Jan 5, 1996

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ATHOLIC

news & Herald Volume

Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

5

Number

15

January

5,

1996

CRS

Poised To Help Bosnia Rebuild

BALTIMORE (CNS) — With a peace treaty in effect in Bosnia- Herzegovina, Catholic Relief Services announced plans to dramatically increase

its

aid for rebuilding.

During the four years of civil war, CRS provided relief supplies in Sarajevo and outlying areas, more than 65 percent of which were produced locally, rather than imported, according to the agency. CRS used local suppliers for bread, socks, underwear and textiles that were distributed throughout the area, said

CRS

deputy executive director Louise Wilmot. Keeping up is putting relief agencies in a better position for helping rebuild war-torn communities, productivity in local industries

she said.

"While these projects have provided sustenance, their goes far beyond mere provision of food and

real value

clothing," she said.

"Of equal importance

is

their role in

giving people the opportunity to be productive and support their families

activities that are crucial to the restoration

of pride and dignity."

Before a peace agreement was signed Dec. 14, security considerations limited how much CRS and other relief agencies could interact with each other. Among plans in the wake of the peace treaty, CRS expects to help support small businesses in producing winter cluthes, providing heating and cooking ruel for vulnerable groups, providing bricks and other construction materials, and expanding counseling. "CRS' Catholic identity allows it to play a unique role in helping to promote reconciliation among the various ethnicities in the region," said Wilmot. The humanitarian agencies with whom CRS works include Caritas, its Catholic counterpart; Merhamet, a Muslim agency; Dobrotovor, is

which

Serbian Orthodox; and La Benevolencija, a Jewish

organization.

The directors of the four nongovernmental groups have met weekly since the beginning of the war to collaborate where they could. CRS has helped start joint projects among them such as coordinating distribution of relief materials.

Church Bombing Hits Less Than Six Weeks Before Papal Trip LEON, Nicaragua (CNS)

Nicaragua was rocked by a on a Catholic church, less than six weeks before Pope John Paul II was expected to visit. The attack on Calvary Church in the coastal town of Leon occurred late the night of Jan. 1 and caused damage to the buildings but left no victims.

new bomb

attack

Father Alfredo Mayorga Marin, parish pastor, told local reporters that the blast broke seven

windows and opened a

hole in the church floor.

Leon, about 50 miles west of the

capital,

Managua, was

the scene of the first of the 18 explosions directed against

Catholic churches and religious buildings in different parts of Nicaragua since last May.

Photo by ELIZABETH

MAYBACH

LEXINGTON — Our Lady of the Rosary parish in Lexington celebrated the final payment on its parish ceremony Dec. 1 7. The $49,000-loan was taken out in 1 981 in an effort remodel the Civil War-era building that serves as the parish center. In the photo, parishioner Mrs. J. D. Weaver, church secretary Ruth Cloos, and parishioner Mrs. Charles Ray Fritts conduct the official burning in front of more than 150 observers. Weaver and Fritts are sisters whose family was one of the first to join the church when it opened. Cloos, also a long-time member, has served as organist and secretary for more than 24 years. The mortgage-burning celebration included a potluck dinner and a Christmas pageant presented by the children of the parish. building at a mortgage-burning

to

Faith That

Works

Dads Will Do The Job For Those That Can't Do It Themselves Retired

By PAUL

ASHEVILLE

FREDETTE

two years now Dad'll Do has been some of them from parish ministers. Quietly and without fanfare, eight "retired guys" and "George's pick-up" have responded to more than 30 requests for help.

So

for

Often said, hardly noticed: "Dad'll do it." But perhaps you're elderly and living alone, not sure enough of your balance to get up on a stepladder. Maybe you're arthritic and unable to tackle that list of things needing to be fixed. Could be you're a single mom whose hectic schedule and inexperience leave you stymied about all those "simple jobs."

getting referrals,

few years ago, a young woman suggested to her retired dad (a member of St. Eugene Parish) that, knowledgeable and handy as he was, he could start a small business using his skills to do "odd jobs"

and sink reconstruction before the job was done. Another person, anxious about her car's strange noises, was relieved to be told it was the muffler and where to get it fixed. The basement of an elderly couple about to

Just a

for people. All the red tape, budgets, schedules,

The home of a disabled woman with severe was rid of an infestation of bees without filing an application. In the kitchen of a homebound allergies

diabetic, replacing linoleum involved floor repair

home was

cleaned, the contents sorted

personnel, and the insurance such a venture would

sell their

involve put him off, but the idea was appealing.

and disposed of between Goodwill industries and the landfill. New runners for old replacement windows were obtained (gratis from the company) for a widow living far in the country with no idea what was needed and no means of installing them

No doubt

there

was

a need.

A friend thought so

too and surfaced the idea at a meeting of the

Men's

Eugene's Parish. Before long, not a business, nor a program, not even a committee, but a simple effort called "Dad'll Do" was underway. "There is no president, no chairman of the board, there are no meetings and no money (so no one gets upset)," says Dad'll Do's chief organizer who, like the other's involved, prefers to remain anonymous. club of

St.

The last bomb attack of 1995 was on Christmas Day in Heart of Jesus Church, about 1 5 miles southeast of Managua. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which have caused panic and uncertainty among churchgoers and

jobs require licensed professionals. With a chuckle,

See Bombing, page 3

he adds: "We're all retired so at a job site before 10 a.m.

"We know than

our limitations,

we can chew," he

we

don't bite off

points out, aware that

we

more some

herself. "It

keeps us off the

street," says

one of the dads

with a self-deprecation that cannot mask the true satisfaction he derives from helping those who

cannot help themselves. Lately, water damaged ceilings have been repaired and repainted, porch railings have been reset in concrete, lawn furniture scraped and repainted, and sliding doors reset on

hardly ever arrive

See Dads, page 12


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