St. Alban's Boxes of Joy

This year, St. Alban's parishioners participated in Cross Catholic Outreach's Box of Joy program, We packed boxes with age-appropriate toys and religious items for boys and girls of poor families in Central America, and provided donations to support the work of Cross Catholic Outreach. We then gathered the boxes and shipped them to Cross Catholic. 

 

Peter Smith had accompanied Cross Catholic on a Box of Joy distribution trip to Haiti in March 2017. Haiti was still recovering from Hurricane Matthew, which devastated the Catholic island nation. He said the children were overjoyed to receive each box at the Cross Catholic distributions. But most importantly, the children saw each box, not as a gift for themselves, but as a gift to be shared with their siblings and friends.

Although the Box of Joy is a material gift, he said, these children, who had very little, showed a real spiritual richness and generosity of spirit that we all could recall and take to heart this Christmas season.   

Thanks to all who participated! 

Photos courtesy of Peter Smith.