Parish works together to offer holiday meal for the community
By Bee Goodman
The meaning of Christmas as Christians know is much more than ribbons and bows. Christmas is a day everyone comes together to remember the holy arrival of an infant who would give His life for the world.
The best way to celebrate is by sharing the love that Jesus shares with the world.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish in Cleveland has a long-standing tradition to do just that.
Knights of Columbus, parishioners, and volunteers gathered early Saturday morning on Dec. 6 to prepare and serve their community a special meal to celebrate the Three Kings Feast.
The warm holiday treat was offered to anyone who craved fellowship and a festive meal. In addition, presents and blankets were given to those in need.
The Three Kings Feast tradition stems back over 30 years and serves hundreds of people annually. This year, the parish greeted nearly 900 guests, with more than 150 volunteers joining in the celebration to share the love of Christ.
Father Mike Creson and St. Thérèse volunteers prepare plates of food for the guests taking part in the Three Kings Feast held at the parish. (Photo Bee Goodman)
Celebrating Christmas is rarely a small expense, and the bigger the family the more the need. As many people already struggle with food prices and other costs, especially this year with the temporary lapse in SNAP benefits, the holidays can pose a difficult time.
Many rely on the kindness of their loved ones and the community around them for help or otherwise must do without.
St. Thérèse parishioners served a hot plate of turkey and gravy with green beans and mashed potatoes, or a kid’s meal of fries, mac and cheese, and chicken nuggets. Each meal also included a fresh baked dinner roll, a drink, and choice of dessert.
The wonderful meal had community guests lined around the parish campus as early as 9 a.m., with serving beginning at 11. Each family member was treated as a welcome guest of St. Thérèse. For those who arrived early, hot chocolate was served while they waited.
Once inside, families were escorted to tables, had their drink orders taken, and were served by the volunteers who brought their home-cooked meals to their tables in a most friendly and festive way.
Once finished with their meals, families could then go to the “toy shop,” where parents could pick a gift for their children and were provided diapers and gloves if they needed them. Families also could receive a ticket for a blanket.
The annual event is a feast, and it was treated like a welcoming holiday fair. A corner of the room was dedicated to pictures with Santa, where children would gaze upon jolly ol’ St. Nick making a visit from the North Pole just in time for Christmas.
A photo booth on site allowed the families to get a quick picture together so they would have a reminder of this memory later, long after they returned home and the parish doors were closed.
A stage was adorned with a Nativity scene featuring the Holy Family, a tall standing cross, and a glowing tree. The parish room offered a seasonal feeling that tied the community together with love.
Anyone taking a good look around could spot at least one of three wise men in the dining room carrying small chests with chocolate gold coins and treats as if they were gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
It takes a large number of people to host this feast. Brad Benefield, of the Knights of Columbus and St. Thérèse Parish, organized the dining room and volunteers to keep food on plates and people in seats.
Mr. Benefield shared that he’s been a part of the feast for at least 15 years, and it’s something he looks forward to each year, noting that the Knights and parish members began planning for the event back in the summer.
Santa Claus makes an appearance at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish’s annual Three Kings Feast on Dec. 6, which delighted children attending the Christmas event. (Photo Bee Goodman)
“They start preparing months in advance, maybe late summer; there’s a committee. They start getting funding planned and then raise money for it. We start doing drives for the blankets and toys. It’s a great event, an evangelizing tool,” Mr. Benefield said.
Beyond the Knights, Mr. Benefield shared additional insight into who is volunteering, including those involved in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (formerly RCIA).
“We have a lot of OCIA folks that come into the parish, and sometimes this is the first time they plug in. We’ve also had folks who are not Catholic but will oftentimes come and volunteer just because they hear about what’s going on. They just come and we find a place for them to volunteer,” Mr. Benefield said.
“It’s amazing. It’s their first experience with the church and the love that all of these volunteers show their community. Before long, we see them coming into OCIA themselves and start doing that sort of thing with us,” he added.
Brian Deloach is a fourth-year volunteer, or as he called himself, “a gopher.” He helped secure Santa’s attendance and even helped find a Ukrainian translator.
“I’ve helped by putting flyers all throughout town as well as helping to up the social media. I help out by getting coffee and putting chairs out. … Pretty much anything the guys in charge, Mike Murphy, Father Mike Nolan, and Brad Benefield need. I really don’t have a specific goal; I’m just a gopher,” he continued.
Just as Jesus always encouraged spreading His good news, word about the event always gets around.
“After the word has been spread around town, they (guests) come in and all our volunteers—from the church, our youth group, Women of Faith, Knights of Columbus—get a home-cooked meal ready for them (guests),” Mr. Deloach said.
Father Nolan shared that the event usually sees between 700-900 guests each year, with anywhere from 100-200 volunteers. He noted that no matter how involved a person may be in the church, this is something that pulls them back.
“There are people here that are at the church almost more than I am,” he said, laughing. “And there are people here when this is the only time I see them. This is what keeps them pulled into it. We’re happy to have them. Anybody.”
Taking a moment to stand in the middle of the room with eyes closed, people might be able to transport themselves to another place.
The smell reminds of mom’s kitchen. The sounds remind of being a kid, laughing with relatives while playing on the floor right by the Christmas tree. It’s a feeling that many will call nostalgia, returning each year when presented with those same familiar senses. No matter what word is used to describe it, it can only be defined with one: love.
St. Thérèse volunteers show their Christmas spirit while enjoying the Three Kings Feast. (Photo Bee Goodman)
That love permeates memories of childhood, wanting to laugh with cousins, wanting so badly to sit with mom at the adults table rather than at the kids’ table. It can be called joy, but it was really love that is felt when a Master of the Universe action figure or a new Polly Pocket Pool Party set was unwrapped.
Love is what started it. Parents sacrifice to provide Christmas for their children. It’s also a reminder that Jesus never went Black Friday shopping, and He didn’t have a warm Christmas dinner. He didn’t even have a bed to sleep in on that night the world has come to love as that first Christmas.
God made us in His image, and He made His own Son in ours. So that one day, the same Son would give the ultimate gift that can’t be wrapped under a tree or put in a stocking. Jesus knew what His purpose was, and He knew what it meant for His children. He endured so much for everyone to have a life beyond sin. And what did He ask of us in return? In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus tells of the greatest commandments:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,” and the second commandment under this, “You shall love your neighbor as your friend.”
If there is a great example of loving the Lord and loving neighbors as friends, it is preparing a meal for friends and strangers to gather in fellowship.
Expecting nothing in return, many volunteers from the Cleveland community, St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish, and the Knights of Columbus come together to feed their neighbors as many gather with families at home during the Christmas holiday.
They’ve managed to keep the tradition running for over three decades and each year they are excited to return. Much more than ribbons and bows, they come together to give the ultimate gift of love to their community in Cleveland.