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October 26, 2008

Parishes share resources and learn from each other

By Kristin Peterson

CONTRIBUTOR

Holy Cross Parish in Deerfield is truly sharing the wealth. Parishioners are not just giving money from their wallets; they are also giving their time and their compassion to help the students at St. Malachy School, 2252 W. Washington St., on the West Side of Chicago.

For more than 30 years, Holy Cross and St. Malachy have shared a relationship. Parish Sharing, a program through the archdiocesan Office of Peace and Justice, links parishes to one another across economic, racial and geographic lines for the purpose of building relationships and community.

In the past 20 years, Holy Cross Parish has focused on helping St. Malachy School through the Friends of St. Malachy program. Joanie Rosen and Mary Kay Miekina of Holy Cross Parish are co-chairs of this program, which consists of several subcommittees that address the needs of St. Malachy School.

Addressing needs

“We assist the school in reaching its goals and objectives that are tied to an educational piece, a spiritual piece and a social piece,” Rosen said.

Holy Cross Parish makes financial contributions to St. Malachy’s school and parish. In addition, Holy Cross parishioners are paired up with St. Malachy students to provide tuition assistance.

The Friends of St. Malachy program goes beyond just financial donations. Each week, volunteers from Holy Cross go down to St. Malachy to tutor in math and writing. A group of retired men also serve as mentors to some of the teenage boys.

A building repairs crew goes down once a month to do repairs around the school and church buildings.

Last summer, they installed a brand new wood floor in the gym. Right now one man is working on refinishing all of the woodwork in the school.

The youth group at Holy Cross is also involved in helping St. Malachy. In the summer the youth run a bake sale at the Deerfield Farmer’s Market to raise money for afterschool activities at St. Malachy. The youth group also planned a Halloween party for the St. Malachy students on Oct. 26.

Health initiatives

Holy Cross parish also coordinates several health initiatives for the St. Malachy students. Students can go to the University of Illinois at Chicago dental school to have their teeth cleaned. “The kids get a free screening and teeth cleaning and the dental students get practice. It is a win-win relationship,” Rosen said.

Holy Cross arranges for the City of Chicago’s Care Van to come to St. Malachy to provide immunizations to the students. In addition, the asthma van comes to the school once a month to monitor students with asthma.

Holy Cross also coordinates, through the Big Shoulders Fund, for students to have vision and hearing screenings. St. Malachy students who don’t pass the vision screening are sent to Lens Crafters, where they can receive free frames and lenses if needed.

The Friends of St. Malachy program really helps keep the school running, said Bridgid Miller, principal of St. Malachy for 30 years. “I know that if we had not entered into a relationship with Holy Cross we would have been one of the schools to close,” she said.

With the tuition assistance from Holy Cross and the Big Shoulders Fund, Miller said “any family that comes through the door, we are able to offer them a place here.”

Improved self-esteem

Miller said that it really helps the students’ self-esteem to know that so many people care about them. “The kids always ask, ‘They don’t even know me, why would they help me?’” Miller said.

The volunteers, in turn, gain so much from the kids. “I went down there thinking I’ll help them,” Rosen said. “I was so amazed at what those kids give to me. I had no idea that that was what it was going to be about.”

The students show their appreciation for Holy Cross in their own way. Every spring the gospel choir from St. Malachy comes to Holy Cross to sing at a Sunday Mass.

“We try to give back by sharing who we are,” Miller explained. “We say thank you with the beauty of our music.”

The students also send “thank you” cards, in which they write very thoughtful notes. “They often talk about how much they love their school,” Miller said.

Rosen said that it is the simple things that make a difference. “The students don’t have a lot of ways to thank us,” she said. “But a smile from a kid is a thank you.”