Dec. 21, 2020
All of us at Catholic United have been so impressed with your willingness to serve throughout the pandemic! Thank you for your patience as we have had to adapt to a rapidly changing environment to stay safe and healthy these past nine months.
I know some members who have become ill and others who have passed due to this virus, and our grief has only been compounded by the inability to gather in our communities. But, there is hope. Certainly, the approval of vaccines provides a light at the end of the tunnel, but mainly, as Catholics, we have hope because Jesus is Lord. You all are in my daily prayers and I hope you are finding ways to stay positive and connected during these dark days of winter.
In my last communication, we announced that we would not be approving in-person activities for star status through Dec. 18th, 2020. I know this led to some difficult decisions for you all to cancel or postpone longstanding events that do a lot to support your local parishes. Unfortunately, it will be some time before we begin to see the benefits of vaccine distribution. Therefore, we will continue to withhold the granting of star status for in-person activities until further notice.
If you have a previously approved activity, contact us to discuss how it might be adapted to a virtual event or if there are ways to safely conduct your activity. The Member Engagement staff is ready and willing to help you meet your star status goals, but it will require creativity and pushing ourselves to try new things. Call us at 1-800-568-6670 or email engage@catholicunited.org.
As an additional resource, see below for a list of ways your fellow members have creatively serving in their communities. Through our combined efforts, these small acts of generosity will make a big impact to spread joy this Christmas season.
God bless.
The Member Engagement Team has been impressed and inspired with many of the activities that our volunteers have done to support their churches, schools, and broader communities. Below is a list of just some of the events our teams have completed this year that would be allowed under our current guidelines- we hope this can be a source of inspiration to you as we head into the new year!
– Donate books to children who are schooling from home
– Sponsor a pro-life art and essay contest
– Host a virtual bingo event
– Curbside drop-off of baked goods
– Pen pals with nursing home residents
– Phone calls to home bound parishioners
– Sewing baptismal garments
– Adopt a family
– Food or Supply Drive
– Christmas cards to shut ins
– Care packages for College Students
– Gift cards or gifts for Catholic school teachers
– Send a team newsletter (or e-newsletter!)
– Host a drive-in movie for families
– Purchase fleece for R.E. students to make tie blankets at home
– Zoom meetings with Member Engagement staff
See more details about Catholic United Financial’d COVID-19 response here.
