By Fr. Justin Fulton
It seems like after every Sunday Mass growing up, Mom always wanted to take a family picture. I fondly remember the vitriol spewed by the Fulton kids and Dad when we would get back home after a Sunday Mass at St. Joseph’s and a trip to the local Hinky Dinky for a rotisserie chicken Sunday dinner.
Before we would rip into that chicken, Mom would get out a Kodak 110 camera, complete with flash cube, to get a picture of us in our Sunday best. The Fultons are not photogenic people. Here we share a picture of a Sunday in Advent shot. This was also the year Santa did not come for my sister Lindsey, as evidenced by her mean grip ruining a good hair day for the future Father Fulton. Bah humbug all around!
Of course sarcasm is inundated in the above paragraph. Looking back at our old family pictures, I am filled with warmth. This picture especially brings warmth as I remember the excitement of a kid learning about Advent candles, the expectation of a Savior named Jesus, and a guy named Santa Claus who would give gifts to the world on Christmas Day as God’s Gift—Jesus—was given to the world on Christmas Day as well.
I am grateful for these experiences. CSS exists so the less fortunate may have these experiences as well.
Throughout the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, our operations have been distributing Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets to families out of our Lincoln, Auburn, and Hastings offices so that those families can have a good holiday meal. We will distribute more than 500 families food so they can have turkey, ham, or ground beef holiday meals. If you take 500 families at an average of five or so in a family, that is more than 2,500 people statewide, thanks to our donors, volunteers, and staff at CSS.
We are also holding toy distributions in Hastings, Auburn, and Lincoln this year. In Lincoln, we are teaming with KFOR radio and the National Guard to safely distribute toys to needy families in the community. However, due to COVID, our additional St. Nicholas Toy Shoppe will not happen in Lincoln this year. In lieu of this, our Adopt-a-Family program is underway in the parishes. Families can adopt a family whose needs are placed on a Christmas tree at the parish.
Families then have an opportunity to buy gifts for these families in need and food as well, and then deliver those gifts and that food to meet and encounter the adopted family. Who knows? Maybe families will become friends and adopted families may be invited to Mass as well by our parish families....
We strive to put people in a position to be Christ’s love to one another. We are reminded that it does not matter how many people we serve—what really matters is how much love we put in our service to them.
May we be Christ’s hands, feet, and heart to those who are needy during this holy time of preparation for our Lord’s birth.
Thank you for your prayers and support of CSS! May God bless us always!
