The Valley Catholic November 20, 2018 | Page 6

6 November 20, 2018 | The Valley Catholic COMMUNITY By Gregory Kepferle CEO, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County and President, Charities Housing Development Corporation When I was a kid growing up in Kentucky, I used to love the summer evenings when the fi refl ies appeared. As kids, we called them “lightning bugs” and delighted in trying to catch them and gently place them in glass jars with holes in the lids. They seemed mi- raculous, these tiny creatures that sent signals of light out into the darkness. Today, when we experience so much darkness in the world and in our own church, and maybe even within ourselves, we are called to be fi refl ies–to let the light of our faith, the light of our hope, and the light of our love shine forth into the night. Our lights may be small. Our signals may be intermittent. But our message needs to be clear–“Night, you are not so strong. Darkness, you are not so powerful.” We must stay true to that light within us and not fear the Firefl ies night. For we are not alone. We are surrounded by a whole host of lights that shatter the darkness. Jesus proclaims that we are “the light of the world” and calls us to let our light shine before others, so they may see our good works and give glory to God (MT 5: 16). I witness that light shining in the staff , volunteers, donors and clients of Catholic Charities. I see the light shin- ing in the community when I attend the annual Posada in the Washington Neighborhood as hard working immi- grant families walk singing with col- ored lights from Sacred Heart Church to the Washington United Youth Center run by Catholic Charities. I wit- ness that light of understanding when I see Christmas trees decked with blinking ornaments that our CORAL STEM after-school kids learned how to program with their new coding skills. I see the light of joy in the eyes of a refugee orphan who graduated high school, in the eyes of a job seeker who fi nally got a job, and in the eyes of a senior who receives a hot meal. I see the light of peace surrounding a family CCH153_CarDonateAd2_4.937x6in_PressQuality.pdf 1 8/10/15 7:41 PM C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Donating Your Vehicle Rebuilds Hope Vehicle Donations Support Catholic Charities’ Refugee & Immigrant Programs Free Towing  •  Fast & Easy  •  100% Tax Deductible Contact Us Today at CarDonationCC.org or 1 [phone] who fi nally got housed in our Chari- ties Housing apartments, and the light of healing fi lling the wounded hearts of clients living with mental illness. Thank you to all the fi refl ies sur- rounding us as we bring the light of Christ into our darkened world. I invite you to share your light by joining in the good works of Catholic Charities. To donate, volunteer, or learn more visit www.CatholicCharitiesSCC.org. Catholic Charities CORAL Program 2018 Christmas Card Art Contest Winners Congratulations to the first and second place winners of the Catholic Charities 2018 Christmas Card Art Contest. Both students are fourth graders enrolled in Catholic Charities’ CORAL afterschool program at Anne Darling Elementary School. Lien Hong Pham, right, was the fi rst place winner and Bernice Paet (left) won second place. For information on how you can support CORAL afterschool programs, contact David Russo at [phone] or [email protected].