BUTTE — What could be better than receiving the gift of hope for Christmas? For one family and a Catholic parish in Butte, the answer is that there’s nothing better than giving or receiving the gift of hope.
"I don’t reflect so much on the situation that we were in but the way that it feels now, I want other people to feel because I haven’t felt it before," says Cindy, whose last name is being withheld for her protection.
Just after Thanksgiving, Cindy and her children found themselves in Butte. They were stranded at a hotel without food, money, or winter clothing after traveling thousands of miles to escape a bad situation at home.
"They just made us feel like we were home, like we came home rather than going to a strange place. We came here and felt like they were waiting for us almost, you know," says Cindy.
A hotel clerk called Father Patrick Beretta of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church and with the help of his congregation, Cindy and her children were given a safe place to stay.
"It’s an extraordinary heartwarming story of Butte at her best, this parish at her best. The giant heart, the compassion and the love of people who are going through a difficult time in life," says Father Beretta.
Parishioners donated winter clothing, food, and Christmas gifts and Cindy says she has been linked with an agency that is helping her with her resume. She hopes to get a job in the mining industry where she has prior work experience.
"I just want everybody to feel like there’s something to look forward to because a lot of times, I think that it doesn’t feel like there is," says Cindy.
For Pam Sholey, the office manager at Butte Catholic Community North and a parishioner at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, the ability to simply offer help to others is a gift.
"To give a family an opportunity at a fresh start and to know that they’re valued and important and loved is pretty special," says Pam Sholey.
"There is an immense blessing of being able to be doing something so meaningful to a family in need, especially at this time of the year, and we remember that the mother of Jesus couldn’t even find a place at the Inn, so we remember that—that’s very meaningful to us." says Father Beretta.
