Photo credit: Julia M Cameron/Pexels.com
By Jeffrey Catalano
Assistant Editor
On Monday, November 24 and Wednesday, December 17, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., at St. Francis Seraph Ministries (SFSM) in Over-the-Rhine, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners will be served to economically disadvantaged and homeless people. Volunteers from Isaac M. Wise Temple will help prepare and serve these meals, as they have done for twelve years.
In a time fraught with widespread antisemitism, St. Francis Seraph Ministries and Wise Temple are proud to work together this holiday season to feed and provide for those who need it most. SSFM and Wise Temple’s collaboration this Thanksgiving and Christmas not only provides a unique service for the Greater Cincinnati community, but offers a shining example of interfaith collaboration and unity.
At the November 24 holiday meal at approximately 4:20 p.m. in the Mother Teresa of Calcutta Dining Room, Jamie Starr of Wise Temple and Father Al Hirt, OFM, will offer prayers and a blessing together before dinner is served.
On December 17, volunteers from Wise Temple will help decorate the dining room before the Christmas dinner service. And, as on November 24, a joint blessing will be held before the meal is served.
This year’s Christmas service also happens to coincide with Hanukkah, which begins at nightfall December 14 this year.
St. Francis Seraph Ministries, or SSFM, has been in Over-the-Rhine since 1844 and was founded by Franciscan friars, who have helped serve the underprivileged, hungry and homeless for 175 years since. The Franciscan order has also long celebrated interfaith dialogue, collaboration and friendship. St. Francis Seraph Ministries serves breakfast and dinner every weekday, and many of their clients are chronically unhoused and have nowhere else to go for a nourishing meal or a place just to feel welcome.
If you are a member of Wise Temple and would like to volunteer for either of these two special events in November and December, you can register online through Wise Temple’s website. You must be twelve years old or older to register.
The November 24 service opportunity is currently full, but you can still join the wait list if you like. For the December 17 service opportunity, there are still fifteen spots available, and you must register by December 12 if you would like to participate.
If you would like to help make a difference by serving the less fortunate, these holiday meal service opportunities are a great way to do it. Not only are meals being provided to those who need it, this holiday season service opportunities symbolize a powerful collaborative interfaith union.
