From time to time we hear great stories about teenagers that reach out in their community and make a difference.  We were so impressed by Southern Catholic Chick Emily, her three friends, and their endeavor to reach out to underprivileged teenage girls that we wanted to share it with you!

Our friend Emily and three members of her Girl Scout troop are opening a clothing closet boutique at Holy Spirit’s Hispanic Mission, Centro Catolico del Espiritu Santo, geared just for teenage girls.  The group was inspired to begin this project on a Girl Scout trip to Mexico where they participated in a leadership program and worked in underprivileged areas.  The “take away” from the trip was that the girl scouts noticed many of the same problems that plague teenage girls in Mexico are the same issues girls have right here in our own community.

Emily and the group also observed that many of these teenage girls were wearing out-of-style and poor fitting clothes.  And, one thing that most girls know intuitively is that when you look your best, you feel better and this increases self confidence.  So, armed with their observations and this knowledge, the group set out to address this issue in their community.

As part of the Girl Scout Gold Award project, the girls are opening “Inside Out” boutique for teenage girls who are members at Centro Catolico. The boutique will offer gently used, stylish, modest, high quality clothing for teenage girls.  Each girl will start with a bank of 50 points, and they can earn additional points to spend on clothes by earning good grades on report cards, getting a library card, doing community service and participating in programs at Centro Catolico.

While the team of four girl scouts worked together on all the planning, they have divided areas of focus.  “I handle clothing donations, Clara is in charge of the public relations and marketing, Elizabeth will oversee the point system and Rachel has been in charge of the interior design of the boutique,” said Emily.  “We have been working very hard and are excited to be opening Inside Out in September.”

This summer Rachel decorated the space which included fixing walls, painting and acquiring shop fixtures such as mirrors and clothing racks.  The grand opening date is scheduled for Sunday, September 12^th from 10:30 to 1:30 PM.  Hours of operation will be on the second and fourth Sundays of the month from 10:00 to 11:30.

Inside Out is currently in need of donations of stylish, good quality clothing including shirts, pants, dresses, shorts, skirts, accessories and shoes from girl’s size 12 to women’s size 12.  So if you are in the Atlanta area and would like to help, donations may be dropped off at Centro Catolico, 120 Northwood Drive in Sandy Springs.  For questions and more information, e-mail insideout6@yahoo.com.

Chick A

When you read scripture or discuss it with close friends, have you ever wondered how Jesus’ message of love really translates into the modern world?  Do you ever struggle with living out your Catholic faith when confronted with today’s issues? Catholic Charities offers a local program that allows you to answer those questions AND put Jesus’ teachings into practical action.

JustFAITH is a national Catholic educational program that creates a community dedicated to actively addressing social justice concerns in a spirit guided by Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching.  The thirty week program is given on the parish level.  It brings together a group of interested adults who share experiences, interact with knowledgeable speakers, read timely materials on issues of faith and justice, and discuss what they are learning.  Upon completion, members are well-informed about our faith’s call to do justice, and they become active in serving others.

If you want to know more about JustFAITH and live in metro Atlanta, you are invited to come see the program’s founder, Jack Jezreel on August 28^th from 8:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at St. Benizi’s Parish Hall, 591 Flint River Road, Jonesboro, GA 30328.  If you are interested, please register at www.catholiccharitiesatlanta.org/jf .

For further information on Just FAITH groups, contact Heidi Tauscher (htauscher@archatl.com or  404.885.7208) or Augusto Michael Trujillo (amtrujillo@archatl.com or 404.885.7472) with Catholic Charities Atlanta’s Parish & Social Justice Ministries.  While JustFAITH groups typically hold evening meetings, new groups may be able to schedule sessions to meet a variety of participants’ needs.

Chick “C”  (Guest blogger Catherine Fuss, Catholic Charities Atlanta)

Due to church growth, Mary Our Queen was ready to construct a more permanent structure.  Father Dye has an appreciation for high quality architecture and had the idea to move a closed Catholic church to Atlanta instead of constructing a new building.  He then began identifying closed Catholic churches in the northeast and settled on St. Gerard’s in Buffalo.  Thus began the project “Moved by Grace” – preservation through relocation.

