexcess, ut rather invest a signicant portion

f their eing in e ecting positive outcomeshere at Catholic Charities an among theirneigh ors. The honorees have come fromsome religious or ers an laity of the Church.These in ivi uals receive a han crafteross esigne y a Zuni artist as well. In

2012 we continue to recognize such specialin ivi uals who give their time, talent antreasures in exchange for the receipt of grace

n nothing more. This year each of thenew mem ers into the circle of the “Han s

f the Holy Spirit” awar ees will receive ahan carve Santo of St. Francis of Assisi (thePatron Saint of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe)who remin s us that we nee only reach forwor s to express the Gospel when our actionsfail us. The woo use to make the Santosame from the forest here in our Arch iocese.

One of the most important missionsf Catholic Charities is to reach out an

partner with “Persons of Goo Will.” Thesere in ivi uals who may or may not shareur particular faith an eliefs, ut o sharecommon elief in the o ligation to e of

service to their neigh or. The “Han s of theHoly Spirit” awar ees serve as role mo elswho seek to e such partners in service. On

ehalf of Catholic Charities, I wish to expressur appreciation to each of those who serves the han s of the Holy Spirit in performingcts of kin ness an charity. They strengthenur resolve to make a i erence an e thei erence for so many in our community.

Being an inter- ait communityHoping for the things unseen

Believing with strong conviction

A sense o underlying onenessMani esting charity

CARINGompassion or allEmpathy or all

RESPECTDignity of others

The individuality of othersThe uniqueness o others

INTEGRITYonesty

TransparencyTrustworthiness

a rness

INCLUSIVITYpennessvers ty

Reconciliation o di erences

Partnering with othersSeeking others with the abilities to

ind solutions

MISSIONur u ue purpose that denes

iwhy w i t, whom we serve ande

se producet

We create hope for those in needby promoting self-sufficiency,

strengthening families, fightingpoverty and building community.

CORE VALUESpr cip es t at gui e us an

T incon t te w at we e ieveti

The Hands of the Holy Spirit Awards | by Jim Gannon

Executive Director, Jim Gannon

Hands of the Holy Spirit Award

Page 2: El Correo Summer 12

7/31/2019 El Correo Summer 12

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/el-correo-summer-12 2/4

Summer 2010 EL CORREO

2

Catholic Charities Honors Good Works | by Linley Daly

Summer 2012 EL CORREO

In Cat o ic Teac ings t e ait u are ca eto participate in C arity. T roug c aritya Cat o ic is esse an rewar not inmateria istic goo s, ut in t e strengt eningof their faith. Many see the conducting of c arita e activities as actua y t e en ingo our p ysica an s to t e Ho y Spirit toper orm suc acts. In t e truest sense, one oesnot engage in c arity to e ac now e ge orsing e out , ut at t e same time t e C urc

oes recognize t e extraor inary acts oin ness one y or inary in ivi ua s. Our

Saints are men an women w o soug t int eir every ay ives not to e ro e mo e s, utto emanate C rist t roug ow t ey ive .

T e Matt ew 25 Giving Society see sin a sma way to s are wit t e pu ic t econtri utions o 4 suc or inary personsw o participate ai y in extraor inary

emonstration o t e commitment to c arityin ow t ey con uct t emse ves. T ese aret is year ’s winners o t e Han s o t e Ho ySpirit Awar s.

Paula Appleton: Pau a App eton move

to A uquerque in 1973 an marrie Ro ertApp eton at t e Aquinas Newman Centerin Decem er o t at year. Her us an o24 years ie in 1998 rom cancer. S e asone son an two gran c i ren. As a civiservice emp oyee, Pau a’s career spans ott e pu ic an private in ustries. In 1980 s ean er ami y returne to A uquerquew ere s e wor e or t e US Posta Serviceunti retirement in 2004. An incre i evo unteer, Pau a as vo unteere witBig Brot ers an Big Sisters, serve as ac i ren’s’ catec ist an Euc aristic Ministerat t e Aquinas Newman Center, vo unteere

at St Martin’s Hospita ity Center, serve inan e ementary sc oo as a vo unteer rea ingtutor, and in the past few years served as avo unteer wit t e Sisters o St. Josep or 6mont s. S e trave e to Timau, Kenya anwor e at St. E iza et E ementary Sc oo ,a sc oo or in igent street c i ren, ocateat the base of Mount Kenya. She is planningto return to Kenya t is year in Octo er ora s ort visit. For 8 years, Pau a as een ac eris e Senior Transportation Driver witCat o ic C arities.

