“Hand in Hand with All God’s Children”

By Kathy Gaito

We all know someone who occasionally needs a helping hand. Whether it’s a neighbor who asks you to pick up their mail, or a family member who needs a ride to an appointment, we all do our best to accommodate them. These tasks may seem simple to the person who is helping, but the person receiving the assistance is always very grateful!

There are also many issues which people face during their lives which require the assistance of others. Some people are hungry, ill or homeless. Others are in need of counseling, guidance, or perhaps even discerning how best to answer God’s call to the priesthood, diaconate or religious life. The Diocese of Norwich strives to provide services to assist these needs and more to all in our local communities and Haiti. For this reason, the theme for the 2019 Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA) is “Hand In Hand with All God’s Children”.

Your donation to the ACA allows our Diocesan Ministries and Programs to extend their hands on your behalf to deliver the necessary services. These ministries enable all of us to extend our help beyond our immediate circle of family and friends and join together “Hand in Hand with All God’s Children”. As Disciples of Christ, we are asked to be ‘good stewards’ and share our time, talent and treasures. Your stewardship gift to the ACA is important and does make a difference. Think about how you made someone feel when you lent them a helping hand. Think about how it made you feel! By donating to the ACA you are helping people make positive changes in their lives. For some, the only hand that is extended to them is yours through your donation to the ACA.

We can view this year’s ACA theme, “Hand in Hand with All God’s Children” as twofold… one you are joining hand in hand with fellow Catholics to help others and two you are joining hand in hand with people in need. By joining hands we can create a never-ending chain of giving and receiving making us inseparable as God’s children. How wonderful would it be if we could start this chain in the Diocese of Norwich and have it eventually extend across the world? A chain of hands joined so tightly that no one can tell who is giving and who is receiving because we are all God’s children.

So as you consider your gift to this year’s Annual Catholic Appeal please refl ect on this Bible verse(1 Peter 3:8)