This month, Mary Our Queen will host a group of former St. Gerard’s parishioners who will come from Buffalo on the weekend of August 21 and 22^nd.  Father Dye and Mary Our Queen parishioners wish to extend the invitation to all those from Buffalo who reside in the Atlanta area to attend the welcome dinner on Saturday, August 21^st.  Others who are interested in attending festivities are invited to the Sunday Mass honoring the visitors and a reception immediately following.  The invitation and details are included below:

On behalf of Father David Dye, it is my pleasure to invite you to the Parish of Mary Our Queen for a gathering of former St. Gerard’s parishioners, Mary Our Queen parishioners and Buffalonians residing in Atlanta on Saturday, August 21, and Sunday, August 22.

Father Francis “Butch” X. Mazur, the last pastor of St. Gerard’s, will lead nineteen former St. Gerard’s parishioners on a 900-mile pilgrimage from Buffalo, New York, to Norcross, Georgia, to visit the future location of their former church.

Pilgrimage events include a welcome dinner and reception at Mary Our Queen on Saturday, August 21, at 7:00 p.m., and a Sunday mass honoring our visitors on Sunday, August 22, at 11:00 a.m. A reception will follow at 12:30 p.m. in Kiernan Hall.

As a special liturgical gesture, the former St. Gerard’s parishioners will adorn the altar at Mary Our Queen with the St. Gerard’s altar cloth, candles, water and wine during the Sunday morning offertory. Father Mazur and his former parishioners will also present a crucifix from St. Gerard’s to Mary Our Queen.

If you are interested in attending the weekend events, please RSVP to the Mary Our Queen office at (770) 416-0002. Additional information about the relocation of St. Gerard’s can be found online at www.movedbygrace.com.

Mary Our Queen is located in Norcross, Georgia, at 6260 The Corners Parkway (off Holcomb Bridge Road).

Those interested in learning more and/or financially contributing to the project should visit the website at www.movedbygrace.com

Chick A

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Last summer a friend challenged my Bible study group to read “The Hole in our Gospel” by Richard Stearns, president of World Vision.  After reading the brief summary posted on the back of the book,

“What does God expect of us?  Is our faith about just going to Church, studying the Bible and avoiding the most serious sin – or does God expect more?  Have we embraced the whole gospel or a gospel with a hole in it?  Ten years ago Rich Stearns came face-to face with that question as he sat in a mud hut in Rakai, Uganda, listening to the heartbreaking story of an orphaned child.  Steans’ journey there took much more than a long flight to Africa.  It took answering God’s call on his life, a call that tore him out of his corner office at one of America’s most prestigious corporations – to walk with the poorest of poor in the world.”

I am ashamed to say that I opted out of that challenge.  But God apparently intended for me to read that book.  So, due to my friend’s persistence throughout the year, the book was number one on my reading list for this summer,  and shortly I was engrossed by the testimony of the author and the plight of millions of children around the world.  I can assure you that it wasn’t light, happy summer reading.  However, I highly recommend the book as it truly opened my eyes and is prompting change within me and my family.

“Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours.  Yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion for the world is to look out; yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now”

St. Teresa of Avila

One of the reasons that I was attracted to the Catholic Church was the Church’s preferential option for the poor and caring for the least and the lost.  However, when it came to time to sign up for ministry activities in my parish and in previous churches, I always found myself drawn towards activities within the Church such as teaching Sunday school, facilitating Bible studies and working on the welcome committee.  While all these are worthy endeavors, I realized that serving the poor was left off the list.

Although I was familiar with Christ’s words in the passage of Matthew 25:31-46 where He tells about the final judgment, I don’t think I personalized this message as I should have.  What have I done to feed the hungry?  What have I done to give water to the thirsty?  What have I done to help a stranger?  What have I done to clothe the naked? What have I done to look after the sick?  What have I done to visit those in prison?

The book, the scripture, the truth in Christ’s words culminated in a very uncomfortable conviction for me.  I had been blessed to be a blessing to others– but I was allowing God’s blessing in my life to stop with me.  As you know when you reach the “aha” moment, it can be a little overwhelming.  How can I implement a life style of service into my already busy life? Mother Teresa’s words provided the answer and direction in which to begin – start small.

“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.”

Mother Teresa

Armed with that advice and some free days this summer, several of us have identified a few organizations in our hometown of Atlanta where you can serve on a moment’s notice.  That flexibility is helpful when you also have to navigate the family schedule filled with children’s activities, summer doctor appointments and trips.

