On “Mission Way,” SEEK attendees visited representatives from apostolates, educational institutions and other groups from around the country.
The Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis booth offered SEEK attendees the chance to participate in a small service project every day benefitting a Catholic Charities ministry.
On Monday, participants made cards for Cardinal Ritter Senior Services residents; Tuesday, blessing bags to be handed out by St. Patrick Center; Wednesday, welcome bags for women and children at Saint Martha’s and Queen of Peace Center; and Thursday, hygiene kits for youth at Marygrove.
Sarah Jones, president of the local Catholic Charities Young Professionals group, spent time chatting with participants alongside other Catholic Charities volunteers and employees.
“We thought that if we could get people to give up even just 10 minutes of their time putting together a blessing bag for homeless ministry, that’s a way just to get people outside of themselves a bit while they’re here,” Sarah said. That fits with the Catholic Charities young professionals board’s mission of connecting young adults with ways to serve others, she added.
Anna Daskiewicz, a junior at Wyoming Catholic College, colored a card for a Cardinal Ritter Senior Services resident on Monday afternoon. She thought of her grandparents, who lived for a time in retirement homes, and how much it would make their day when they received something handmade.
“A very, very important part of the Catholic faith is service to others — in order to serve God, you have to serve the people around you,” she said. “It’s not always the big things — these are some of the little things that can really make a difference.”
Two booths down, the National Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul parked a truck in the middle of the hall, collecting clothing donations for the society’s St. Louis area thrift stores.
This was the first year the Society of St. Vincent de Paul hosted a collection at SEEK, said Jill Pioter, director of marketing and communications for the society’s national council, which is based in St. Louis.
“A lot of young Catholics, we find, want to put their faith into action in a really tangible way,” Jill said. “Obviously, they’re very committed to the Mass, the adoration, but a lot them are also very excited about learning how they can serve the poor in their own communities.
Many attendees were unfamiliar with the mission of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, she said, so she and the rest of the team were excited to share information about how to get involved in a conference back home. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has conferences in more than 4,000 parishes across the country.