Florida Catholic | Fill The People

Fill the people who "feed the hungry"

Diocesan volunteers who are used to serving are served at appreciation luncheon.

CARLOS BRICENO | FLORIDA CATHOLIC ST. PETERSBURG BUREAU EDITOR

Published: 09.28.07

The Diocese of St. Petersburg's Peter Burns speaks to volunteers who work to feed the hungry.

Peter Burns, director of parish ministries support for the diocese, talks about the Living Eucharist initiative to a group of food-and-clothing ministry volunteers during a recent thank-you luncheon sponsored by the diocese in early September at the Bethany Center in Lutz.
CARLOS BRICENO | FC

“I believe one of the greatest ministries that the church performs is feeding those who are hungry, those who are marginalized, those who are desperate.”
- Bishop Robert N. Lynch

LUTZ | The shoe was on the other foot recently for a group of people who are used to feeding the poor or hungry.

The diocese decided to honor them for their hours of dedication by serving them food during a luncheon and also thanking them for following the Gospel call to help those who are needy.

Bishop Robert N. Lynch addressed more than 60 people at the Bethany Center Sept. 8, saying that he “applauded” them for what they do and thanked them for taking the Gospel so seriously.

“I believe one of the greatest ministries that the church performs is feeding those who are hungry, those who are marginalized, those who are desperate,” he said. “I think that, when we of our faith do that and reach out, we become the person that we receive when we eat at the eucharistic banquet table. We are acting on his behalf. We are being the salt of the earth and light to the world.”

He added that the current times are difficult for the poor and the marginalized because of tax rollbacks and rising property tax insurance, and he didn’t see much evidence that politicians or the community are making any progress to help those who are falling between the cracks and going hungry.

“So the call for your help, your assistance, (is) not going to decrease, it’s going to increase, at least in the short term, until our society and those who are elected to represent all people and those who don’t vote or have a voice begin to take more responsibility,” Bishop Lynch said.

The stories from those present — which included food and clothing ministries and representatives from organizations as diverse as the St. Vincent de Paul Society to parish programs to Daystar — were stories of people who often worked many volunteers hours, and often with not as much help as needed.

Mike Rizzo and his wife, Eleanor, from Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Inverness, help to run a thrift store there called “Helping Hands for the Poor.” They pick up and unload furniture, sort clothes and work behind the counter. All in all, the retiree estimates that he spends about 30 hours a week there. The store brings in about $30,000 a year, which goes to help the poor of the parish, he said.

Eleanor Rizzo said she appreciates what she has in terms of food and clothing more because of volunteering there.

“A lot of times we don’t realize how well off we really are,” she said. “When you see people down and out, it makes you realize that you need to be thankful for what you have.” She said her faith has increased as a result.

But not all is good news there. Mike Rizzo has asthma, so sometimes when he and Eleanor are loading something large, such as a mattress, on to a pickup truck to transport the donation back to the store, he said he wishes he had more people to help.

“Most of the older ones (volunteers) are dying off and there’s no one there to replace them,” he said. “Or the snowbirds go back north so we’re shorthanded during the summer.”

They have been doing this kind of work for six years now and he said the lack of help sometimes causes him to get down a little.

“You feel like you’re alone when you can’t get anyone to help,” he said.

One of the other purposes of the get-together was also to allow diocesan officials the chance to get contact information for those in the various ministries, and also to encourage collaboration and sharing of information with each other.

“We want you to see yourselves as part of Ministries of Mercy,” said Frank Murphy, president of Catholic Charities for the diocese. He described Ministries of Mercy as those dealing with life, food and clothing, shelter, health and visitation.

The diocese is adding to its Web site to include the various food and clothing ministries so that others can have easier access and information about what they do, Murphy said.

Peter Burns, director of parish ministries support for the diocese, challenged those present to sign a collaborative agreement that was in a packet at everyone’s table. Some of what was included in the agreement was the following: that people in the various ministries promise to work and be collaborative with the diocese, to share information, to respect clients’ religious and philosophical beliefs, and to provide descriptions of their ministries, the times and days of their services and contact info.

The Living Eucharist initiative the diocese has started was also mentioned. The program is geared to make people more aware of the need to evangelize, and the importance of the Eucharist and putting faith into action by helping others.

Woody Cornetta, district president for Hernando-Citrus counties for the St. Vincent de Paul Society, was appreciative that the bishop was leading the way with the initiative.

“What I see here are two things — one, the eucharistic spirit is going to be focused on,” said Cornetta, a parishioner at St. Theresa’s Parish in Spring Hill. “We need to focus on it all the time. And the impact that it will have on everybody is tantamount. It’s wonderful. We need that.

“The second thing is the fact that we may get more cooperation from the diocese,” he continued. “These are all great people, but they’ve been foreign to us in the past and now they’re becoming visible — and they’re trying to do something I believe is both good for our ministry and good for our church.”

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Fill the people who "feed the hungry"

Diocesan volunteers who are used to serving are served at appreciation luncheon.

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