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Acts of Faith Newsletter
Greg and Mary Kay Wise Champion the Habitat Mission in the Catholic Community
be dirty and sweaty, but inside we are clean
and happy."
Three generations of Wises work on the
Cypress Build. Pictured are Greg Wise,
the Wise's daughter, Mo, Grandpa Fred,
and Mary Kay Wise.
We'd like to introduce you to two very special people who are affiliated with St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana Point. Greg and Mary Kay Wise are active members of the HfHOC Catholic Coalition representing St. Edward's. Their innovative approaches to fundraising, and friend-raising, are opening doors in South Orange County's parishes. Greg shares his experiences as a Habitat advocate:
Mary Kay and I have been involved in one way or another with Habitat for about 10 years. We were regular donors for years. But when we met and heard a Habitat family speak at a Habitat Night at Mission San Juan Capistrano, we were converted to full fledged Habitat lovers.
When a Habitat home is finished, there is a special home blessing ceremony where all the people present lay their hands upon the house while a prayer of dedication is said. Words cannot express the beauty and joy that happens when the recipient family is presented with the keys to their new home.
Parishioners from St. Edwards in Dana Point
wear their "Catholic Coalition" T-shirts
provided by Greg and Mary Kay Wise as
they start their work day at Cypress.
Photos provided by Greg Wise
We love the immediate, positive impact that Habitat has on our local communities and wanted to share that with our fellow parishioners. Fortunately our pastor, Fr. Steve Sallot, is intimately aware of Habitat since he'd been a volunteer before. He gave us full support and we spoke to our parish at all the masses one weekend.
Following the lead of Bishop Jaime Soto, who has asked all the Catholic churches in the Diocese of Orange to support Habitat's efforts, we set up a special e-mail address (habstedward@earthlink.net) and had sign-up sheets for people interested in this awesome ministry. We had a meeting in our parish hall and introduced a lovely family who has been selected for a Habitat home.
Seeing the impact our efforts have on this family engaged and enraptured our fellow parishioners. From there it wasn't hard to have people get involved. Father Sallot let us have a special collection for Habitat OC and we had a great day working on the Cypress site in September.
Working with Habitat families, side by side, is a humbling and spiritual activity. Habitat has enriched our lives and has given us much more than we have given it. After a hard day out on a build site, we may be dirty and sweaty, but inside we are clean and happy.
If you'd like your faith community featured in a future column, please contact Kim Faaborg LaPerle or call her at (714) 434-6200 x238.
Lutherans set goal to build 500 homes per year!
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is partnering with Habitat for Humanity in a plan to increase the number of homes built by 500 houses per year for four years. Locally, Thrivent Builds Homes is partnering with HfHOC and the Orange County Thrivent Chapters to build a home in Placentia in 2006. For more information on Thrivent Builds Homes, visit www.thriventbuilds.com.
The HfHOC Lutheran Coalition celebrates
receipt of a gift from Farmers Insurance to
Habitat.Seen from left to right are:
Harvey Anderson, Shahara Jacobs, Linda Howard,
Timothy Krieger, John Panian, Shelley McCollum,
Tonia Collinske. Bob Heineman is holding
the check that he brought in.
Photo provided by Bob Heineman
Coalition get busy on the Cypress build.
Children at Local Religious Science Church Choose Habitat for Humanity to Receive Special Gift
By Holly Ferris, CCCL Student
We testify through our action
children's church teacher,
helps Jayce Ferris collect
money during the Season
for Non-Violence.
All the money the church's
children collected was
donated to Habitat for
Humanity, Orange County.
Photo provided by
Holly Ferris
The children at the Center for Creative and Conscious Living (CCCL), a Religious Science Church in Cypress, chose to donate money they collected during the "Season for Nonviolence" to Habitat for Humanity, Orange County.
The Season is a grassroots campaign dedicated to demonstrating that nonviolence is a powerful way to heal, transform and empower people's lives and communities. The annual observance is inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi honoring their vision for a nonviolent world.
This year, in addition to learning each Sunday how every person is responsible for helping to create a more peaceful world, the children brought in their offerings and encouraged the adults of the church to contribute to their fund-raising project as well.
They learned that it's tough to be peaceful and happy if you don't have a decent home. They raised $250. They hope that their gift will inspire others to do what they can to help create a nonviolent world that can be shared peacefully by all humankind. We thank the young leaders at the Center for Creative and Conscious Living for their generosity and thoughtfulness.
Please contact Kim Faaborg LaPerle, Faith Relations Manager, 714-434-6200 x238.
