March 8, 2026, 12:00 PM
I’ll admit it. It took me 50 years to get the point.
I’d passed by the poor boxes in St Boniface Church off and on for 50 years. Sometimes I’d fish around in my pocket for loose change (that was in the days when we had loose change in our pockets) and drop a few coins in the slot. I’d notice the words of Jesus carved into the boxes: I was hungry, I was thirsty…you fed me, you gave me to drink.
I’d passed by the poor boxes in St Boniface Church off and on for 50 years. Sometimes I’d fish around in my pocket for loose change (that was in the days when we had loose change in our pockets) and drop a few coins in the slot. I’d notice the words of Jesus carved into the boxes: I was hungry, I was thirsty…you fed me, you gave me to drink.
But only recently did I get the point. Those boxes aren’t objects nailed to the wall—something added long after the building was built. They were intentionally constructed—with the same bronze materials and careful design that architect and artist used on crucifix and candles, the icon of the Mother of God and the tabernacle door. They were part of the wall, part of the very structure of the building. Did someone in the planning read ahead to find the words the bishop would pray when he consecrated that house of worship: “Here may the poor find justice, the victims of oppression, true freedom.”?
Truth is, our care for the poor is part of the structure of the Church. Not this or that particular building, but the Christian community that gathers in Christ’s name, sent forth to serve Christ’s poor.
That brings us to the Lenten discipline of almsgiving. We’re called to fast, to pray, to do works of charity. This Lent we have a number of ways to do those works of charity. We can bring nonperishable foods for the food pantry at St Ann’s. We can use that Rice Bowl on our table to collect donations for the poor throughout the world. We can even support our Diocesan and parish efforts to feed the hungry through Rectory, Set, Cook. These are all pretty easy to do. (You can go to Rectory, Set, Cook at tinyurl.com/2026PASTORCHEF20. The voting process is easy enough!) I know we’ve often urged you to give to the Sunday collection on a regular basis. I know we’ve run all sorts of fundraising events in all three churches. I know we’ve asked for consistent support for the Diocese’s Catholic Ministries Appeal. I know this year St Boniface responded so generously to a capital campaign.
But, how much does it cost to bring a box of pasta or a can of vegetables to church? If we’re eating less during Lent, shouldn’t we have a little cash to put in that Rice Bowl? And a vote for your parish priest cooking team (or for the competition, if you must!) can be had for no more than $10. Almsgiving—during Lent and throughout the year—is not an extra, it’s part of our structure, part of who we are as the Church of Jesus Christ!
Truth is, our care for the poor is part of the structure of the Church. Not this or that particular building, but the Christian community that gathers in Christ’s name, sent forth to serve Christ’s poor.
That brings us to the Lenten discipline of almsgiving. We’re called to fast, to pray, to do works of charity. This Lent we have a number of ways to do those works of charity. We can bring nonperishable foods for the food pantry at St Ann’s. We can use that Rice Bowl on our table to collect donations for the poor throughout the world. We can even support our Diocesan and parish efforts to feed the hungry through Rectory, Set, Cook. These are all pretty easy to do. (You can go to Rectory, Set, Cook at tinyurl.com/2026PASTORCHEF20. The voting process is easy enough!) I know we’ve often urged you to give to the Sunday collection on a regular basis. I know we’ve run all sorts of fundraising events in all three churches. I know we’ve asked for consistent support for the Diocese’s Catholic Ministries Appeal. I know this year St Boniface responded so generously to a capital campaign.
But, how much does it cost to bring a box of pasta or a can of vegetables to church? If we’re eating less during Lent, shouldn’t we have a little cash to put in that Rice Bowl? And a vote for your parish priest cooking team (or for the competition, if you must!) can be had for no more than $10. Almsgiving—during Lent and throughout the year—is not an extra, it’s part of our structure, part of who we are as the Church of Jesus Christ!
Fr. McCreary
