News & Reflections
Team Hope Update
Limerick December 24th 2011 - From its small beginnings about ten years ago the Augustinian Church in Limerick has been involved in an inter-faith Christmas project for some of the poorest children in the world. We have been a city centre collection point for shoebox gifts for them. The venture has expanded into schools, homes and parishes around Ireland. Boxes are filled with an assortment of small gifts.
A huge warehouse on the edge of the city has been the location for gathering, sorting and checking them. Hundreds of volunteers of all ages are involved. The gift boxes are packed into container trucks for transport to faraway places, bringing joy to the faces of children and families in the most deprived parts of Eastern Europe and Africa. This year the Limerick trucks delivered their cargoes of love to Burundi, Africa . In some cases the volunteers accompany the transporter and personally deliver the shoe boxes to the children.
A born-again Pastor and Augustinian Liam Ryan combined in blessing the containers and sent them off with loud cheers from the helpers. For children here in Ireland the focus moves from getting to giving, closer to the heart of Christmas. The entire operation is well named Team Hope, appropriate for the times we are living through this Christmas.
Volunteers gathering, sorting and checking the Shoeboxes
Shoeboxes wrapped and filled with an assortment of small gifts