St. Francis of Assisi parishioners make stuffed bears to share

St. Francis of Assisi Parish in the Haskell neighborhood of Wanaque held their first-ever Share a Bear event.

Linda O’Connell, a St. Francis of Assisi parishioner of seven years, and the pastor, Father Greg Golba, presented the idea to the parish.

O’Connell said, “The thrust of the exercise is really a catechetical evangelization effort. The lesson is that Christmas is not only about getting but also about giving. And we wanted the word ‘share’ in there.”

The event took place in Parish Hall, as children and those helping them had an enjoyable task: stuffing and creating cuddly bears for themselves while building another bear for someone else.

O’Connell explained. “We offered the first 25 children who came forward the opportunity to make a bear for themselves, but they also needed to make sure that they made a bear for somebody at Lakeland Nursing Home (in Haskell).”

Benefactors contributed money for the bears and materials, and on Dec. 10, 2023, from the conclusion of noon Mass until 3 p.m., parents, grandparents, and older parishioners aided youngsters ages 6 to 12 (and younger; a 10-month-old was even signed up by her grandparents) in building their bears. Three young brothers from Don Bosco Prep who were working on Eagle Scout projects also attended, willing to serve.

“Every element that we could have hoped to touch on, we were able to touch on,” O’Connell said.

During the event, Father Golba said, “Children, you are doing a very good thing today. Some of the people who live at Lakeland Nursing Home do not have family to visit them. The bears you are making will keep them company at Christmas and let them know their parish family cares about them.”

Parishioner Debbie Ackerly supplied hot chocolate and snacks for the attendees, and children were also gifted with candy canes accompanied by story cards. The children learned that a candy cane is shaped like a “J,” which stands for Jesus, while the white stripes are a reminder of his purity, and the red stripes represent that He so loved us that he shed his blood for us.

When all the bears were stuffed, Father Golba went to each table with holy water, blessing the bears and their builders. 25 bears went to Lakeland Nursing Home and some of the children elected to give their own bear away as well.

O’Connell said, “Share a Bear teaches them sharing. It is okay to make one for yourself, but what about others? And to learn also along the way that your parish is a place where you can go to be with other people who love Jesus and love you.”