THE LATEST UPDATES FROM

CATHOLIC SOCIAL SERVICES OF SOUTHERN NEBRASKA

More Mercy is a Catholic apostolate based in the diocese of Lincoln, whose mission is to “Restore Christian Unity through Truth and Love.” The night before Jesus gave His life for us, He expressed His longing for the unity of His followers that “they may all be one.” (John 17:21). The Catholic Church has several documents with practical teachings on how to pursue unity with Christians of other faith traditions. More Mercy hopes to take these teachings and implement them at the local level in each neighborhood. 

My main role within the work of More Mercy is to foster and create spaces for Christians of various faith traditions to encounter Christ in the poor together. I hope to deepen the charitable partnerships we have with many other Christian nonprofits that actively serve and love those in need. My goal is to grow an awareness of opportunities for Catholics to encounter Christ in the poor within their neighborhoods and parish boundaries. One example of these opportunities we foster is ‘street walks.’ We walk the streets of downtown Lincoln with socks and water and strike up conversations with those experiencing homelessness. Christians of different faith traditions come together to seek Jesus, our common love, who reveals Himself in the face of the poor. 

If this mission stirs your heart, I would love to connect with you! I am currently working on fundraising for my salary and seeking to make personal contacts with people who may desire to learn more about our ministry and the possibility of supporting me personally. If you would like to learn more about our mission and how you can get involved, please don’t hesitate to reach out through email, call, or text at claire@moremercylincoln.org or (301) 938-2085. May the Lord give you His peace!

St. Louise Gift & Thrift welcomes shoppers, volunteers

St. Louise Gift & Thrift in Lincoln has been through many changes in the past six months. We have revamped the sales floor and back rooms, opened our new Donation Center, and implemented a volunteer-led approach. 

Our goal for the sales floor was to make it feel more open, while still displaying as much merchandise as possible. We were able to reorganize without purchasing much new equipment, repurposing many of the existing display pieces. We had a pair of beautiful cabinets, formerly displaying toys, that we used in our new religious display. This display is now a focal point when you walk into the second room of the store. We have two church pews framing the area, creating a space for customers to sit while they look at books. The religious display used to be in the very back corner of the store, in a much smaller area, so this was a great improvement. 

We take pride in our reputation as the cleanest, most organized thrift shop in town. We are able to maintain this standard because of our wonderful volunteers. Our new volunteer-led approach means that we have many volunteers and just a few staff. Since implementing this change, we have gained lots of new volunteers, while also retaining many veterans. Most of our volunteers have a specialty - cashiering, preparing clothing, preparing linens, etc. The more volunteers we have, the more time we can spend arranging, cleaning, and getting creative at our boutique thrift shop. 

Some of our volunteers are retirees who are looking for community and activity, and others are college students completing required hours for class. St. Louise brings together people of all ages - 91-year-olds working alongside 20-year-olds, working together and forming friendships. Our ultimate hope is that anyone who visits our store has an encounter with Christ, whether it be through the friendliness of the volunteers and staff, a religious item they find, or maybe just an atmosphere of peace and beauty. We are excited to continue improving the store, growing our volunteer community, and sharing Jesus’ love with everyone we meet.

An exciting CSS Hastings move update

“May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way” 2 Tim 3:16

As many of you know, Catholic Social Services of Hastings is currently in the midst of a historic transition. We are moving our mission to a new home, and we want to keep you updated on our progress as we prepare to open our doors at 124 South Colorado Avenue.

Before I get into some of the details, let me give everyone a reminder of some important dates and service updates. To facilitate a safe and efficient move, please note that we will be closed to the public from February 16 through March 8 to finalize the transition, move our inventory, and set up the new building. Our target date to be fully operational and open to the public at the new location is March 9. Jonathan, Teresa, Diana, and Miranda are preparing to officially move their offices and begin serving the community from the new site on that opening day.

We have been working incredibly hard to get our current building cleared out and transition to the new facility. We are so thankful for all the dedication and time put in by our various crews of contractors, electricians, plumbers, tilers, and construction workers. So many people have helped to bring this dream to life. The heavy lifting has also begun, as we have started selling and moving our primary inventory and equipment into storage and the new building. Our new 6x6 refrigerator is being installed this week, which will be the heart of our food distribution, and we have already begun moving our kitchen equipment over to the facility.

In a beautiful (and loud) moment this morning, Brad, Tom, and some of our strongest volunteers moved the altar to its new home. Work continues steadily on the custom pews as we prepare this sacred space for prayer and encounter. A move of this magnitude is a leap of faith, and we invite you to walk with us in prayer during these final weeks of transition.

St. Anne, patroness of those moving, pray for us! Intercede for our staff, our volunteers, and the families who will soon find help and hope within these new walls. Grant us peace and strength for the journey ahead.

Thank you for your unyielding support. We cannot wait to welcome you into our new home on March 9th!

Our event theme embraces our encounters

As so often happens at CSS, the Holy Spirit guided us in a beautiful direction during discussion and discernment- this time, during a recent Celebration of Hope committee meeting. After highlighting our plans for the evening’s program- the Prison and Reentry Apostolate (PARA), our featured speaker, Mr. Johnny Ray, and Heart of Christ Award winners St. Gregory the Great Propaedeutic Stage Seminarians (who volunteer at CSS and perform street walks encountering our homeless neighbors)- we opened up the floor for theme ideas. It quickly became evident that a common thread connecting each item was loneliness. As St. Teresa of Calcutta said, “Loneliness is the leprosy of the modern world.” An important role for PARA, our homeless outreach efforts, and indeed ALL of our programs/departments/team members, is to encounter and comfort the lonely- to remind them “you are not alone.”

We're excited to share the many ways CSS accomplishes this important work. Efforts are underway to produce a short video highlighting our regions, our programs & services, our team members/volunteers, and our faith. It will premiere during the gala program and promises to be a highlight of the evening. Please celebrate with us on March 14th in Lincoln!

As we prepare for this year’s Celebration of Hope Gala & Silent Auction on March 14th, we’re bringing back one of the most powerful conversations shared on the Hope in the Good Life Podcast! In this episode, podcast host John Soukup sits down with Johnny Ray for a raw and deeply moving conversation about transformation, redemption, and the mercy of God. Once serving a life sentence, Johnny shares how his life was radically changed through faith, accountability, and the support of those who refused to give up on him.

Johnny Ray will be the featured speaker at this year’s Celebration of Hope Gala because his story powerfully reflects the mission of the Catholic Social Services Prison and Reentry Apostolate (PARA). His journey is proof that no one is beyond hope — and that restoration is possible when faith and community walk alongside those seeking a second chance.

A servant heart knows no age

We're excited to announce that the 30th annual Catholic Social Services Memorial Golf Classic & Cookout is slated for Monday, September 14th, at Hillcrest Country Club in Lincoln.

Our first CSS golf tourney took place in September of 1996 and drew 24 teams. In a few short years, the tournament expanded to two flights accommodating up to 72 teams. In 1997, the tournament was held in memory of CSS employee Fran Walsh, who lost her life in an automobile accident the day after that first tournament. Every year since, the CSS Golf Classic has been held in memory of an individual or couple who has made an impact in the Catholic community. This year, we are honored to hold this year's event in memory of Tom and Margaret Tracy of Lincoln.

More details will be coming soon at csshope.org on how you can take part (or support) the 30th annual CSS Memorial Golf Classic & Cookout- for now, save the date and help spread the word!