Since 1995, Hampshire resident Karen Boxleitner has been the coordinator of the annual Giving Tree at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Hampshire. Parishioners select cards from the Christmas tree at the back of the church and buy the items listed. The gifts are distributed to recipients before Christmas.
“We usually have around 350 cards on the Giving Tree,” Boxleitner said.
Boxleitner said that she contacts local area schools for wish lists of families in need.
“We also provide gifts for homebound parishioners, St. Vincent de Paul families and the Illinois Youth Center in St. Charles,” Boxleitner said. “We contact RITAS Ministry (Restoring Inmates to America’s Society) in Aurora so that children whose parent or parents are in jail will receive Christmas gifts.”
They also bring gifts to Avancer in Genoa, which provides independent living for adults with disabilities in a group home setting.
Boxleitner said that Laura Awe, Connie Walter and Tim Wiesneth, along with other parishioners, have helped the Giving Tree program every year. Once the gifts are wrapped, sorted and bagged, volunteer drivers deliver them.
“One year when we had an ice storm, I did not want to send anyone out on the road,” Boxleitner said. “My husband, Norman, and I brought the gifts home and delivered all of them the next day.”
Many teens at the church who are preparing for their confirmation in the spring will participate in the Giving Tree program as their community service project.
In addition to helping local area residents, the church has supported the Seat of Wisdom Library in Abatete, Nigeria, where the Rev. Sylvester Nnaso, the pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Church, was born and raised.
The library in Abatete is 7,000 square feet, which is about the same size as the Ella Johnson Memorial Public Library in Hampshire. Nnaso said it serves 10 towns and offers many children their first opportunity to work on a computer. Donations of used laptop computers are being accepted at the church for the library in Abatete.
Last year the church held a fundraiser attended by nearly 300 people for the Seat of Wisdom Library. The Taste of Nigeria event featured Nigerian music, a fashion show, food, dancing, a 50-50 raffle and a live auction.
Since he became the pastor in 2011, Nnaso has created the opportunity for parishioners to travel to holy sites overseas. He has led three pilgrimages: to Rome, to Israel and to western Europe.
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In the fall, the pilgrimage encompassed Lisbon, Fatima, Coimbra and Braga in Portugal; Santiago de Compostela, Salamanca, Avila and Madrid in Spain; and Lourdes in France.
“I have always wanted to visit Fatima since I was a child because I grew up praying the rosary every day with other children in my neighborhood according to Our Lady of Fatima’s instruction to the three children of Fatima: Lucy, Jacinta and Francisco,” Nnaso said. “One major thing that has always stood out in all of the pilgrimages that I have attended is that the Catholic Church is huge and very strong in faith.”
Nnaso turned 50 years old this year. Parishioners celebrated his birthday during the third weekend in November after masses on Saturday and Sunday.
“I enjoyed my 50th birthday very much,” Nnaso said. “I had a record number of parishioners, friends and relatives celebrate with me, especially those I had not seen in a long time. Children and staff at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School created memorable cards for me. My next milestone will be to celebrate my 25th anniversary as a priest and retire someday next to the Seat of Wisdom Library.”
For 2017, Nnaso’s goal is completion of the Paving the Way project.
“Several years ago, it was determined that the retaining wall at the northwest corner of the parking lot needed to be replaced because it had eroded,” Nnaso said. “Five years ago, a temporary repair was made. When the retaining wall is replaced, part of the parking lot surface will be torn up. The parking lot needs major work. Temporary repairs will only delay the needed replacement and cost more in the long run. Also, our cemetery driveways will need complete removal of existing asphalt and full replacement.”
The goal is to raise $250,000. The amount of $122,042 has been pledged, and $62,776 has been paid to date.
Not only does the parking lot provide spaces for parishioners to park their cars during church services, it also serves as a playground during the week for the Catholic school students.
“My Christmas wish for our parish is that through the intercession of St. Charles Borromeo, every registered parishioner will give a donation to help fix our parking lot and cemetery driveways by next July,” Nnaso said.
Denise Moran is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.