Thank You from the Back-to-School Backpack Program

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Thank you to all who participated in our virtual and in person Back-to-School program! We again had a wonderful year with 290 backpacks donated to needy children! Because of your generosity, these children will start school with a new backpack and the school supplies they need for a successful year. The backpacks were distributed to low income children through our St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, Our Lady of Tepeyac, Notre Dame Asylum Seekers and Catholic Charities of Lake County, just in time for the first day of school. We are grateful for your contributions to support these children and for giving them a chance for a bright new future.

Hand-Carved Olive Wood Gifts from the Holy Land

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Proceeds benefit Catholic schools in the Holy Land. Did you know that 600 Christian families living in Bethlehem are completely dependent on carving olive wood figurines for their livelihood? The recent clashes in the Middle East and Covid-19 have stopped the tourism industry in Bethlehem, causing most

of those families serious harm in earning their living and forcing many of them to leave their homeland. In addition to Covid-19, the local government didn’t offer any help for the families who make these holy items, simply because they are Christians.

As a result of these actions by the local government, the Christian families are devastated. Emptying the land of Christ from Christians can have tragic consequences on the Holy sites. Issam from “Star of Bethlehem Group” came to the United States with a mission to help those families by selling their beautiful religious handicrafts. The cost of goods goes to benefit the Christian carvers to keep them working in the spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, the profit from sales goes directly to the needy Catholic schools and clinics in the Holy Land. The Star of Bethlehem has been approved by many bishops and dioceses of Jerusalem.

NAMI Family to Family

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CLASS BEGINS OCTOBER 3RD for families and friends of someone living with mental illness

Family-to-Family is the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)’s free 8-week class for family members and friends of people living with mental illnesses such as: depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, anxiety disorders, panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), PTSD, and borderline personality disorder.

If you have a loved one or friend who struggles with challenges such as these, this class is designed for you. Topics include:

  • The biology of brain disorders and medications

  • Developing coping skills

  • Effective communications

  • Strategies for handling crisis and relapse

The class will be held Tuesdays at St. Francis de Sales from October 3rd – November 21st from 6-9 PM

The classes are offered free of charge, but registration is required. To learn more or register, please call Teri Latter at 847-809-6038.

You are not alone.