By Katie Patrick
Does it ever seem that your six-month routine visit to the dentist comes around sooner than expected? I often feel that way when I receive a text notification from the dental office informing me of my upcoming appointment. Truly, I feel as if I was just there having my teeth cleaned. However, when I check my calendar – sure enough, it has indeed been six months and the time has come for my next appointment. And so I go.
Now, that’s the dentist where I schedule in advance. The eye doctor, however, is another story.
Since SNAP benefits were paused Oct. 30 due to the shutdown, thousands of Nebraskans have been affected, with more turning to Catholic Social Services for food market appointments.
As the government shutdown continues, families in Lincoln are struggling to make ends meet.
Catholic Social Services is stepping up: providing food, basic needs and hope for those who aren’t sure where else to turn.
In this episode of Hope in the Good Life, John Soukup visits with two Catholic Social Services team members serving in southwest Nebraska to share how they bring hope and compassion to families in rural communities. The conversation also highlights an upcoming Trivia Night fundraiser on November 14 in Imperial—an evening of fun that supports the serious work of helping neighbors in need. As the title reminds us, when it comes to faith, community, and service, there’s nothing trivial about hope.
By Katie Patrick
What started as a routine trip to drop off recycled clothing turned into a powerful encounter with someone in need—and a reminder of how God works through everyday moments.
Just as he did each month, Bill Sullivan—manager of St. Isidore Gift and Thrift in Imperial—traveled to McCook to deliver recycled clothing to a CSS truck coming from our Hastings office.
Just 180 seconds of your time to hear all about the happenings at CSS through the month of September!
By Alexis Brouillette,
Lincoln Outreach Coordinator
Working at the front desk and in the role of Outreach Coordinator at Catholic Social Services, you truly are the hands and feet of Christ, but also the heart and shoulder and ears and… I could go on, but you get the point! I never know what is going to happen in my day, or who I am going to meet and where the conversation will go.
I start my day with a prayer, offering to God all of the people I meet, all of the conversations I have and all of the struggles I encounter throughout the day A prayer I have recently been saying is called Radiating Christ, and it is affiliated with St. Teresa of Calcutta, who is the patron saint of Catholic Social Services this year.
By Katie Patrick
When someone calls Catholic Social Services in need of financial assistance, it’s usually because, for one reason or another, they have fallen behind in rent or utilities. Many things can disrupt a household’s ability to pay the bills, including illness, job loss, or the unexpected death of a family member. Natural disasters such as a fire or flood can also affect a family’s financial independence, prompting them to seek temporary assistance.
When I took calls and processed requests at our Lincoln office, I remember many of these scenarios and the families that we were able to assist. However, there is one unique request that we have received several times in the past few years from our office in Hastings: financial assistance to pay for cranial helmets for infants and young children.
EXTRA EXTRA! There's too much #HopeintheGoodLife to share for just one newsletter issue. Read our October updates from across 24,000 square miles of southern Nebraska in our digital-only October edition.
By Naomi Beauclair
Immigration Legal Services Program Manager, Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska
“Welcome the stranger.”
This is our missional focus among the works of mercy for the immigration legal services team at CSS. While the immigration legal assistance we provide to the community could look like the social service rendered by any other local non-profit that is also certified by the Department of Justice to practice immigration law, welcoming the stranger “as Christ” calls the team to serve both the practical and spiritual needs of immigrants. It is simply not enough to file various applications successfully (like green cards and citizenship) to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
