Saint Michael’s Parish opened their doors to the community to host their annual Christmas lunch for those in the city who are looking to spend the day in company.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
What originally began as a Christmas lunch for the homeless, today’s event brought families and friends together and new residents were also welcomed into the parish community.
The parish Sisters volunteered their time to prepare and cook the meals for the community lunch.
Margaret White spent Christmas alongside her close friend Helen Davidson and the parish community.
“The Sisters are our family and we’ve been coming here for about five years,” she said.
“We just do this every year and it’s a wonderful thing because we don’t spend time with our family as mine are all located in Queensland.
“It’s a special day because it’s the birth of Christ.”
This year’s Christmas community lunch was the first time for Wagga resident Pete Ingram.
“Society expects us to be with people this time of year and this is a great space for people to come together and share that spirit,” Mr Ingram said.
“Whether they’re alone or just disadvantaged and they don’t have the resources to put on a big spread for their family.
“A lot of people who are here might not be able to go away for the holiday, so this is a family gathering of people, to talk and share a feed.”
Mr Ingram said he’s recently lost two of his friends and therefore hoped he would come along and meet new people within the community.
“I lost two of my friends in the past two weeks and thought it would be good for me to give back and it’s good to catch up and meet new people,” he said.
“I’ve come by myself, I’m a community lad, a Wiradjuri boy and thought I’d come and volunteer my time here today.”
Father Reece Beltrame, who served the Christmas Day mass at Saint Michael’s Cathedral, said this lunch was an example of “faith in action”.
“This is bringing everyone together especially those who are isolated because the Christmas message is peace on earth and Christ is the King of peace and he brings us together, he heals broken humanity,” Father Beltrame said.
“There’s no better day to do this then on Christmas Day.”
