Rather than getting caught up in the frantic search for gifts for friends and family, members of our parish are invited to celebrate the coming of the Messiah – the Prince of Peace – by doing justice and helping the poor and the needy.  During the first two weeks of December, after all the Sunday Masses, the parishioners of St. Camillus Parish/School are able to make donations in the name of family members and friends. 

In 2008, parishioners bought beautiful cards to support charities in Haiti: the Catholic Relief Service emergency food program, an orphanage, or a medical clinic.  This Christmas outreach effort was successful beyond all measures.  Our English, Spanish, and French speaking parishioners donated over $22,000 to help the poor in Haiti! 

The·Christmas Alternative Gift Fair·this year was very successful.· Because of generosity of so many of our parishioners, we were able to raise $18,127.·· Those of you who·gave the alternative gift cards and fair-trade products to their family members and friends provided·a powerful witness to the·intimate connection between our·celebration of Christmas and our support for projects that promote human dignity and contibute to a more just, peaceful and sustainable future.···Thank you for your great generosity.· We also want to recognize the hard work of the committee that was in charge of planning and carrying out this event. ··Here·are the projects within the Christmas Alternative Gift Fair and the amount of money·that you have contributed to each one of them:··Catholic Relief Service - "Water for Life"                 $4,248   Fair Trade products    $2,662.,  Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation:     $2,369, HEIFER $4,670,  Salvadoran Enterprice for Women  $4,178     Next December, before you think about purchasing any gifts, please consider participating in the Christmas Alternative Gift Fair, which honors friends and family members and, at the same time, witnesses in a powerful way to the Good News of the Gospel. 

For more information, please contact Ray Nosbaum at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it