Service Opportunity - Parishioner Outreach, Easter Season Letter Writing Campaign
It’s hard to believe that it has been over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began in force and disrupted all of our lives in so many different ways. Throughout this time we have struggled to maintain our communities, and nowhere is this more true than our parish community. While many have returned to regular in-person mass attendance, even more have not done so. They continue to watch Mass online and participate from a distance, and they see the parish frequently – however, it’s important to make sure they know they are not forgotten, and that we see them too!
For that reason, I am hoping the youth of our parish will join me in a letter writing campaign this Easter season. It is my (admittedly ambitious) goal to send a letter or a note to every single family in the parish! If you would like to help by writing a few (or more than a few!) letters, then read on for more details!
How can I participate?
Step 1: Write Mr. Steven and tell him you’d like to participate and how many letters/notes you’d like to write.
Email Mr. Steven at [email protected] or give him a call at 804-262-7315 ext 237 and let him know you’d like to help. Then let him know how many letters or notes you’d like to write. Keep in mind, these do not have to be long letters – but hopefully they will be handwritten or personalized in some way. The whole point here is to let people know they matter and are noticed, to take some time in communicating to them, and so a form letter that is printed off or copied is to be avoided unless you are personalizing or adding to it in some way. A good starter goal for an individual might be 5-7 letters. If a family wanted to take on a larger goal as a group, something like between 10-20 letters seems very reasonable.
Step 2: Mr. Steven will send you a list of names.
Once Mr. Steven knows you want to participate, he will give you a list of first and last names of the parishioners you will be writing to. For security reasons we can’t give out addresses, so you’ll just get the names.
Step 3: You write the letters/notes to your assigned parishioners.
Once you have your names, start writing! Feel free to make this project your own. Take time to pray for the parishioners you are writing to as you write. You can write on standard 8.5x11 paper, or other sizes, or you can use greeting cards, or use post-cards, or anything you want! You can include drawings, stickers, prayer cards, or anything that you think will brighten their day. The point of the letter is to wish them well, remind them that they are part of our parish and our Church, and that you have prayed for them. Keep in mind the people you assigned may or may not be back in regular Mass attendance yet, so best to be generic in discussing those sorts of issues. Here is one possible example of a letter, just as a sample:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith,
Happy Easter! I hope this letter finds you well. My name is Mr. Steven, and I am one of your fellow parishioners at Our Lady of Lourdes. I just wanted to send a quick note to let you know I am glad you are a part of our community and I am praying for you. I know this last year has been a difficult one for all of us. I pray that God has strengthened you through this year, and will continue to do so in all that comes next. In this year dedicated to St. Joseph I take comfort in the fact that the holy family too faced many trials, and yet from their difficulties and struggles God brought about the salvation of the world!
I look forward to the day when we can all gather again. In the meantime, all my best to you and yours. St. Joseph and Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us! Sincerely, Mr. Steven and the Cottam family
Step 4: Return the letters to Mr. Steven
Once you’ve written your letters, return them to Mr. Steven. You can deliver them to him whenever you are able; if it’s helpful, feel free to put the letters together in a bag or large envelope and put them in the Healey Hall Drop Box (the wooden box on the side of the wall through the glass doors of Healey Hall) marked to Steven’s attention and he can get them from there. If you use 8.5x11 paper, you don’t need to include envelopes. If you use another size paper or cards, please do include envelopes (as the only envelopes I have regular access to are standard sized). Any included envelopes can be stamped or not – but, if you do include stamps, the parish thanks you for the donation to help off-set the costs of this project.
Step 5: If names are still on the list, consider writing some more!
In total we have about 600 parishioners/parish families to write. So once you write your initial batch (and hopefully have a great time doing so!) consider asking for additional names until we’ve gotten all the way to the bottom of our list.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? If so, feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] or 804-262-7315 ext 237. Thanks in advance for your assistance with this project!
For that reason, I am hoping the youth of our parish will join me in a letter writing campaign this Easter season. It is my (admittedly ambitious) goal to send a letter or a note to every single family in the parish! If you would like to help by writing a few (or more than a few!) letters, then read on for more details!
How can I participate?
Step 1: Write Mr. Steven and tell him you’d like to participate and how many letters/notes you’d like to write.
Email Mr. Steven at [email protected] or give him a call at 804-262-7315 ext 237 and let him know you’d like to help. Then let him know how many letters or notes you’d like to write. Keep in mind, these do not have to be long letters – but hopefully they will be handwritten or personalized in some way. The whole point here is to let people know they matter and are noticed, to take some time in communicating to them, and so a form letter that is printed off or copied is to be avoided unless you are personalizing or adding to it in some way. A good starter goal for an individual might be 5-7 letters. If a family wanted to take on a larger goal as a group, something like between 10-20 letters seems very reasonable.
Step 2: Mr. Steven will send you a list of names.
Once Mr. Steven knows you want to participate, he will give you a list of first and last names of the parishioners you will be writing to. For security reasons we can’t give out addresses, so you’ll just get the names.
Step 3: You write the letters/notes to your assigned parishioners.
Once you have your names, start writing! Feel free to make this project your own. Take time to pray for the parishioners you are writing to as you write. You can write on standard 8.5x11 paper, or other sizes, or you can use greeting cards, or use post-cards, or anything you want! You can include drawings, stickers, prayer cards, or anything that you think will brighten their day. The point of the letter is to wish them well, remind them that they are part of our parish and our Church, and that you have prayed for them. Keep in mind the people you assigned may or may not be back in regular Mass attendance yet, so best to be generic in discussing those sorts of issues. Here is one possible example of a letter, just as a sample:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith,
Happy Easter! I hope this letter finds you well. My name is Mr. Steven, and I am one of your fellow parishioners at Our Lady of Lourdes. I just wanted to send a quick note to let you know I am glad you are a part of our community and I am praying for you. I know this last year has been a difficult one for all of us. I pray that God has strengthened you through this year, and will continue to do so in all that comes next. In this year dedicated to St. Joseph I take comfort in the fact that the holy family too faced many trials, and yet from their difficulties and struggles God brought about the salvation of the world!
I look forward to the day when we can all gather again. In the meantime, all my best to you and yours. St. Joseph and Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us! Sincerely, Mr. Steven and the Cottam family
Step 4: Return the letters to Mr. Steven
Once you’ve written your letters, return them to Mr. Steven. You can deliver them to him whenever you are able; if it’s helpful, feel free to put the letters together in a bag or large envelope and put them in the Healey Hall Drop Box (the wooden box on the side of the wall through the glass doors of Healey Hall) marked to Steven’s attention and he can get them from there. If you use 8.5x11 paper, you don’t need to include envelopes. If you use another size paper or cards, please do include envelopes (as the only envelopes I have regular access to are standard sized). Any included envelopes can be stamped or not – but, if you do include stamps, the parish thanks you for the donation to help off-set the costs of this project.
Step 5: If names are still on the list, consider writing some more!
In total we have about 600 parishioners/parish families to write. So once you write your initial batch (and hopefully have a great time doing so!) consider asking for additional names until we’ve gotten all the way to the bottom of our list.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? If so, feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] or 804-262-7315 ext 237. Thanks in advance for your assistance with this project!