Rev. Msgr. Bennett J. Voorhies: T eReveren Monsignor Bennett J. Voor iess Pastor o Our La y o t e Annunciation

Paris . He was orn in 1957 in La ayette,Louisiana an is an exemp ary pro uct oCatholic education. As a student of the NorthAmerican Co ege in Rome, Monsignor it eo ogica stu ies un er t e Dominicansat t e Ange icum University an un er t eBene ictines at t e At eneum San Anse mow ere e o taine is M.A. in SacramentaT eo ogy. Pope Jo n Pau II or aineMonsignor Voor ies a priest or t e Dioceseo La ayette in 1983. He a many parisassignments in t e Diocese o La ayetteas well as serving as Director of Vocationsan Seminarians un er t en Bis op HarryF ynn. During is 14 years in service to t eArc iocese o Santa Fe, e as serve innumerous capacities, inc u ing Pastor, Dean,Moderator of the Curia, Vicar, and Chancellor.Msgr. Voor ies as serve t ose w o seeout e p at Cat o ic C arities t roug isservice on t e Boar o Cat o ic C arities, asan a vocate or t e support o t e wor o t eorganization, for his commitment to assist theorganization in securing t e resources it nee s,

an y ma ing imse avai a e to provi ecounse ing an a vice to its management. Heas a eep an compassionate un erstan ing

of Social Justice and actively lives to serve themost vu nera e in our community.

Rev. Rafael Garcia, S.J.: r. arcia wasorn in La Ha ana, Cu a. In 1963, at age 9,e an is ami y sett e in Miami as po itica

re ugees. He earne a Bac e or’s Degreein Arc itecture an in 1983 e entere t eNovitiate o t e New Or eans Province Jesuitsin Gran Coteau, Louisiana. His e ucation

nd formation continued across the globe,rom Tijuana, Mexico to Toronto, Cana an Ma ri , Spain. In 1993 e was or ainepriest an serve in paris es in Fori a an

Texas. In 2008, Fr. Garcia was missione asPastor to Immacu ate Conception C urc

n St. Mary’s sc oo in A uquerque, NM.As a Jesuit e ee s a strong ca to ministerto t e impoveris e . Fr. Garcia oes prisonministry wit main y Mexican immigrants;participates in the NM Faith Coalition formmigrant ustice; participates in Servicio

Jesuita a Migrantes, Jesuit networ o t eAmericas t at serves, migrants, immigrants

n eportees rom various sectors. He a sosupports Casa e as Comuni a es Cat o icWor er House in A uquerque, an t e NMmmigrant aw enter. s a esuit, r. arcia

serves as a Consu tor to t e Provincia , w icinvo ves mont y meetings in New Or eans;he serves on the board of the Center forAction an Contemp ation, an e serves ast e representative or re igious priests in t eArc iocese’s Pres ytera Counci .

Stuart Prager: Stuart ( nown simp ys Stu) as een invo ve wit Cat o icCharities for several years, in many di erentways. He as supporte numerous emp oyee

n un raising events, especia y t eFestiva o Trees. Stu came to t is agency as

contractor, since e runs is own computerinformation technology business. But he

as generous y onate many ours ois computer now e ge, ea ers ip s i s ,

materia resources an is winning attitu e tossist our organization. T ere are numerous

nee s t at e as a resse ut we on’teven now w at a o t em are ecause e

o ten oes t em quiet y, an wit out an are.A t oug a mitte y not o t e Cat o ic ait ,

e w o e ear te y em races t e concept ohelping the less fortunate as described in theverses o Matt ew 25, “w atever you i orone o t e east o t ese, my rot ers, you iit unto me.” C ear y, Go uti izes t e ta ents

n gi ts o a His c i ren. Stu as evotemany of his own talents and gifts to forwardt e mission o Cat o ic C arities.

