Bridging Heaven and Earth: St. Leo Serves
The idea for St. Leo Serves was pitched by Tiffany Fetting, the Director of Discipleship at St. Leo the Great of Lafayette. She empowered me to lead the summer small group, but what began as an 8-week commitment to serve the organization of Catholic Charities of Acadiana would grow into something much greater.
Our first shift was June, 8, 2023. Every Thursday morning, we could be found either serving the Breakfast Shift at St. Joseph Diner or the Supplemental Food Bag Assembly Shift at FoodNet Food Bank. The 8 weeks of summer would come and go very quickly, as they often do; but something was stirring in all our hearts. We wanted to keep coming back.
The thought was, “Let’s just keep going until the fall semester, and then we can recruit some more parishioners to join us,” and so we did. We signed up to work the Breakfast Shift at the Diner every Thursday morning through the end of September, and then through the end of the year…and we haven’t stopped coming. 6:30am every single Thursday morning for the past 11 months, parishioners from St. Leo the Great of Lafayette have shown up to serve.
“St. Joseph Diner has become a place where my calling to serve, and personal struggles have blossomed into beautiful moments filled with new friendships, compassion, and most of all, empathy. After almost 11 months volunteering , I now understand that I needed St. Joseph Diner as much as it needed me.”
-Miranda Fontenot
It’s a great gift to serve with this group, to watch it grow, and an even greater gift to witness each of us use the intricately unique gifts God has given us to serve His sons and daughters.
“Serving at St. Joseph Diner feeds my soul. I have made beautiful new friends with those serving and being served. The clients are in difficult times, but they are so grateful. If I can put a smile on any of their faces, it makes my day! Being able to serve those in need fills my heart with so much beauty, goodness, and love of the Lord. We are all His children.”
-Elizabeth Roesch
One of our core values at St. Leo is that we show mercy. “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)
“What began as an occasional trip to St. Joseph Diner has turned into a part of my weekly routine. It is a chance for me to give witness to Christ. It is much more than the simple act of serving food and washing dishes. I look forward to the conversations, the smiles, and the meaningful relationships that have been formed with the other volunteers as well as the clients we serve. Being able to brighten someone’s day and contribute to their sense of dignity is invaluable.”
-Jamie Toups
Bridging Heaven and Earth. That’s our mission at St. Leo, and that’s exactly what we strive to do each week.
“I look forward to my Thursday mornings. I look forward to seeing my friends, yes my friends, that’s what we are. I hope to be a bright and warm smile and a big hug when needed and also remind them they are so Loved by Jesus and by all of the volunteers!”
-Leah Naquin
I think what really keeps us coming back is that we feel like family there. Certainly, as a group we’ve grown in love for one another. But the staff at Catholic Charities of Acadiana…the staff truly makes us feel at home. It’s their warmth and their love that they give to us in such abundance, that we can’t help but give the overflow to each and every person we serve. That’s the Gospel. It’s being able to see the face of Christ in everyone.
Our prayer before every shift is, “Lord, let us see Your face in each and every encounter today, but more specifically, let them see Your face in each and every one of us.” That stirring in our hearts that we felt last year, I know what it is now. Because of the time we get to spend each week at the Diner witnessing the Lord’s love through the staff and through one another, we are becoming more like Christ.
We are living in His love, on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Take St. Leo’s challenge and schedule your service through St. Joseph Diner or one of our volunteer centric programs by clicking here.
Questions? Reach out to our Volunteer Experience Coordinator, Sarah Baquet, at sarahb@catholiccharitiesacadiana.org or (337) 235-4972 x1222