Our Lady of Lourdes parishioners deliver ‘faith’ boxes
Young stewards Auggie and JP, sons of Aaron and Emily Flood of Pittsburg helped deliver Reignite Our Faith boxes. (Courtesy photo)
Volunteers deliver boxes to celebrate parish feast day and help parishioners kick-off Lent
The pandemic has restricted family activities at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Pittsburg and shuttered many elderly in their homes. But that didn’t stop the parish from reaching out during these tumultuous times.
Parish volunteers delivered 938 Reignite Our Faith boxes Saturday, Feb. 6 – a safe way to connect with parishioners who may not have been able to get to Mass because of health concerns.
Kim Scripsick, parish stewardship chair, said last week that their pastor, Father Jerome Spexarth, and the stewardship committee wanted every parishioner to be able to celebrate Our Lady of Lourdes Parish’s feast day, Feb. 11.
“With Lent coming up what a better time to send something out to all of our parishioners,” she said.
16 teams deliver over 900 boxes
To do so, 16 teams – with one or two runners each – followed 16 routes to deliver the 938 boxes they had filled with holy goodies.
Scripsick, who is also the parish bookkeeper and benefits coordinator, said the committee wanted a catchy phrase associated with the plan, so they named it for the project’s purpose: to reignite faith.
Included in the box was a bottle of holy water, which has been so achingly missing from church fonts. Also inside was a Lenten calendar, an Our Lady of Lourdes Prayer Memorare prayer card, and a St. Joseph prayer bookmark. The Knights of Columbus donated a book about St. Joseph, in this Year of St. Joseph.
A book on the Consecration to St. Joseph was purchased for every household but was not available at the time of the delivery, Scripsick said. It will be delivered later to those who cannot make it to the church to pick one up.
“The consecration to the Blessed Virgin and a consecration to St. Joseph, which can be done in the home, is planned for the parish,” she said.
The boxes were an attempt to “spark” the faith of those who haven’t been able to get to Mass, Scripsick said, and a way to connect to those who may have fallen away from the faith because of recent events.
“We’ve had a wonderful response,” she said, adding that many of those who haven’t been active in the parish appreciated the gift. “I hope it helps them understand that they haven’t been forgotten.”