Page 3: El Correo Summer 12

7/31/2019 El Correo Summer 12

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/el-correo-summer-12 3/4

EL CORREO Summer 2010

3

Summer 2012 EL CORREO

Besi e t e awar or “Han s o t e Ho ySpirit,” Cat o ic C arities as anot er awara e t e Simon o Cyrene Awar . T is awar

is or t ose w ose wor enets specic

rograms wit in t is organization. We aveve Centers, eac o w ic as provi e

e name o a person t at as e pe t atCenter y stepping up an carrying some o

e ur ens ace in provi ing assistance toose in nee . T e ist o t is year’s Simon o

Cyrene Awar winners is as o ows:

Tony Aragon: Tony is t e manager oa encia Court apartments. He as e is

eam o caring an attentive emp oyees w oave assiste more t an 12 ami ies rom t e

Partners in Housing an La Luz TransitionaHousing Programs over t e course o t e

ast 3 years. Tony as gone out o is wayo assist participants in t eir transitionrom ome essness to se -su ciency. Heas proven is in ness, exi i ity ann erstan ing o t e comp ex issues acey participants an t eir ami ies. Tony asiven participants a itiona time to connectti ities an as owere mont y rents toccommo ate current Fair Mar et Rents. Heas provi e t em an opportunity to n a

sa e, supportive an enecia environment,w ere t e in ivi ua s an t eir a mi iesan wor on ui ing t eir uture, nowingey ave a an or w o tru y cares a outeir success.

he Marriott Hotel onouisiana Avenue:

T e Marriot t as een arien to Cat o ic C ar-

ities t roug t eir wi -ingness to ire personsserve y our Centerfor Refugee Settlementan Support. T ey

ave een oing t is since 1997, an argenum ers o re ugees ave oun t e roa tose -su ciency y ta ing jo s at t e MarriottHotel. In fact, in just the last four months, they

ire 11 Cu an re ugees.

When refugees arrive in this country,rom Cu a or ot er parts o t e wor t eyave a very imite time in w ic to ecomemp oye . As you can imagine, t is is veryar in t e est o circumstances. But i

a person as i cu ty spea ing Eng is ,t en it ecomes c ose to impossi e. Many

usinesses ee t at it is a waste o timetraining emp oyees w o o not spea Eng is

an w o o not ave wor experience in t eirparticu ar in ustry. But t e sta mem ers ot e Marriott Hote ave a i erent attitu e.T ey e ieve t at t ese peop e eservea c ance.

T e Marriott Hote as ma e a i erencein t e ives o peop e we serve, an we t ant em or t eir wi ingness to wor wit us toma e our community a etter p ace.

Daniel Ritchey andT.E.A.C.H. NM:

Cat o ic C arities co -a orates wit ot errganizations to ena eur sta to increase

t eir s i s an e u-cation. T e TEACH-

program, spon- sore y t e New Mexico Association or t eE ucation o Young C i ren an t e NMC i ren Yout an Fami ies Department,partners wit emp oyers o ear y c i ooe ucators so t at t ey can receive sc o ar-s ips or co ege. In New Mexico, TEACH-NM as assiste 746 stu ents in t e ast yearin working on their degrees. Five of those

stu ents wor or Cat o ic C arities’ C i -ren’s Learning Center.

Danie Ritc ey is t e Project Directoror TEACH-NM. His ent usiasm an

encouragement as e pe to gui e our staon a pat o e ucationa success. He as eendirector of the TEACH Early Childhood®NEW MEXICO sc o ars ip program orear y c i oo teac ers since 2004. In t atposition, e as a vocate or a range oear y c i oo programs w en t e stateegis ature is in session in Santa Fe. Danie

is a recipient o t e Simon o Cyrene awar

t roug Cat o ic C arities as a person w oas een instrumenta in creating ope in oursta t at t ey can earn more, o more, anparticipate more in our community.

Jack Holmgren: Jac is an immigration at-torney in c arge o outreac or t e Cat o icLega Immigration Networ , Inc. (CLINIC).

