The ancient Christian tradition of marking doorways with blessed chalk takes place on the liturgical feast marking the visitation of the Magi to the Christ Child and the revelation that Jesus is the son of God.
The blessing involves taking simple chalk, usually blessed by a parish priest, and scrawling doorways with symbolic numbers and letters -- this year: "20+C M B 23."
The numbers represent the current year and the letters stand for the first letters of the traditional names of the magi: Caspar (sometimes spelled "Kaspar"), Melchior and Balthazar. The letters are also an abbreviation for "Christus Mansionem Benedicat," Latin for "May Christ bless this dwelling."
Participants typically read passages from the New Testament and may sing Epiphany hymns.
A guide for doing a chalk blessing at home: bitly.com/chalkblessing
Ron Swanson and his family contribute to the food drive. (Provided photo)GREENSBORO — 50,000 pounds. That’s how much food parishioners of St. Pius X Parish collected in an extraordinary effort to assist Greensboro Urban Ministry, as part of the Diocese of Charlotte’s 50th anniversary and “50 Acts of Charity” initiative.
Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, pastor, said the initiative demonstrated the Greensboro parish community’s mission to know, love and serve the Lord.
“The Apostle James said, ‘Faith without works is dead.’ Therefore, our goal in the celebration of the diocesan jubilee anniversary was to show that our faith is very much alive,” he said. “And we wanted to share that gift, ‘more precious than gold,’ through our stewardship of service.”
“Some were skeptical we could reach such a large goal,” he continued. “To put it in perspective, it is equal to 25 tons or the equivalent of the weight of five pickup trucks. Not food filling their beds, but the weight of the trucks themselves. And we have exceeded that amount.”
Parishioners collected the 25 tons of food – canned goods, non-perishable items, beans, rice and more – over the course of 10 months. Donations went to Greensboro Urban Ministry, which operates a food pantry for local families in need four days a week.
Greensboro Urban Ministry has provided food for people at risk of hunger in Guilford County for more than 30 years. St. Pius X Parish has been a longtime supporter of the local non-profit agency for decades, but this year parishioners were determined to do more. And when they learned that Greensboro Urban Ministry was changing the approach of its food assistance program and that local demand for food aid was rising, it was a providential opportunity to step up their involvement.
“We are so grateful for our partnership with St. Pius X over the years and their efforts to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the diocese through their campaign to collect 50,000 pounds of food,” said Mary Gorman O’Neill, director of Greensboro Urban Ministry’s Client Choice Pantry. “This challenge coincided perfectly with the opening of our Client Choice Pantry and the acute shortage of food that we experienced last summer.”
O’Neill said the food pantry is an ecumenical effort in which Guilford College United Methodist Church members helped Greensboro Urban Ministry create the space and St. Pius X parishioners stock the shelves.
“Our Client Choice Pantry provides dignity for people because it is a shopping experience – a hand-up rather than a handout of a box of food,” O’Neill explained. “It also eliminates food waste in so much that clients choose only what they need and can use.
“Not only does St. Pius X supply us with the staples we need, but their volunteers give hours of impactful service behind the scenes and with our clients. Making the pantry a transformative experience for our clients and volunteers alike, as they embrace what we believe to be a work of mercy and justice.”
Monsignor Marcaccio noted, “Our long history of helping local and global food initiatives, and our tradition of stewardship and outreach, gave me the confidence that we would not be outdone in kindness. It was truly a community effort – from our seniors to our school community, from our Cub Scouts to our Knights of Columbus.
It was edifying watching our parishioners as they entered the church, carrying their contributions to this effort. They were providing ‘bread’ for the community as they were coming to Mass and preparing to receive Jesus, the Bread of Life.”
“We enlisted the help of some of our skilled shoppers and coupon clippers to maximize the impact of the monetary gifts that were given to the effort. They developed wonderful relationships with local retailers who were supportive of our effort,” he added.
“Through the generosity of our parishioners, we were able to honor every request for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, to meet specific, immediate needs of our own community members, and to provide, in large part, the requested resources for the Client Choice Food Pantry at Greensboro Urban Ministry – a model that we endorse as a parish,” he said.
Therese Chase, the parish’s pastoral associate of parish and community life, added, “We have a parish that when there’s a need, our parishioners come through – there’s such generosity and such kindness.”
— Georgianna Penn. Photos provided by St. Pius X Parish
