Blessed Kateri group returns from mission to rural Kentucky
SPARTATen high school teens and five adults from Blessed Kateri Parish in Sparta recently returned from Kentucky where they offered their time, talent, hands and muscle to those in need through the Christian Appalachian Project. The group traveled to Hager Hill, Ky. where they took part in a week of service, prayer, and solidarity with the people of Johnston County. While there the volunteers labored in private homes, remodeling a kitchen and bathroom, replacing floors, painting cabinets, installing porch railings, building closets and painting a house. According to Lillian Farrell, one of the adult leaders on the trip, the teens were “moved by the simplicity of the local people they worked with. It was a reciprocal experience,” explained Farrell, “Not only an experience of serving others, but one of being served as well.” Some of the local women they spent time with were happy to share their conversation, faith and even some great quilting techniques with the group. She notes that one elderly woman, whose home they helped repair, shared her own words of wisdom in this way: “When I’m gone, don’t tell everyone I died. Just tell them I’m going home to a house that don’t need no fixin’.” Farrell’s daughter Brianna, who also made the trip, adds, “We went down there to serve others and we ended up getting a lot more back.” The group’s theme song for the trip was “Spread a Little Love Around,” and at the end of the day, that’s what they were happy that they had the opportunity to do. The Christian Appalachian Project, founded in 1964 by a Roman Catholic priest, is an interdenominational, Christian faith-based mission. It strives to help to better the quality of life of children, families, and elderly individuals struggling in poverty throughout Appalachia. For more information about the project go to www.chrisapp.org. To learn more about Blessed Kateri Parish and its ministries you can check out www.blessedkateri.org or call the parish office at 729-1682.