Church of the Assumption in Kenel, South Dakota
These are just a few of the needs of some of America's mission parishes that are featured on the Catholic Church Extension Society's 2005 Christmas Wish List. Each year, Catholic Extension, the leading supporter of missionary work in America, invites Christmas wish list requests from parishes in 81 dioceses it supports in poor and remote areas of the United States. This time of year, requests pour in for basic liturgical items, vestments, materials and repairs. Catholic Extension has listed 63 of the needs on its web site at www.catholicextension.org.
"Many of these items may seem like standard pastoral necessities, but for Catholics who worship in poor and isolated parts of our country, they are luxuries," said Bishop William Houck, president of Catholic Extension. "The needs range from textbooks to all-terrain vehicles for Alaska's priests - and all of them are equally important to these small Catholic parishes that need help to provide Mass and basic pastoral services for their faithful."
Several church buildings are badly in need of repairs. At St. Joseph's Church in Opelousas, Louisiana, Father Abara has to contend with rats, snakes, lizards and insects due to broken windows, rotting wood, and cracked concrete at his rectory. Other requests include money to purchase a monstrance for St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church in Mars Hill, North Carolina, altar cloths at St. Stephen Church in Holdenville, Oklahoma, and a baptismal font at Sacred Heart Church in Cheyenne Wells, Colorado, to replace the bowl that's now being used.
"We hope Catholics across America will remember their brothers and sisters in Mission America by helping us grant these humble Christmas wishes," Bishop Houck said.
For more information or to make a donation, contact Chris Plunkett at 1-800-842-7804. or visit the Wish List at www.catholicextension.org.