Mercy opens clinic at “The Hub”

Mercy Clinic has announced it has joined forces with The Tabernacle Community Development Corp. to offer health care and social services at “The Hub” in north St. Louis. Mercy Clinic North St. Louis, 3000 East Prairie Ave., will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday, with a provider available for walk-in visits Tuesday through Thursday mornings. Services include a community health worker to assist with Mercy services, Medicaid and ACA enrollment, social assessments, transportation arrangements and more. A social worker will be available to provide behavioral health support in collaboration with the primary care provider. A family medicine nurse practitioner will be available to provide care services for pediatric and adult patients. In early 2022, an OB/GYN will provide women’s health services. The Tabernacle Community Development Corp., led by Pastor Andre Alexander of The Tabernacle Church, has been renovating the former Farragut Elementary branch building in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood into a community resources center called “The Hub.” Pathways to Progress, a collaborative effort of Catholic Charities of St. Louis, along with its federated agency St. Francis Community Services, established an office at The Hub in the fall of 2021, following an expansion of its services to north St. Louis in fall 2020.

Advent day of reflection

The archdiocesan Office of Racial Harmony and Father William Dotson, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish, will host an Advent Day of Reflection from 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, Dec. 18, at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 601 N. 4th Street in St. Charles. The theme is “God Hears the Cry of the Poor.” Lunch will be provided. Registration can be completed by visiting the Office of Racial Harmony website at: www.parishsupportstl.com. For more information, contact [email protected].

DuBourg presents

Bishop DuBourg High School will hold its Annual Christmas Concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, in the Guild Theatre at the school, 5850 Eichelberger St. in St. Louis. Admission to the Jazz Band’s performance is free. The Bishop DuBourg Guild production of the musical “Elf” will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 9-11 with a matinee at 1 p.m. Dec. 11. Call (314) 832-3030.

Advent novena

Kenrick-Glennon Seminary’s annual Advent novena will take place from Dec. 8-16 in the Chapel of St. Joseph at the seminary, 5200 Glennon Drive in Shrewsbury. The novena each evening will begin at 7 p.m. and will include prayer, Scripture, a reflective homily, and hymns led by the seminarian choir. All are welcome in-person and by livestream. Visit the novena webpage for a list of homilists at kenrick.edu/novena.

Christmas concert

“Coming Home for Christmas,” a concert featuring Maria Vargo, will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12, at the Carmelite Monastery, 9150 Clayton Road in Ladue. Vargo, a native of St. Louis and founder and president of G.K. Chesterton Entertainment, will perform favorite classic Christmas songs. Freewill offerings will be accepted.

Fr. Bob’s programs

Fr. Bob’s Outreach has a goal of raising $150,000 to help 3,000 families through its Christmas program and year-end utility program. The Christmas program is providing a $50 food voucher or $50 clothing certificate to people in the Christmas program and the utility assistance program is administered by Fr. Bob’s Outreach, the Welston Outreach Center, St. Vincent de Paul conference of St. Augustine Parish and the Most Holy Trinity Parish/Our Lady of Perpetual Help Food Pantry. Fr. Bob’s Outreach is a ministry of Msgr. Robert J. Gettinger, pastor of St. Augustine Parish in St. Louis, who has helped meet the needs of people who are poor for more than 50 years. The program helps more than 130 families a week. Donate online at FatherBobsOutreach.com or by mail at Father Bob’s Outreach, c/o Saint Augustine Church, 1371 Hamilton Ave., St. Louis, MO 63112.

Thanksgiving food drive

Students at St. Patrick School in Wentzville recently hosted a Thanksgiving Food Drive to benefit the St. Vincent DePaul Society and Caring and Sharing. The school’s food drive is a tradition that goes back at least 20 years and has grown in size over the years. The school developed a point system, with food items worth one or two points, and set a goal of 5,000 points. The final tally was more than 9,000 points, which is the equivalent of 140 filled milk crates, along with many cases, boxes and baskets full of food.

CBC victory

The Christian Brothers College High School football team defeated Liberty North 48-21 Nov. 27 to win the Class 6 Missouri State High School Activities Association championship. CBC finished the season 13-1. CBC also won state football titles in 2014, 2017 and 2018. CBC’s Jeremiyah Love rushed for 130 yards while quarterback Patrick Heitert threw two touchdown passes and gained 93 yards on the ground.

Two for one

Our Lady of the Pillar Parish in Creve Coeur hosts two annual Christmas collections at Marygrove, a Catholic Charities agency which provides a safe home, compassionate care and high-quality mental health services to children who have experienced significant trauma. The parish has undertaken the project since 2015 and also makes periodic contributions. On behalf of the staff and children, Gabrielle Ballard, marketing and events manager at Marygrove, stated that “we are incredibly grateful for the outpouring love and support from our friends at Our Lady of the Pillar.” In addition to the traditional annual Christmas collection, Marygrove received gifts this summer through the annual “Christmas in July“ collection. Nearly 1,000 children, adolescents and young adults are served each year at Marygrove. “Sharing the love of Jesus Christ, your gifts significantly help Marygrove continue our mission to provide a safe home, compassionate care, and high-quality mental health services to children who have experienced significant trauma, to restore their childhood and equip them for the future,” Ballard wrote.

‘Christmas Blossoms’

Catholic artist Gwyneth Thompson-Briggs illustrated “Christmas Blossoms,” a new tale about an old man in Communist China who paints Christmas ornaments for the Western market. For her illustrations, Thompson-Briggs employed a combination of drawings and traditional Chinese ink wash paintings. Written by Priscilla Smith McCaffrey and endorsed by Cardinal Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, “Christmas Blossoms” is available through Sophia Press at bit.ly/3D60HON. Thompson-Briggs, a parishioner of St. Francis de Sales Oratory in St. Louis, is an oil painter in the perennial tradition of Western sacred art. Her work decorates churches, schools, and private homes throughout the Americas and Europe.

NFP intro sessions

Couples planning their weddings, wanting a natural way to plan their families, or having difficulty conceiving, are invited to sign up for an introductory session in Natural Family Planning. Visit the archdiocesan Office of Natural Family Planning at stlouisnfp.org for more information on several Church-approved methods of NFP. Or to schedule an appointment, see bit.ly/NFPintro. Introductory classes are held weekly at various locations.