By Katie Patrick
Last Friday, we had our first open holy hour at Catholic Social Services’ St. Joseph Chapel in Lincoln. This holy hour was organized so that staff, volunteers and the public could spend intentional time together praying for our clients and their intentions. In a way, we wanted to transform our daily works of mercy that occur in the front lobby, in our food market, on the streets, and in meeting rooms into moments of silence, gratitude, and trust in God’s presence.
The various programs at CSS involve many ongoing, one-on-one relationships. One example is our St. Gianna Program. We offer a minimum seven month lease to residents, but depending on the circumstances, and the time required for them to establish financial, social, emotional, and spiritual stability, the lease can be extended. During this time, the Marian Sisters in residence serve as spiritual advocates for the women. They listen, encourage, support and pray together. Recently, a mother, who was a drug addict and domestic violence survivor, came to us seeking safety and a fresh start. During her stay, she remained sober, secured employment, purchased a car, and regained full custody of her 2-year-old son.
Another story reminds us that progress often begins with accompaniment and the faithfulness of our staff. Several months ago the father of a recently arrived refugee family died, leaving his wife and their five children without a provider. Renting a small apartment in an unfamiliar city and trying to navigate school systems, transportation, and the medical needs of a disabled child is a lot for a mom to manage, but with the patient, consistent, and compassionate assistance of our team at CSS, she was able to secure employment, enroll her children in school, and make sure they had access to quality healthcare. It’s the accomplishment of our clients in these types of circumstances that make a difference, which again is impossible without prayer.
In Hastings, “case management” within the context of our Family Support Services program, which for me is an unfriendly term that makes me think of only paperwork and metrics, is anything but that. The smiles and kindness shown by our team to each person who walks through our doors is a testament to what truly matters–dignity of the human person. There was an older gentleman, who was the victim of a scam that emptied his account, rendering him unable to cover his own rent. We were able to assist him financially, but also walk alongside him through the pain and frustration of being scammed.
There are countless other moments with those we serve daily—many of whom we know on a first-name basis. We know well enough when our clients are having good days and bad days, when they need an extra smile or hug or a refill on their coffee at breakfast.
In most cases, our clients walk away with material needs met such as rent, food, diapers and personal care items, but sometimes, like for those we encounter on the streets, they walk away with just the smile they received from our staff and the silent prayers that accompany them.
Several weeks ago, a handwritten note, in beautiful cursive, was left on one of the pews in our Lincoln chapel, it read: “Good Morning. Thank you for helping all of us out here, trying to make our life more enjoyable, to keep on this Journey we’re on. Life is NOT easy, But… keep the Faith and Believe in Our Father Lord Jesus, Thank you so much – Amen. There’s others that are struggling too. Be Blessed. Be happy for today. Pray for all of us out here. Thank you.”
These monthly holy hours that we have started at CSS are important as they remind staff of the ultimate act we can perform for those experiencing poverty or hardship—prayer and trust in our Lord—but they also remind us that we ourselves are poor and in need of God’s presence and grace.
To learn more about how CSS performs the Works of Mercy, I invite you to join us on Saturday, March 14, for our annual Celebration of Hope Gala and Silent Auction at Embassy Suites in Lincoln. We will present the 2026 Heart of Christ Award to the first-year seminarians of St. Gregory the Great Seminary. We will also feature our Prison and Reentry Apostolate (PARA) program and our agency video will have highlights of our programs across the diocese. You can RSVP today on our website at csshope.org and sponsorships are still available. For more information, connect with us on our website or by email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling 402.327.6223. May God bless you!