Em racing t e Gospe va ue o we comingt e stranger, CLINIC promotes t e ignityan protects t e rig ts o immigrants in part-ners ip wit a e icate networ o C at o ic

an community ega immigration programs.It is CLINIC emp oyees i e Jac w o ma e

t is program wor . Over t e past year Jacas e pe Cat o ic C arities to get t ree

more BIA representatives accre ite , een aconstant source o ega a vice on immigrationmatters, o ere severa we inars on up atesin aw, an een a constant encouragementor us to etter serve our c ients an to

expan our operations. He as some twoeca es o experience in immigration aw. His

mentoring an a vice are very va ua e in ayear w en we are seeing important c anges

in t e e era government’s immigrationpo icy, e.g., a owing t ose peop e roug t tot e U.S. i ega y w en t ey were un er 16 tostay in t e U.S. an t e intro uction o a newexpe ite process or waivers. We ave somuc to t an Jac or.

Linda Helyer: T e SEHeig ts Pu ic C inicprovi es an initia

ea t screening to anew y arrive re ugees.Lin a is t e nurse man-ager at t e c inic an is

usua y t e rst personre ugees encounter int e ea t care system. Over t e ast severayears, Lin a as not on y provi e t e initiascreening but ensured that refugees receiveprompt access to care. S e as o ten e pere ugees wit pressing me ica nee s to eseen imme iate y y primary care practitio-ners at UNM. S e as a so een very activein provi ing ea t e ucation an orientationover t e ast severa years. S e teac es amont y ea t orientation to new y arrivere ugees w ere s e e ucates in ivi ua sa out ow to access care, ow to maintain in-surance coverage, an provi es ea t e uca-tion. S e as een invo ve wit t e Re ugeeHea t Provi ers Wor ing Group w ic p ansan coor inates care or re ugees in t e State.Most important y, s e o ers an open an we -coming face to newly arrived refugees.

Simon of Cyrene Awardees

Who Was Simon of Cyrene? | by Diane Kay

Since Cat o ic C arities as name an awar

or Simon o Cyrene, some may as w o was t isperson an w at i e o t at was so specia ?Simon o Cyrene was t e person w o carriet e cross o Jesus a ter Jesus e on t e roa to

is crucixion. He is mentione in t e gospe so Matt ew, Mar , an Lu e or t is ee . Forexamp e, Lu e 23:26 says, “An as t ey e imaway, t ey ai o upon one Simon, a Cyrenian,coming out o t e country, an on im t ey ait e cross, t at e mig t ear it a ter Jesus.”

At t is point in t e crucixion saga, Jesuswas wea rom eing up a nig t, ragge

to two tria s, moc e , an su ering rom two

roun s o w ippings. He a pro a y ost alot of blood and was forced to carry a heavywoo en cross or a out 1/3 o a mi e. It wasmore t an e cou p ysica y ear, an ee . T e Roman Centurions must ave seen

t is as an annoying e ay in carrying out t eirduties, so they looked around for someone tocarry t e oa . Simon o Cyrene was pressento serv ce.

It is interesting to note t at none o Jesus’rien s or apost es were near y to o er e p

to im in is our o eepest nee . Simon oContinued on next page

Page 4: El Correo Summer 12

7/31/2019 El Correo Summer 12

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/el-correo-summer-12 4/4

Summer 2012 EL CORREO

4

EL CORREO (T e MaiPu is e y Cat o ic C arities,Diane Kay, E itor

Catholic Chariities O cesPhone: (505) 724-4670Fax: (505) 254-2623www.ccasfnm.org3301 Can e aria NE, A uquerque, NM 871072010 Bri ge SW. A uquerque, NM 871054895 Airport Roa , Santa Fe, NM 87507

Catholic CharitiesCorporate Mem erThe Most Reveren Michael J. Sheehan

Board of Directors

ChairpersonJohn Menicucci

Vice ChairPete Ro inson

SecretaryDollie Lowery

reasurerRick Fellerho

Mem ers at LargeE ie GallegosVirginia Schroe er

Ex-O cioFre GorenzVery Rev. Tim Martinez

rectorsKevin DanielsJohn EmersonDavi Grieves

Christina Me inaLori MuellerPennie PateMichael RichJerry SaisLarry SchisselVictor Val ezVery Rev. Bennett Voorhies

Executive DirectorJim Gannon

Help Catholic Charities save a tree AND administrative costs by requestingan E-Newsletter. Simply email your request with your email address to [email protected] and we’ll be happy to put you on our newsletter email list. Pleasebe assured that we wil l never share your email address and you can opt-out at

anytime. Thank you for helping Catholic Charities go green!

