St. Margaret of Scotland

By Ashley Lahr
St. Margaret of Scotland’s feast day is today, November 16. She is not like most saints who worked for the poor. She was not born into poverty. In fact, she married Malcolm III the King of Scots and became queen consort. She and Malcolm bore eight children, six sons and two daughters. Pope Innocent IV canonized her in 1250 AD in order to venerate her personal holiness, fidelity to the Church, work towards religious reform and charity. She was known to personally serve orphans and the poor everyday before she had eaten herself. Her influence exceeded the expected and had an impact on her husband and her children. Every night, she awoke at midnight and went to Church services.

St. Margaret was a living example of what it should be like to have it all and keep giving. “Having it all,” however, can come in many different forms. She did not let her status and rank control who she was a person. She gave her time and talents to the Church for the betterment of society. Like all saints, she is a prime example of how we should model our lives regardless of our place in society. In the end, it will not matter who had the biggest house or the most money. It all boils down to who we are as people and how we are able to make a difference in the world.

Let us take St. Margaret as an example of pure and holy charity. At Catholic Charities we work to help those in need by using the resources we have available to us and continuing to search for efficient ways to help others. We are here to provide HELP and create HOPE, which can be a very daunting task at times. However, with the help of volunteers and donations we are able to make peoples needs become an attainable reality. One example of this would be 57 year old Soraya. She came to the United States from Afghanistan in 2002 in order to find a better life for her herself and her six children. She was a witness to her husband’s death by the Taliban forces and many other atrocities in her country. But she pressed on and did not let this bring her down. In early 2009, with the help of Catholic Charities, she had access to social programs that she needed in order to help treat her early dementia since the other programs were expiring. Fortunately, in March 2009 with the help of our staff and programs, we helped her file paperwork, prepare for her immigration interview and accompany her to the interview for her to become a U.S. citizen. Soraya is now a proud, safe citizen who is able to live a safe and secure lifestyle while living the gift of freedom we enjoy everyday.

All Souls Day... A Careful Reminder

By Ashley Lahr

This past Sunday and Monday was All Souls day, a day in which we reflected those we have lost and the faithfully departed. When I went to mass Sunday night, it was a somber homily but at the same time, I had a rush of wonderful memories from those who I have lost in the past. In the Church, we set aside two days to remember those who are not here with us anymore but we there is one important factor- we can’t forget why we are here to begin with. We are still here, so we need to make the most of it.

I personally believe that everyone has a purpose and working in a non-profit environment, this is exemplified everyday. It is comforting to know that I can go to my supervisor or the person who sits next to me and talk about wanting to do something for the grace of God. I am blessed with wonderful things in my life such as my family, fiancé, friends… the list goes on. But I know that when I come to work every Monday and Wednesday, I am helping the greater good. By working closely with the development director, I assist her in whatever tasks she needs at hand and I am currently helping with the annual spring luncheon. People here at Catholic Charities all have a specific role in order to reach an ultimate goal. The final product is extremely rewarding: we are able to provide food for those who don’t have it; legal assistance for those who are trying to become U.S. citizens; our Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing program assists those who have been affected by our economy.

Through these services and my time here at Catholic Charities, I feel like I am able to make a difference in someone else’s life. We aren’t raising money so it can not be used, sitting in a corner of a bank, but we are trying to bring money and resources to those who need it. To those who wake up in the morning with no food in their fridge. To those who can’t pay their bills month to month in order to provide for their family. We are helping these people because we are Catholic and as Catholics we work together to help everyone else, Catholic or not. Coming to work and seeing the same faces everyday working towards the same goal is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. I may not see instant results, but I know that someone, somewhere is being helped and can make it through today and tomorrow. All Souls day has reminded me that those who are still here on this Earth living out Jesus’ words have a purpose. We must purposefully work together to provide help and create hope.