Good company and generous hospitality have become a regular fixture on the Holy Name Parish calendar in Timaru. The Parish and it secondary school, Roncalli College, have joined forces to offer a free lunch twice monthly to anyone and everyone who will come.
The initiative was started this year by Parish Councillor Sally Feeley and Religious Education teacher Joanne Bennett. They aimed to bring the parish and the school together to care for some of Timaru's more isolated residents. However, rather than just feeding the hungry, the guests seemed to enjoy the company as much as anything.
"We really want them to see every encounter with someone as an encounter with Christ himself - especially the most vulnerable".
The group open at midday and there would still be people here well into the afternoon, while the students who man the kitchen tidy up around them. The kitchen is run from the Parish Centre, next to the College. The food is generously donated by members of the Parish and the College communities.
Entertainment is often provided by students. Joanne stated "the students really love the iteration. They return to school buzzing with stories of things that happened or people they have meet. The students get real joy our of giving something of themselves to others."
We hope that by opening the door to volunteering, students will be enabled to put themselves forward in the future. As Joanne notes "It's another way of putting faith into action. In the Mercy tradition, we really want them to see every encounter with someone as an encounter with Christ himself - especially the most vulnerable".
We think this is a fantastic initiative of education in faith. Well done to Joanne for leading this initiative.
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