Hundreds come out to help make a difference

It was a great opportunity for everyone (families, young adults, seniors, teens, and youth) to join on one (or more) faith and service projects, providing people-power to help households and organizations in need in the Plainfield community.

The Saturday, Oct. 27 schedule started at 7:30 a.m. with daily Mass in the church. At 8 a.m., a Blessing of Volunteers sent teams to their projects. From 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., they completed assorted Faith and Service Projects lasting one to two hours, benefiting the parish and hundreds of people throughout the community.

Projects included prayer shifts in the Eucharistic Adoration Chapel of the parish church, as well as at a prayer vigil outside an abortion clinic. There were projects to spruce up the parish grounds outdoors and in the parish’s neighborhood.  Some neighborhood teams collected food for the Plainfield Interfaith Food Pantry or cleaned up in their subdivisions.

Projects also took place at Daybreak Center, four nursing homes, all four Plainfield fire stations, as well as three village parks. Handymen and women provided needed repairs and maintenance at the Mantellate Sisters convent and at the homes of a handful of area families in need.

The St. Mary Immaculate Employment Ministry helped job seekers and provided them with free portrait photos, while the Military Ministry led groups in making items for our servicemen and women.
Cars were washed for free all day long in the church parking lot and dozens of articles of clothing were mended or hemmed for free by a volunteer mending team.

At 4 p.m., the Saturday parish vigil Mass recognized volunteers and their day’s service, and at 5 p.m. over 60 Boy Scout Troop 19 scouts and leaders cooked and served a delicious spaghetti dinner in the St. Mary Immaculate Gym, which had been decorated by parish Girl Scouts and their families. A montage of photos can be seen on the parish website at www.smip.org.