Story posted Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Church Outreach To Fund Louisiana Home
By TIM O'CONNOR Journal & Topics Reporter
Our Lady of Hope Church in Rosemont donated $55,000 to Solid Rock Carpenters on Tuesday, Dec. 22 to build a home in Bogalusa, La., for a family in need. It's the church's biggest service project ever.
"It was our parish council the came up with an outreach experience and got involved in what we call 'The House of Hope,'" said Fr. John Clemens, the parish's pastor.
Solid Rock Carpenters is a group of more than 1,000 volunteers who help people in need acquire affordable housing. The group has helped construct and rebuild homes in the Gulf Coast region since Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005.
Our Lady of Hope held numerous fundraising events throughout the past year, including silent auctions, special collections, and book sales. It also approached local businesses to donate.
"We got nothing but support from everyone," Clemens said. But parishioners are doing more than just giving the program money. Twenty of the church's members are flying down to Bogalusa the day after Christmas. They'll spend a week helping to build the house, which Clemens said should be finished in March.
Clemens said he'd like to continue working with Solid Rock Carpenters, but it's unlikely the church will be able to pull off another outreach on this scale.
Speak Out!
Comments are edited first by Journal staff before running in print and appearing online.