Catholic Charities of Acadiana is grateful every year for the participation of Catholic schools. This year, Our Lady of Fatima’s 3rd-grade classes collected non-perishable food donations for FoodNet Food Bank. Mrs. Lisa Melacon, Director of Religious Education, went a step further and invited Catholic Charities of Acadiana into the classroom to teach about “feeding the hungry”. 

A mother contacted Catholic Charities of Acadiana several weeks ago to tell me that while she was away, her children (all under 10) decided to set up a lemonade stand in front of their family home. She went on to explain that her children decided that instead of selling lemonade for the profit of their family, they wanted to sell lemonade to support Catholic Charities of Acadiana’s St. Joseph Diner! 

“Art translates into meaningful terms that which is ineffable,” said St. John Paul the Great in his ‘Letter to Artists’.” 

This quote holds true in the Homeless Jesus sculpture which visually represents, in a profoundly evocative and deeply meditative way, what Jesus says in Matthew 25 “Whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me.” (Matthew 25: 45) 

Catholic Charities of Acadiana urgently advocates for an allocation of local, state, and federal funding to be adequately appropriated to addressing the root causes of homelessness, addressing the critical basic needs of Lafayette’s homeless (such as shelter and food), and an investment in evidence-based solutions to transitioning those experiencing homelessness to affordable and stable housing with appropriate community based supports.