by Katie Patrick
It seems like just yesterday that I sat down to write my Messages of Hope article about the arrival of my twin daughters, Keira and Saoirse, yet here I am again writing to share with you the birth of another daughter, Nora Colette.
Nora was born on Saturday, Jan. 20. Spending slightly fewer days in the NICU than her older sisters had to a couple of years ago meant that we were soon home cuddling. For weeks, I was able to rest and be present with her and her big sisters while the entire team at Catholic Social Services kept the agency running – at full speed.
Amid their busy schedules, you have heard from nearly a dozen members of the CSS leadership team as they shared with you their diverse roles, responsibilities, and experiences here at the agency.
In September, Sandra Svajdlenka shared with us her courageous story of becoming a teenage mother and surviving the loss of one of her children. Sandra manages the Lincoln office and works at the front desk where our services to the community have increased by 20% since the opening of our renovated facility. Providing 5,175 services to individuals, such as distributing diapers, formula, winter clothing, personal care items, bus tickets, and more.
In November, you were fortunate to not only read April’s story about our amazing clients and volunteers, but you witnessed her glowing heart and that of our team in Auburn. Their genuine love for the people we serve is infectious and the agency is better because of them.
John Haag, Mark Main, and Mario Racicot shared with you the various elements at work within our Sustainability Initiative. From John’s excitement in diverting waste from the landfill, to Mark’s appreciation for a workplace that puts Christ first, to Mario’s treasure hunts that invite us through the selling of products online to share our mission around the world, our work is inspiring! And Tonya Olsen’s article about Trivia Night in Imperial only begins to depict the strength and resilience of communities out west when it comes to taking care of each other.
While Marilu challenged us to make greater sacrifices in our lives to grow closer to Christ, John McDermott reminded us that God cannot be outdone in generosity, and there is no such thing as a coincidence.
The sacrament of Baptism and being in full communion with the Catholic Church was a central theme in Veronica Pino’s and Bradley Brestel’s articles—a reminder that homecoming at any age is a new birth as a son or daughter of God.
John McDonald shared the story of Lazurus and reminded us that we at CSS are called to advocate for the poor by helping to secure their basic necessities with donations from the wealthy thereby alleviating their own spiritual suffering. In other words, the poor need the rich to thrive physically and the rich need the poor to thrive spiritually.
Most recently, you heard from Elaine Simpson, our child care director at CSS. Elaine is leading a crucial program at CSS as she welcomes into our onsite, Catholic daycare the children of CSS staff.
So as you can see, the team at CSS is busy in many different ways, meeting the needs of our neighbors.
The gift of being able to spend nearly four full weeks with Nora at home, and several additional weeks of having her quietly accompany me to a few meetings has been a blessing that I credit to the pro-life, pro-family culture that has been built in our diocese. I’m grateful for the leadership that I have received and for the opportunity that I have been given to be part of the leadership at CSS, because as you can see, so long as our faith in Christ is first and our commitment to our families follows only then will we truly be able to meet the needs of the most vulnerable and poor among us.
