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Happening ... in the Local Church
 More
than 50 youth participated in the 24-hour food fast held at All Saints
Parish, Logansport, on Feb. 27-28. (Photos by Caroline B. Mooney) |
 Kelly
Diaz of All Saints Parish in Logansport, Clare Stoneking of St. Charles
Borromeo Parish in Peru, Patrick Tully of All Saints and Caitlin Mills
of St. Joseph Parish in Reynolds were among the 52 youth who
participated in the recent food fast. |
By Caroline B. Mooney
The
Catholic Moment
LOGANSPORT — “Live simply so that others may simply live.”
That is what 52 middle-school and high-school students from eight parishes of the Logansport Deanery did during a food fast, from 7 p.m. Feb. 27 to 7 p.m. Feb. 28 at All Saints Church here. Participants had only juice and water.
“Our youth need to see why giving to the poor is important,” said Sylvia Downing, director of religious education at St. Joseph Church, Reynolds. “This 24-hour period was to give them just that, an opportunity to live as the poor while learning more and doing service work for the less fortunate.”
Participants came from: St. Joseph, Delphi; All Saints, Logansport; Our Lady of the Lakes, Monticello; St. Charles, Peru; St. Joseph, Pulaski; St. Joseph, Reynolds; St. Joseph, Rochester, and St. Peter, Winamac.
It was a jam-packed 24 hours. Upon arrival, the students had to give up their cell phones. Everyone was allowed to bring a sleeping bag, pillow and a large box to sleep on. Only personal items that could fit into a gallon-sized plastic bag were allowed.
There was prayer, games, and a talk from a soup kitchen worker in Monticello. Small groups then talked about fasting, journaled, played more games and prayed again, then slept on the gym floor.
Sunday morning, a couple who have made several trips to Haiti spoke of the enormous poverty in that country. Next, everyone played “The Poverty Game,” in which players were given real-life scenarios that showed how poverty could befall anyone.
Downing had participated in a similar fast in another diocese and suggested it to the directors of religious education in Logansport Deanery parishes. They used Catholic Relief Services’ “Face the Fast,” a hunger awareness program for youth in the United States, and tailored it to their own needs. The program took the place of the often-used CRS rice bowls.
“I hope that the kids understand the next time they see someone walking or who is without a job that circumstances are not always something we can control,” said Teresa Keay, formation coordinator at All Saints Church. “When the couple spoke about Haiti, they said even though one person can make a difference, together we can really make a big difference. And, together we can always pray.”
Each teen brought $7 to the fast. Of that money, $220 will be sent to CRS to help fight world hunger. The other $220 went to Emmaus Mission Center, with $201 spent on food purchases at a local Marsh supermarket and $19 given to the center’s director.
Emmaus is a social service agency that houses the homeless, has a crisis center and a Hispanic translation service. It also runs Morningstar Girls’ Home and a benevolence center that serves as a food pantry and thrift store.
The teens walked about a mile to shop for food, then carried the goods another mile to the shelter. The group also donated 13 fleece blankets they made and several lanterns that they decorated.
Jason Mitchell, director of Emmaus Mission Center, spoke to the group after they dropped off their donations.
“We have 32 people staying here right now,” he said. “Seeing poverty on your doorstep is something you don’t always think of. We have had people with doctorates stay here; people with great jobs who have fallen on hard times. Everyone can be just two to three paychecks away from homelessness.
“When I come here, I am very grateful and humbled for what I have,” Mitchell said. “We let people stay for up to six months, and in that time we teach them that they’re worthwhile people and are worthy of God’s grace no matter what they have done. Part of what people may be missing is spirituality — Jesus can fill a great void in you. People here may be poor spiritually as well as financially. We all should be trying to help people with any backgrounds. God’s grace is infinite.”
He said that the Logansport Housing Authority has 400 people on a three-year waiting list for low-income housing.
“We rely on the benevolence of the local community,” Mitchell said. “When people come with a giving heart for people — that is the spirit that drives us.”
The students walked back to All Saints Church where they met up with their parents for 5:30 p.m. Mass. The fast ended with a simple spaghetti and bread supper.
Giselle Benitez, an All Saints parishioner, said the experience was “pretty cool. I’m a little hungry, but this really makes us understand what is going on in the real world. We know that this will end for us at 7 p.m. tonight, but the poor people don’t know when it will end for them.”
Tim Tully, a chaperone from All Saints, told the students, “Your hearts should be filled with grace after all you have done. Take it back home to your communities. You can make the difference. As baptized Christians and Catholics, each one of you has a calling to care for one another. Your calling in life is to help people get to holiness. When you help others, you help them get to heaven. What you did today is helping — don’t let the devil get in your way, because he will try.”
“I came here to help people,” said Caitlin Mills, a member of St. Joseph, Reynolds. “I thought it would be nice to help. I enjoyed shopping for the food and bringing it to Emmaus. I didn’t know there were so many unemployed people having trouble finding jobs.”
Kelly Diaz, from All Saints, said she especially liked making the blankets and taking them to Emmaus.
“It really feels good when you get to help others,” said Clare Stoneking, from St. Charles, Peru. “I learned that people need things a lot more than I realized.”
Patrick Tully, a member of All Saints, said he thought “it would be fun to come and help others. It’s a joy to give back when I have so much. Living right here in Logansport, I didn’t know there were so many people living in poverty.”