DEACON’S BEACON by Deacon Tom Corcoran
Happy New Year – 2019 – New Opportunities
The “Beacon” shown in the banner above is not meant to signify any one person. It portrays all of us – the community of Our Lady of the Wayside. We are all called to be beacons, reflecting God’s love to all people. We do that, not only by our regular attendance at Mass, but also by sharing our time, talents, and treasures with others.
To keep the love that God gives us we need to share it with others – especially those who truly need our assistance. As we start this new year, we hear many people talk about their “new” resolutions. Some want to lose weight or exercise more; others may want to change their careers. The list can go on and on.
God calls us to a higher level. I’m reminded of the words of St. Thomas of Villanova – “If you want God to hear your prayers, hear the voice of the poor.”
Fortunately, there are many opportunities at OLW to help those in need:
Looking at the Opportunities
St. Mark’s / “Feeding the multitudes”
Frequently, in the name of Christ, we have the opportunity to reach beyond our borders. In the week before Christmas I received a phone call from a friend who is active in the Rockford Diocese. He knows that I coordinate the Care & Outreach activities at OLW and he said that their St. Vincent DePaul ministries collected cooked ham dinners for the needy in the area. He had 20 extra ham dinners and he asked if we could use them. Of Course I said yes; the next day I received the dinners and gave 10 dinners to the St. Benedict parish and 10 to St. Mark’s parish. This activity involved 5 parishes from two dioceses that reached out to feed the hungry in Christ’s name.
P.A.D.S. (Public Action to Deliver Shelter)
This ministry also offers the opportunity to reach beyond our borders. PADS is a collection of 19 Christian Churches in the northwest Cook County area that provides shelter and warm meals to the homeless.
Respect Life
Each January we remember the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 and place a special focus on the dignity of God’s gift of life. Our Masses on January 19 and 20 will focus on the issue of Respect Life in our lives.
Serving God’s people
At Our Lady of the Wayside we strive to shelter the homeless, feed the hungry, and provide support to the seniors and the unborn. Jesus tells us that whatever we do for the least of His brethren we do for Him.
As we start 2019 we see that there are many opportunities – and we need your assistance. Our Lady of the Wayside is committed to serving God by serving those in need. Our many ministries focus on sheltering the homeless, feeding the hungry, helping seniors, supporting life from conception to natural death. In summary, to help provide the resources to live with dignity.
We all start the year with high hopes, let’s follow through. I encourage you to consider one of the many wonderful ministries at OLW and share in the joy we all receive.
To find out how you can participate in these or other ministries please contact: Deacon Tom Corcoran at 847-253-5353 or email to irenetomc@hotmail.com
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