A day of service

MORRISTOWN  Through every storm, there is a rainbow representing hope. And at Assumption Parish here, some of its youngest members are bringing much needed hope to children in Texas whose lives were affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Assumption’s youngest parishioners gathered together Sept. 9 before their catechetical sessions started for a day of service. The children are part of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) program at Assumption, and along with their families and friends remembered the many children hit by the devastating hurricane in the Lone Star State in a special way.

The day of service was led by Tara Speer, coordinator of the CGS, who is a native of Houston and was deeply affected by the images of the overwhelming damage to the area where she lived as a child. Her 85-year-old father, still lives in Texas, but was spared from harm by the hurricane. Speer, who moved to New Jersey 15 years ago, said, “Seeing the pain of everyone in Houston breaks my heart. Many of my childhood friends and family were affected by the hurricane. In Houston, you grow up used to hurricanes and floods but this was nothing compared to previous storms.”

Looking for an opportunity to help those in Houston, Speer contacted Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston with the focus on helping children. With school already delayed there by the flooding, Speer decided to have the Assumption children create backpacks with school supplies, knowing children affected by the hurricane likely lost everything.

She wanted the children at Assumption to have an awareness of these natural disasters. “I really wanted them to understand how important it is to be compassionate to others in their time of need,” she said.

The children began the morning with Scripture readings related to the Sacrament of Baptism, the Parable of the Good Shepherd and Psalms remembering the youngest members. The children, who range from 3 to 12, wrote notes to the Houston children sharing prayers and blessings for their recovery from the hurricane. Some children also wrote letters in Spanish.

Speer recalled growing up in Houston “where it is a diverse, ecumenical community that really helped one another.”

One of the notes written by a child said, “Dear friend in Christ. This is for you with love. I am praying for you.”

Another note said, “I am very thankful that I have the opportunity to help you. Stay safe.”

To get the school supplies before the day of service, Speer reached out to parents of the CGS students a few days before to collect them. In total, 128 backpacks with school supplies and prayers/letters of encouragement for the children in and around Houston were made. They also sent out extra school supplies to Catholic Charities of the Houston Archdiocese. In total, 30 boxes were shipped from Morristown to Houston.

“If I could have driven to Houston, I would have loved to have been there to help,” said Speer. “The church I grew up in had some damage. I could see friends posting how they were emptying the church and parochial school I attended.”

Because the children met during the same time Hurricane Irma was a major threat to Florida and on the heels of an earthquake that affected many in Mexico, the older children led all in prayers for those in Florida and Mexico struck by these natural disasters.

With the recovery efforts ongoing in many of these hurricane-hit states, Speer hopes to get the children involved again in helping others. The catechetical program — Catechesis of the Good Shepherd — fits their mission to serve others hands on. It is based on Montessori-type education. At Assumption, there are three levels. Level One is for children ages 3 to 6; level two is for children 6 to 9, and level three is for children 9 to 12.

“Please know how very grateful this native Houstonian is to all my Good Shepherd and Assumption family and friends for all their compassion, love and service to the children of the Good Shepherd in Houston,” said Speer.