Catholic Extension hopes to fulfill mission parishes' 'wish list'

Published: 2006-11-28

CHICAGO (CNS) -- At St. Patrick Mission in Pueblo, Colo., teachers are hoping to replace the old blackboards with dry erase boards. At St. Luke the Evangelist Church in Bruce, Miss., a kitchen sink is needed to replace a small washbasin. And Father Joe Richards of St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Hawley, Minn., needs a processional cross -- and is willing to make it himself if he could get the materials. These are among the wishes and needs of U.S. mission parishes that are featured on the Catholic Church Extension Society's 2006 Christmas wish list, posted online at www.catholicextension.org. "Many of these items may seem like standard pastoral necessities, but for Catholics who worship in poor and isolated parts of our country with sparse income, they present a real challenge to their budgets," said retired Bishop William R. Houck of Jackson, Miss., who is president of the Chicago-based Catholic Extension.

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