Health Ministry members of St. Irenaeus Church in Cypress started working on their Annual Giving Tree Community Outreach Project early in November. The project depended on the assistance of many people to successfully share the Christmas Spirit with others.
Health Ministry purchased 400 large brown paper bags and enlisted the help of the students, teachers and staff members of St. Irenaeus School to decorate them festively as gift bags. The students decorated the bags artistically with a variety of Christmas decorations and drawings.
The 400 bags were given as gifts for homebound parishioners and residents of five Care Centers which Health Ministry where members visit each week to pray and bring the Holy Eucharist to residents. St. Irenaeus Parish priests celebrate Mass once a month at each of the Care Centers at Anaheim Terrace in Buena Park, Knott Avenue Manor in Buena Park, Karlton Care Center in Anaheim, Knott Avenue Care Center in Buena Park, and Sunrise Assisted Living in La Palma.
After Thanksgiving Day, parishioners were asked to help fill the 400 gift bags with suggested items for men and women. Because of the cold weather, lap blankets were especially requested for both men and women. Parishioners responded generously and filled the 400 bags with their gifts in time for distribution during the week of Dec.12 to Dec. 19. Parishioners were also invited to join Health Ministry members in singing carols and other holiday songs, and help distribute the gift bags at the Giving Tree Christmas Party at the Care Centers.
Teams of Health Ministry members brought the gift bags to each of the Care Centers on designated days. Parishioners and members of the St. Irenaeus Adult Choir who sang carols and other holiday songs and wished everyone a “Merry Christmas” and a “Feliz Navidad” joined them. When possible, they walked through the halls of the Care Centers to deliver gift bags to those who were bedridden. They also sang carols on the way to each room.
Health Ministry member Grace Francis arranged for different men to help give the gift bags to the residents of the Care Centers dressed as Santa Claus. Parishioners Tom Nagle and John Lewallen volunteered to be Santa Claus. Grace’s husband Ken, and her grandson Troy Kissell were also Santa Claus for a few days helping to deliver gift bags to each resident. At Knott Manor, his mother Lucy Kissell played Mrs. Claus and joined Santa Troy, and his son Kingston Kissell as an elf. Grace then had four generations of her family all helping at the Manor Christmas party.
The fifth and last Giving Tree Christmas Party at Sunrise Assisted Living in La Palma was extra special because of Cathy Corkhill’s 6th grade class at St. Irenaeus School made blankets themselves for the residents and delivered them in person. They also joined in singing Christmas carols and songs with parishioners and some of their parents. The residents were overjoyed with their special gifts and loved seeing and hearing the students sing.
Health Ministry would like to thank everyone who helped to reach out to the residents of the Care Centers by donating gifts, singing songs, and helping to deliver the gift bags to the residents and the homebound parishioners. The Giving Tree Project would not be successful without everyone’s participation. It was a wonderful opportunity for parishioners to be the “Hands, Feet and Voices of Christ” as they shared God’s Love and the Joy of Christmas with others.