There aren’t too many folks who have heard of St. Gerard Sagredo, whose feast day is September 24th. St. Gerard emulated the Gospel call of Matthew 25:31-46. He served the poor before he served himself. He knows Jesus lives in the poor and he saw it as the Church’s most important mission to serve Christ in the poor. He was a learned man, but even before his education and his tenure as a bishop he knew the hallmark of a Catholic was to serve the poor first. In his service and in his teaching, he lived a life of Christ and because of that was martyred by infidels in 1046. He is revered as the apostle of Hungary and he is the patron of tutors since he spent many of his years teaching and uplifting the lives of the poor.
A person who emulates the life of St. Gerard Sagredo is Phil Wolfe of Lincoln. He is a servant-leader and a tutor for the poor who encounter him at Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska. Phil is multilingual and he volunteers his time with CSS to teach English to a host of our clients. He also helps people become citizens of the United States of America by teaching citizenship and naturalization classes at CSS. Phil encounters some of the poorest of the poor and he helps lift them up by educating them and giving them confidence. His heart shines and his joy is palpable and he is vital to the lives of many people in the community. Phil shows us that one does not have to travel to far-distant places to be Christ to another person. Phil shows us that Christ wants us to be Christ to others right in our communities.
Please say a prayer for Phil, his work, and the people he helps.
St. Gerard Sagredo, Pray for Us.
Thank you for your monetary and prayerful support of Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska! May God bless us always.
Fr. Justin Fulton, Executive Director
