from Fr Jud in Camden
about BonaResponds!-
Opinion
Letter to the editor - (Oct. 22) - Opinion :
"Father, can you build me a wheelchair ramp?'
Vinnie, an occasional parishioner at our church in
Camden, St. Anthony of Padua, cornered me at a
parish event. In Camden, N.J., one of the poorest
and most dangerous cities in the United States,
requests for help are frequent and often
impassioned. I immediately gave Vinnie some stock
responses: 'Have you tried the county office for
disabilities?'; 'It's a very busy time, can you ask me
again in a few weeks?'; 'Let me see if someone on
the staff has any ideas.' I could tell from Vinnie's
expression he had heard all this before, so I said,
'Let's pray that the Holy Spirit sends us someone
who can build you a ramp.'
Within 48 hours, Professor Jim Mahar messaged
me on Facebook: 'Given that the Northeast U.S. has
been pretty lucky disaster-wise recently,
BonaResponds has no clear-cut 'must help' site for
our midterm break (Oct. 8-12) ... so I was
wondering if you need any help? Would you like
15-20 volunteers for a long weekend of work? We
could bring tools, are very skilled at wheelchair
ramps etc...'
be sure to also read the second page!
0 comments:
Post a Comment