While I haven’t personally served in all these ministries, someone in our Bible study group has.  Here is a list of groups that are in need of volunteers throughout the summer.  In most cases you can simply call the day before, reserve a spot to serve,  and/or make a commitment to bring food to a drop off location.

Must Ministries – is a faith based non profit charitable organization dedicated to providing services to persons and families in crisis while maintaining their dignity.  Must has several areas in which to serve.  The summer lunch program serves 2,000 plus lunches to children everyday totaling nearly 100,000 lunches per summer.  The ministry needs volunteers to provide lunches to be distributed at one of their service centers.  Instructions and guidelines can be found on their website at www.mustministries.org.

City of Refuge – offers both life saving resources and life building tools to individuals and families in Atlanta who are living on the margin.  There are also multiple opportunities here to serve.  One ministry within City of Refuge is called Meals on the Street.  Individuals or groups of 10 or less serve dinner on Wednesday evenings from 4 to 6 PM and breakfast on Sundays from 8:45 to 10 AM to homeless men and women on the streets.  For more information and/or to make reservations to serve, visit www.cityofrefugeinc.com.

7 Bridges to Recovery is a non-profit ministry rescuing the last, the lost and the least from the streets of Atlanta.  There are several opportunities here to serve including a street ministry where teams of volunteers go into the street and under bridges to bring food and needed items to the homeless and pray with them.  The ministry also operates a shelter called The Garden.  Volunteers can provide food items for dinner and/or assist with serving dinner at the shelter every night.  For more information on how to become involved, visit www.7bridgestorecovery.org.

Saint Francis Table –is a ministry of The Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  The ministry feeds over 500 people every Saturday.  Volunteers are needed beginning at 7:00 AM on Saturday mornings to prepare sandwiches.  Groups and individuals can donate sandwiches and food items.  For more information visit the website www.catholicshrineatlanta.org

So whether you are a seasoned volunteer who is looking for a new opportunity in which serve this summer or you are just starting small like me, there are plenty of places in which to get involved.

Chick A

1. I wish more people knew about  Sirius XM station 117, the Catholic Channel, and especially the show called Word to Life.  I happened upon it on Sunday (a replay) where several Dominican priests were discussing the universal readings for Sunday’s mass.  (have I mentioned how much I like the idea of universal readings?).  The website describing the program is terrific.   More Catholic and non-Catholic Christians need to check this out.

2. I’ve never really thought of Jesus having grandparents, but yesterday being the feast of St. Joachim and St. Anne (parents of the Blessed Mother) has given me something to consider.  You never contemplate this as a non-Catholic – at least I didn’t.  Also, it was interesting to hear where we learn about Mary’s parents- from the apocryphal writing of James and others – see this article from Catholic News Agency to learn more.

3. Why did I not give the homeless lady who approached my car some money at the grocery store?  She kind of scared me.  The real scary part is that I have been wanting more contact with the homeless for me and for my children as we do service work.  Jesus showed up in His most distressing disguise (thank you Mother Teresa), and I denied Him help.  Some days it feels like I have a long way to go.

Chick B

As Chick B mentioned in a previous post –  thanks to FOC, Susan M, I have a new strategy involving pantyhose ready to implement when I see the next baby tomato on the vine.  Currently, there are just a bunch of yellow flowers.   However, in the meantime, I have harvested a load of peppers and am ready to make homemade salsa.

Chick B criticized me for planting “insurance” and called me a show off when I sent over a picture of my beautiful peppers.  But if it weren’t for the peppers, I would have waived the white flag and totally surrendered my attempt at gardening.  So while Chick B and her family are munching on BLTs – at least I have some salsa to go along with my chips.

Just wait until she find out about the pumpkins . . .

Chick A

Chicks A and B

A new use for the dreaded panty hose

Thanks Susan M!

Chick B

I went out the next day for the daily watering to discover that the beautiful tomato had been stolen.  There was not even a remnant left.  I was devastated!!!  This morning, the greener tomato was missing as well.  More devastation!!

Chick A's mint, which didn't fare so well either and had to be "pulled"...

So, while Chick B is eating tomato pie and BLTs on white, I am left with nothing!!!  The only tomatoes on the vine are about the size of a cherry and very green.  Wonder if those will be stolen, too?

Thank God I planted the peppers – or it would be a total loss for this novice gardener!!

Chick A