Another donation suggestion post. Updates on past projects you helped with.

Sometimes people ask me about good causes to donate to.  They want to make sure that their hard earned money goes to something that will make a difference.

I want today to suggest three causes which are local to where I am, but which you can trust are solid.

First, I am a big fan of a small Catholic clinic here in Madison (aka “77 square miles surrounded by reality”): Our Lady of Hope Clinic.

I have written about Our Lady of Hope Clinic before.  This is one of the worthiest causes I have seen for a while and it could use your help, wherever you are. Read more HERE and HERE

This clinic could be a model for health care in a rapidly changing – disintegrating – time.  100% pro-life primary care to all patients; and free care for the uninsured.  The “Affordable” Care Act really isn’t.  It is going to be harder in the future for people to get health care, not easier.  And for those without much bucks? They have a DONATION page.  The last time I posted about Our Lady of Hope Clinic, they wrote to me saying:

Thank you so much for your plug of the Clinic in this morning’s blog. Last time you mentioned us, we had money come in from across the country.

Let’s do that again!

Next, I am leading a group that supports the Extraordinary Form here in the Diocese of Madison, the “Tridentine Mass Society of Madison“.  Bishop Morlino, the Extraordinary Ordinary, has been very supportive.  We are set up to help priests and parishes get going with the Extraordinary Form.  We are lumbering back into motion once again now that we have the 501(c)(3) status worked out.  Right now, since His Excellency the Bishop has been happy to celebrate Pontifical Masses, we have been trying to acquire proper vestments.  We just obtained a black pontifical set.  We need to raise some money for a white set, which will be used far more often.  Can you help us?  Our next big event will be at 7 pm on Monday 3 November, a Pontifical Requiem Mass at the Throne.  The music will be De Victoria’s Requiem for 4 voices.  We are also going to organize training for priests of the diocese in the Extraordinary Form.  It is time to press forward without any hesitation or discouragement.  And if you are around Madison, I generally have the 7:30 Mass at St. Mary’s where the great Fr. Heilman is pastor.

And next, a frequent commentatrix here, Elizabeth Durack sent me this:

A mother of 8 children (toddler to middle school) whom your blog readers helped out a lot by buying homeschooling books last year via an Amazon wishlist, needs to raise funds to fix her house before winter. There is a GoFundMe page for that: HERE

Her parish priest appealed to parishioners and raised the exact amount needed to fix the roof (which the crowdfunding page has not been updated to show). Some generous and talented Catholics have stepped forward to do this and some other labor (there were “bees” which were apparently yellowjackets or something in the roof and “hundreds” of them were coming in her bedroom, and a parishioner got rid of them!). But there are other critical repairs still to be made, that take money. I have been to her house and have seen for myself the serious problems with its condition–she does a good job cleaning but is not skilled at house repair. Her situation is complicated.  My friend is also actively seeking a part time job and got some training in a particular field, while also open to other kinds of work that might be available, but employment has not come through yet.

I remain grateful also that your blog readers also bought Bibles and drawstring backpacks for my catechism students of this year, we just had our first class and they are excited to receive them next week and I am going to have them pray for their benefactors!

When you readers get into motion, you do wonderful things.

For example, I can’t tell you how impressed I was with your reaction to the “Fox Sox” drive for the soldiers in Afghanistan.  A priest of Madison was deployed as chaplain there and we bought socks for the entire battalion.  I recently met Fr. Hesseling, the chaplain, who is now reassigned back in these USA as the head recruiter for the USArmy for East of the Mississippi.  You men thinking about Catholic military chaplain tracks should drop me a note and I can put you in touch.

As a matter of fact, you can also donate to the Archdiocese for Military Services and tell them Fr. Z sent you!

And don’t forget my donation button!  Father wants to go to the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy meeting in January.