EQUAL DIGNITY FOR ALL

A room full of Living Ikons.

And the Holy Trinity Community Still Delivers From Oppression and Feeds the Sheep

A remarkable thing happened in a corner of Georgetown last Saturday night. Every year the parishioners and priests of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown, devoted to the principle of EQUAL DIGNITY FOR ALL host a Social Justice Committee sponsored dinner for the organizations that it sponsors. Holy Trinity donates ten percent (a tithe) of its entire budget to over 50 DC organizations that serve the poor, the homeless, the marginalized, the widow, the orphan, people moving from prison to society and a host of other Matthew 25 significant groups in the DC area. We will be judged according to what we do for the poor, the oppressed, the ill, the elderly, the widow the orphan and according to the extent to which we do those deeds of compassion Jesus directly addressed in Matthew 25. Holy Trinity takes this seriously and believes that all humans possess dignity endowed by the creator who made us all in his image.

This was a community effort. Parishioners staffed the open bars, made all the food and local kids got school service credits for busing tables and serving hors d'oevres. Truly a special event.

This year about 40 organizations were represented as they sent their "HT Liason" reps to join the community in celebrating their wonderful contributions to the District. Organizations like Miriam's Kitchen, the Northwest Pregnancy Center, and various homeless support organizations were treated to a full coctail reception and salmon lasagna dinner. The parishionser, some of whom have professional or quasi-professional sous chef or chef experience put on a first class dinner that you would pay a pretty penny for at any fine Georgetown restaurant. Grazie Grazie to Ron Castaldi, the Jesuit Volunteer Chair of the Society Justice committee, for his able inspiring guidance as well as Pastor Horak, S.J., Father Leo Murray, S.J. Father Spahn who gave the beautiful benediction, all the priests at the Spanish Catholic Information Center and all the other priests who joined us to quietly bless the event.

Here is what John Hisle, chair of the Advocacy subcommittee of the Social Justice Committee reported about the successful event.

The SJ annual dinner celebrating the service of our partner organizations in the community was a huge success last night, 50 organizations were present - dinner was served to (at least) 130! It was certainly the place to be last night and the best dinner in town.During the dinner the second annual Ken Jacques awards were presented. The awards honor parishioners who have served in the Holy Trinity Social Justice Ministry and have concluded a particular service. The honorees for 2009 were Sid and Frances Spencer for their work at IONA; Gloria Newcomb for her work at the Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place; and in their memory, Char Daniel who was co-chair of the Ministry with Ken in the 1990's and Gayle Garrett, a long time volunteer in the grants program. The 2009 Ken Jacques Award was made to Ron Castaldi, the Social Justice Minister for the last two years:
"...Ron is a long time parishioner who came to the Ministry two years ago through the Ignatian Volunteer Community (IVC) for 20 hours a week - he thought. There is no such thing as a 20 hour work week at HT, nor are there weekends. The job is 'other duties as assigned' - all the time, anytime! He came to do good - and he stayed to do well for all of us. He promises to take up his role this summer as 'volunteer ordinarie' - 20 hours a week so he says! We'll see. This award is a simple thank you from all of us for all you have been and done in the true spirit of Ken Jacques and social justice."Ron was also recognized by the Pastoral Council for spreading the SJ message and involving the whole parish in the Social Justice Ministry.------------------------------------

[Apologies to anyone whose picture should be here but isn't-especially that favorite cute french guy from the Friendship Place-all the photos didn't come out.]

The Ken Jacques Award honors the memory of a long time chair of the Social Justice Ministry and for many years the face of Social Justice here at Holy Trinity. For more 35 years Ken worked for little or no money to improve the plight of the homeless in Washington. He was a nighttime supervisor at shelters, he distributed food to the poor and he volunteered all over the city. In the words of one of his shelter friends: "He believed the most important things in life weren't things, but helping people."Through a fund established at HT in his memory, Ken has been honored just recently with "Ken's Wheels" - a van to be used in the work of the Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place to transport their clients and friends.

"The Most Important Things in Life Aren't Things"

Ken Jaques, Homeless Advocate, Street Saint.