Connecticut church helps local needy children

Twenty confirmation youth from St. Allysius Catholic Church in New Canaan, CT.

For the fifth straight year, youth from a Connecticut Catholic church traveled to the area to help 1,000 needy children have a happier, and healthier, Christmas.

Twenty teens and their adult chaperones from St. Allysius Roman Catholic Church, based in New Cannan, CT, distributed 1,000 Christmas stockings filled with toys, food and everyday items like toothbrushes and toothpaste this past Saturday. Once again, they partnered with Operation Sharing — a 33-year-old subsidiary of the Christian Appalachian Project, which operates a warehousing and distribution facility near Corbin. The group met at the warehouse and were given a tour of the facility, before loading up the stockings and leaving to hand them out all over Knox, Laurel and Whitley counties.

“We are very blessed in New Canaan and our kids, many of them, have never seen some of the type of poverty that is here,” said Chris Otis, Youth Minister at St. Allysius and main organizer of the trip.

“It really opens their eyes.”

The church’s “confirmation kids” raise money for the trip each year, but only a fraction of those are able to make the trip. Otis said available spots to come to Corbin are much sought after.

In Catholicism, children participate in a two-year study program and are bestowed sacrament of confirmation upon completion. Once complete, they are then considered full members of the Catholic Church, and it symbolizes a maturation process where they are then expected to go into the world to act as active disciples of Christ.

“We do a lot of service projects so they just learn this is what we are supposed to do here on earth. We want them to know that God put us here to serve others,” Otis said.

“This is what we do with our lives. It’s fine to do all the other stuff, but we must share our time and talent and treasures.”

The stockings contained all sorts of useful items including candy, toys, clothing, toiletries, and even a small canned ham.

Father Anthony Muthu, pastor at St. Gregory Catholic Church in Barbourville, said the group from St. Allysius began using Barbourville, and the CAP facility, as a base of operations for their efforts at the urging of himself and Barbourville Mayor David Thompson.

“They go to our parish for mass. We are very happy to receive them,” Muthu said. “It is a very, very great thing they are doing. They are working for people who have needs. It is important what they are doing. It lets people know they are not alone.”

Muthu offered a group prayer Saturday before the group left to give out the stockings.

Peter Vandall, and long-time member of St. Allysius who made the trip to Kentucky, said it is an eye-opening experience for the youth.

“I think they go back to New Canaan, and they have a great appreciation for what they have,” Vandall said. “They get a sense of the reality for people in other places. That’s important.”

Otis said once all the stockings are distributed, each of the youth that participated writes a reflection of their experience.

“When I read those, it brings tears to my eyes because they get it. They are changed by it,” she said.

“We try to teach them that they can’t solve all the challenges and problems, but they can be the light of Christ for those children for that moment in time they are there with them … and that’s our mission.”