They came for the Beauty, They Stayed to Give Back - The Latin Mass Community Rolls Up Its Sleaves!

Catholic Tradition is more than Latin, incense and bells; it is feeding a neighbor, clothing a stranger, and rescuing the unborn.  And so, when more and more young adults started returning to the beautiful, historic Catholic churches in urban Cleveland and attending the timeless Traditional Latin Mass, these same young adults found neighborhoods in need of their love, kindness and Christian Charity.  



  

 

Thanks to these young Catholic traditionalists, last month we were able to witness Cleveland charity at its best.  And when the Cleveland Latin Mass community, the pro-life community, the Benedictines and people with good hearts all work together amazing things can happen. 

In mid-March, on the eve of the Feast of St Joseph, friends of Father Bede OSB joined together to supply residents in the Buckeye/Shaker Blvd neighborhood with 100 free fish dinners from the Benedictine HS fish fry.  The idea started with the Oliver Plunkett Young Adult Club as a way of thanking Father Bede OSB for all he has done for the Latin Mass community. (His birthday was coming up and monks are notoriously tough to buy for.).

The idea quickly gained support with other groups that wanted to help including the Solanus Casey Project, the Benedictine Pro-life Club, and individual supporters of 40 Days for Life. 

The groups were able to quickly crowdfund well over $1K and purchased 100 dinners to distribute. A large share of the dinners were dropped off at the apartment building next to PreTerm.  Many of the folks who reside in this apartment have become good friends and strong supporters of those who pray on the sidewalk.  Indeed several have joined the pro-life regulars in prayer.



One of the apartment residents later described the scene: "Everyone in the apartment was so excited. Many of us were waiting outside as the car with the meals pulled up - so we could thank them. It was really the first time in two years many of us had gotten together. Most of us enjoyed our meals as a group and we stuck around long after just laughing and getting caught up. A proud grandfather who lives here told us how his grandson loves Benedictine High School. And the meals were delicious."



A couple weeks later the residents gave some of the organizers a Thank You card and a couple gifts!



Remaining funds were given to support the Benedictine Student pro-life club and its effort to bring outstanding pro-life speakers to the school. Special thanks to Father Michael OSB, Brother Gregory and all those who helped make this possible with your generosity.  And of course, happy birthday Father Bede & thank you for all that you do.

When Easter rolled around, the young Latin Mass devotees in the Oliver Plunkett Club were ready to spring into action again.  Following the Monday April 11 Latin Mass at St. Ignatius of Antioch, the group gathered donations for Easter baskets.  

On Good Friday afternoon, the Oliver Plunkett Club teamed up with the Solanus Casey Project to pass out fifty (50!) Easter baskets in front of PreTerm.  Each basket included a blessed Rosary, a pro-life prayer for the neighborhood and, of course, some very tasty treats. They prayed the Rosary and sang Lenten songs as they greeted folks in the neighborhood with baskets.



Several of the baskets were given to women or workers leaving PreTerm.  Those baskets also included a free ultrasound coupon from Image Clear Ultrasound, a Cleveland Pregnancy Center brochure, and information on how to find new employment.  



They even have had some great toys and baby clothes which were a huge hit!

Earlier in the day, 40 Days for Life had prayed the Stations of the Cross,  so the grace was really flowing that day on Shaker Blvd.  



As the timeless beauty of the Traditional Latin Mass continues to attract young adults to our historic urban Churches, these very same Catholics are finding creative ways to spread the Faith and help their fellow man.  As Dostoevsky once said, "Beauty will save the world."  In a diocese with many challenges, the stunning growth and passion of these Catholic young adults is a true cause for hope.  Visit the Oliver Plunkett Club website to learn more about this innovative, fun-loving troop of evangelists and what they are planning to do next:   https://www.oliverplunkett.club/    Some members will be helping with the St Ignatius of Antioch Food Pantry on Saturday, April 23.  

One of the young leaders involved with this merry band of Plunketteers told us: "There is so much joy and excitement from the young adults involved, we just really hope the bishop continues to let the Latin Mass grow and thrive.  It is a win-win for everybody and these older parishes are really loving the fact that young volunteers are flocking there, evangelizing the Faith, and giving back to the neighborhoods.  There are just so many great things going on right now, I can't mention them all."  She went on to note that the group sponsored an Advent and a Lenten retreat, both at Mary Queen of Peace, and that "the turnout was phenomenal and the content even better."

If you know young adults looking to get involved with their faith, please tell the about The Oliver Plunkett Club.  Beauty grows in you to the extent that love grows, because charity itself is the soul’s beauty.”  St. Augustine.









Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Cleveland Latin Mass Community Reacts to News

Saturday 9/9 at MQP: Answering Chaos with Personal Holiness - Donuts & Updates from the Catacombs II