"Cheryl and I had our own May Crowning of Mary in our backyard."

    from Frank Janasiewicz

"We decided to tell the trash & recycling workers and our mail carrier how much we appreciate their services during the Coronavirus since they are still working everyday and doing a great job!

We sent a text & email to each neighbor in our cul-de-sac (7 homes) and asked everyone to either write or type a personal note of thanks and provided paper if they needed it. Kathy coordinated the collection of thank you’s and any goodies people wanted to add (ie. waters, candy, etc) and asked them to turn it into me the night before so we could get it organized & take pictures of everything the following day (our trash & recycle pickup is anytime between 7-5). We had a small white board we used to write a thank you note to say thanks from the neighbors at Tripp Court so they knew they needed to stop.

We surprised the trashmen last Wednesday and the recycle workers just today.  Last Friday we did the same thing for our postal carrier but it was a little easier because everyone was told to put the thank you cards & goodies in their mailbox & put up the flag so she thought she had mail to pickup. She was so surprised. She gave each house a very nice thank you card!!

The smiles on all their faces when they realized how much we appreciate them really made it all worth it!! I’m so glad we were able to thank the different workers that come into our neighborhood each day and take care of us!!"

Kathy & Bob Klein

A year ago, our Parish embarked on creating a Society of Saint Vincent de Paul conference, a Catholic lay organization inspired by Christian biblical values that encourages men and women to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering. Our mission within our Parish is to go into the homes of families in our Parish and the surrounding community to help them overcome a short-term financial need allowing them to stay in their homes, keep their car or pay their utilities.  Bringing prayer into their homes and showing Christ’s love is the hallmark of our mission.   Since we started serving, we have served the needs of 13 families with rent, car insurance or utilities and provided a referral to the CPO Food Pantry for food assistance.  Where we cannot assist, we have referred the families to many other local organizations. In one case we partnered with the Raleigh St Francis of Assisi conference to help a family with a security deposit to move from a homeless shelter into a permanent home!  In our work we meet some amazing people who endure circumstances we hope we never have to endure. And, in every interaction we are reminded of God’s love and blessings. If you are interested in volunteering or donating, please contact Julie Thomas for more information at julie_thomas@uncbusiness.net or 919-274-8849. If you are in need of assistance, please call our hotline at 919-861-4602.