Festival of Shelters Sept 26 & 27

Cherith Brook Catholic Worker
invites you to join us in our 3rd annual
Festival of Shelters

Sunday, September 26 at 5pm ~
Celebration of shelter and blessing for the homeless

Monday, September 27 at 5pm ~
Celebration of the Harvest of God’s provision
(shared dinner together)

WHAT IS THE FESTIVAL OF SHELTERS?
The Festival of Shelters comes to us from Leviticus 23:42 where the People of God are instructed to build simple shelters and to live in them for seven days remembering a lifetime of days spent homeless, wandering the wilderness, in search of food and water, hoping for a promised place. The Festival also became a harvest celebration where the people remembered what it was like to be hungry and thirsty and to show gratitude for God’s provision of food.

WHY DO WE DO IT?
Our Festival of Shelters is intended to be a challenge to resist and celebration of rejoicing:

 We who have plenty are reminded that we have all experienced need and , that it is God who provides our needs;

 we are challenged to move away from greed and pride of wealth and accumulation toward a more just society where affordable housing is a right;

 to remember that the stranger, the wanderer, the homeless and the hungry are specially loved and cared for by God.

HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE!
On Sunday afternoon, September 26 we will begin setting up structures that represent the different kinds of homeless suffering in our city: Those on the streets, the refugee experience, the undocumented immigrant, and the sexually exploited woman.

At 5pm we will have a liturgy that speaks to the different experiences of those without shelter in our society and calls us to greater justice.

Three groups will be sent out this year to spend time on the streets. They will be blessed and sent out after the liturgy. Monday evening we will share a dinner and a time of sharing reflections on homelessness. Please let us know by Tuesday, September 21 if you are interested in spending the night on the streets and which group you are interested in. There will be limited spaces to keep the groups small.

Group 1: Leaves Sunday night and returns Monday morning

Group 2: Leaves Sunday Night and returns Monday for 5pm dinner

Group 3: Leaves Monday morning and returns Monday for 5pm dinner.

Call if you have questions: 816-241-8047.

2nd Saturday Work Day - September 11 @ 9am to 1pm

Please join us to help with the following projects:

small electrical projects
caulking and painting
gardening
cleaning
sorting clothes
cutting down trees (need chainsaws)
basic repair projects