Volunteers unite for service, prayer at co-cathedral’s Caritas Day

Among the many service projects at Caritas Day was the "Stitching Angels" sewing ministry Photo by Amaris Bobbio-TarcoHOUSTON — The Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart hosted its annual Caritas Day on Feb. 21. Close to 250 volunteers came to participate in the Lenten service event. After morning Mass, volunteers broke for their pre-selected service projects.

Some of the projects included serving brunch and hosting Bingo for residents of Angela’s House; assembling 500 ham and turkey sandwiches, 250 lunches, and 1,000 shelf-stable lunches for the homeless; and assembling gift baskets out of baby bathtubs for women experiencing an unexpected pregnancy.

Caritas Day aims to answer the call to serve brothers and sisters in Christ, according to Jordyn Woods, coordinator of Communications and Outreach of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. 

“We feed the hungry, serve mothers in crisis pregnancies, provide support for men and women recently released from prison, and more,” she said. “By serving others, we love one another as Christ loves us. By partnering with local agencies, we can help support and build on the good work already happening in our community.”

Woods said the co-cathedral is dedicated to supporting families in their domestic church, and this day of services gives families the opportunity to live out the Corporal Works of Mercy while the co-cathedral takes care of the logistics. 

“Families just need to select a service project and show up!” she said. “This day serves to help further conversations that are happening in their homes, as an introduction to local charitable agencies they can continue working with and to strengthen the Catholic culture.”
Woods said Caritas Day serves as a reminder that serving others is not reserved only for those with “extra time” or for students completing required service hours. 

“By coming together as one, we are reminded that this is what we are all called to do,” she said. The event also provides an opportunity for partner agencies, such as Catholic Charities, to tell the wider community about what they do, how they serve their clients and how to get involved in volunteering. This year, Catholic Charities had volunteers assemble emergency feminine hygiene bags for Catholic Charities to distribute to their clients.

The Knights of Columbus Houston Council #803 served donuts and coffee, and the Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court of Our Lady of Victory #234 provided lunch.

After lunch, Father Jeff Bame, rector of the co-cathedral, gave the Parish Lenten Mission talk titled “The Tribunal of Mercy,” which he said was “about ways to make confession more fruitful.”

 He shared how the confessional is not a therapy couch but a courtroom: The penitent is called to approach the courtroom of their own accord to plead guilty to their sins, not to defend themselves. There is no jury of their peers, but a judge who is a priest — the judge does seek to condemn, but desires to show clemency. The Lord’s perfect justice is one with His mercy — He hears confessions of guilt, contrition and desire for change.

The day ended with Mass. Since Caritas Day and the Parish Lenten Mission were comprised of members from the parish’s three-language community, the Novus Ordo Mass was in Latin with trilingual readings.