At Catholic Charities we elieve thatchil ren shoul have a hea start in e ucationto help them grow up, succee in life, anmake valua le contri utions to society. We

elieve that parents shoul have a warm, safeplace for their families to sleep every night.We elieve that all people shoul have accessto jo s that pay a liva le wage an economicsecurity to plan for the future.

As an organization, we have live ourmission for more than 65 years an continueto renew our commitment to serve those innee an a vocate for real sustaina le change.Through your generosity, we continue to ghtpoverty. We help transform the lives of thosein our own community who are homeless,uneducated, struggling to nd work or areworking, ut not getting y.

Approximately 85% of Catholic Charities’operating u get comes from the government.That means we have a 15% gap in fun ing

programs that matter to this community. Thisgap translates to a out $500,000 per year an isgrowing. This year, due to lost funding, CatholicCharities was force to eliminate a highlysuccessful housing program that oaste an84% success rate in n ing permanent housingfor in ivi uals an families. Recently, the Statefailed to fund a major portion of our Refugeeprogram leaving many of our most vulnera lenew-comers out on the street without assistancean with no referral services.

For most agencies that receive governmentresources, fun ing continues to ecline.While our incre i le Program Directorsseek foun ation an grant support an ourDevelopment O ce looks for private ancorporate onors, it’s still not enough.

Here’s where you can help. If you nthe work of Catholic Charities meaningful,you now have the opportunity to provi esustaina le assistance. Become a foun ingmem er of Catholic Charities’ Everyday Miracle Society .

Here’s how:

• With a ounding gi t o $1,000 every yearor 3 years , you will help provide a child thepportunity o solid early education and daycare.

With a oun ing gi t o $2,500 every year oryears, you will help provi e materials aninstruction to 20 GED stu ents

• With a oun ing gi t o $5,000 every year oryears , you can help support a re ugee amily

our. An nally,• A founding gift of $25,000 each year for 4

years will provide Catholic Charities withresources that strategically stabilize our

perational and facility needs allowing us toontinue to provide critical lifelines in ourommunity for years to come.

• An i you woul like to provi e nancialupport in other ways, you may wish to

ustomize your giving in a esignate amountver a pre erre num er o years.

Catholic Charities nee s your help nowmore than ever. Please consi er ecominga foun ing mem er of Catholic Charities’Every ay Miracle Society. For moreinformation, please feel free to contactCatholic Charities Development o ce at(505) 321-2787.

The Hard Road Ahead: How You Can Change a Life | By Lin ey Da y

Cyrene was just a stranger in the crow . Thereis no in ication that he knew of Jesus priorto that event. In fact, he was traveling in theopposite irection of the crucixion procession,an ha pro a ly just pause to see what all thecommotion was a out when the sol iers or erehim to carry the cross.

So, it certainly wasn’t in Simon’s plans for thatafternoon, an may e he wasn’t very pleasea out eing or ere aroun y the Romans.But he i what was nee e . It was a servicethat many of us wish we coul have ha theopportunity to perform for our Lor . What anhonor an privilege to e a le to provi e respiteto Jesus, an to walk esi e him as a companionin his nal, lonely hours. It woul e a life-changing event, an it i change Simon’s life.

It is strongly elieve that Simon ecamea follower of Christ after that ecause St. Paulmentions him, his wife, an his son Rufus witha ection in the ook of Romans. The gospelsmention Simon of Cyrene y name for a reason.He coul have een referre to as a merestranger, ut he was specically name ecausehe later assume an important lea ership rolein the life of the church in Antioch.

Simon of Cyrene has een remem ere ownthrough the ages for his act of service. To ay,Catholic Charities uses his name for an awar tohonor those who have provi e service in this

ay an age. Perhaps the types of service arei erent, ut stepping up an oing what nee s

to e one to help others will never go out of style, or e forgotten.

Simon of Cyrene Continued from previous page


Recommended