PLAINFIELD — Over 900 St. Mary Immaculate, Plainfield, parishioners and friends volunteered their time and talent on a myriad of projects on Oct. 27, Make a Difference Day — A Day of Faith and Service to Bring Jesus to Others.
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.
The parish is deeply grateful to the hundreds of volunteers who truly did “Make a Difference.” The congregation also appreciates the generous support of the many local businesses that donated their time, supplies and technical assistance, including:
• Bartel’s Auto Clinic – free car wash supplies
• Cutting Edge Catering - Tablecloths and linens for the White Table display
• Dream Vision Photo, Justine Sokol photographer – Free profile photos for job seekers
• Kin-Ko Ace Hardware – Free lawn bags
• Performance Chemical & Supply, Inc. – 500 free 55-gallon trash bags
• Rocket Imaging – Banners at cost
• Total Image Sportswear – T-shirts at cost
• ULINE – Free clear plastic specialty envelopes
St. Mary Immaculate Parish is located at 15629 South Illinois 59, Plainfield. It is a vibrant, welcoming Catholic community serving the Plainfield area.
For more information about St. Mary Immaculate Parish, or any of its many services, please call (815) 436-2651 or visit us at www.smip.org.
