Young Kendal M. decided to use some of her communion money to help children in need, so she and her mom went shopping and bought several beautiful outfits, onesies, and pajamas to donate to the Christ Child Society’s layette program. Now her handpicked outfits will find a home with newborns who receive a layette at Overlook or Morristown hopsitals. Thank you Kendal for your kind and generous spirit!
Pictured are FOUR generations of a proud “Elks” Family working on our Blankets for Babies on Girls Night Out at the Elks club, held on February 26, 2015. These and other Elks and Christ Child members and friends came together to work on finishing over 70 more blankets. It was great fun to gather in such a social atmosphere with music, food, sangria, and lots of colorful blankets! We are so grateful to the Summit Elks Lodge #1246 for their generous grant which helps us buy the fleece for our blankets, and for hosting such a fun night out!
“And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” - Genesis 1:31
Like the proverbial postman, neither snow, nor sleet nor ice kept Chapter members from gathering for our February Home Mass. Graciously hosted at Marjorie Waltzingers’ Home and celebrated by the inimitable Monsignor Guenther, the February Home Mass was a great way to recharge and to refocus on our important mission: helping children in need. As usual, Monsignor Guenther managed to weave together our mission, the life of Mary Virginia Merrick and the creation message of the daily reading with a simple message: our work with children helps bring out”the good” in God’s creation. What a great way to think about it!
What a fabulous day of making blankets, having fun, seeing fellow members, and making new friends! Despite the ice outside, our 3rd annual Blankets for Babies Day saw 100 volunteers of all ages coming together for a common cause. There was a woman who came despite falling on the ice and chipping her tooth. It didn’t stop her from smiling as she ironed! There was a woman who came because she saw the notice in the bulletin and realized we needed volunteers. How nice of her to help! There were the two young girls who showed up with their sewing machines, got right down to work and sewed away! They were adorable, and proof positive that you are never too young to help others and do work that matters. We love this day....
Monday, December 15th was Christ Child Day at Santa’s workshop...I mean, the Advent Giving Tree work room at St. Teresa’s. The heart of the operation takes place at St. Teresa’s church, where numerous elves sort, wrap, and organize gifts for the recipient organizations. This year over 25 Christ Child Members came to help in two different shifts on a Monday morning. Giving the gift of one’s time and energy is the most meaningful gift we can give. We are so grateful for the many Christ Child members that are always willing to lend a hand to those in need.
Beginning Advent with a visit from the CCS National President
We are so thankful that our National Christ Child Society Board President, Anne Kelley, worked a visit to our chapter into her busy travel schedule this month. She spent time getting to know our board, sharing her goals for her presidency, and talking about the cause for the canonization of Mary Virginia Merrick, our founder. She was able to meet some of our members and experience our home mass held at Peggy Kane’s house on December 2nd. What an inspiring way to begin Advent together! Read more...
Msgr. Guenther celebrated the mass and eloquently spoke of how the work of the Christ Child Society “plants a seed”—the knowledge that someone cares for them—in the hearts and minds of those we strive to help. This seed can grow to make a difference in the life of a child. As Anne noted, it is a wonderful thought to begin Advent with, as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child, and see Him in the children we serve. Anne spoke about the progress of the cause for canonization, and her hopes for moving the process to Rome in the near future. There are so many people who feel passionately about the life and service of Mary Virginia Merrick, and their devotion to her cause is as inspiring as her works. We are blessed to have so many people working tirelessly on making her canonizaton a reality. As a chapter, we will continue to support the cause, raise awareness, and pray for the canonization of of our founder, Mary Virginia Merrick. Our visit from Anne strengthened the ties between our chapter and the National board, and the other 42 chapters serving children in need for the love of the Christ Child.
The Christ Child Society table was front and center at St. Teresa’s Ministry Fair on September 14th on the Plaza! Parishioners stopped by the table to say hello and many signed up to be on our mailing list and hear more about us. Thanks to the irresistable pull of the delicious cookies made by Angeli Breen, they kept coming all day!
This is a great story... a girl signed up to volunteer at our school supplies distribution in August. When she arrived on distribution day she looked like a student, so we asked her how old she was. She said she is 19 and that last year she was a recipient of the school supply program and now that she is graduated, she wanted to see how she could help. She searched our name, found the volunteer page, and signed up! How nice to know that she was inspired by the help she received from CCS to pay it forward.
Msgr. Guenther celebrated mass at the home of member Margery Conniff on February 11th, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. We were so inspired by his story of visiting the shrine in the 60’s and being chosen to be the main celebrant among 40 other priests at a mass attended by hundreds of pilgrims at 4:00 am! He recounted how affected and awed he was upon visiting the shrine, and saying mass on the spot that was once visited by Mary. He reminded us that God touches us all in different ways, and we do not need a medical miracle to be changed forever by his grace. Thank you to Father for celebrating this special day with us, and to Margie for opening her lovely home for our mass.
We were thrilled to see so many turn out on a blustery, cold, January evening for our first “Tiny Toppers” knitting night! On January 23rd, fifteen members gathered at Wool and Grace to knit baby hats to be included in our layettes. It was great fun and a group effort, with experienced knitters helping those that were slightly rusty. Many hadn’t knitted since they were kids and some were learning for the first time! By the end of the evening, all were knitting and purling, and on their way to completing beautiful hand made baby hats. Read more...
To date, we have ten completed tiny toppers and several more nearly finished. Hats can be dropped off at Wool and Grace or brought to our baby shower in March. Members and friends that could not join us on the 23rd can still knit these beautiful baby hats! Stop in at Wool and Grace, 102 Summit Avenue in Summit for the yarn and pattern and they’ll give you a quick lesson to get you started! Stay tuned for more details on our next “Tiny Toppers” knitting social!
