El Centro Catholic has hosted “The Embrace” for the past five years to assist the homeless of Imperial County. Every Christmas El Centro Catholic gives presents to families in need. This year it plans to conduct “The Embrace” on Dec. 18.
Embracing, Underprivileged, Homeless
El Centro Catholic has been serving the homeless and underprivileged of Imperial County for five years. As per the report of The Southern Cross, The Embrace has been providing these people with free haircuts, showers, toiletries, and a hot holiday meal.
Additionally, it also embraces the children by giving them presents during Christmas. Organizers of The Embrace are hopeful that the event can serve the homeless at Catholic Charities’ El Centro Homeless Day Center on Dec. 18.
The date is its tentative schedule of opening. Father Mark Edney told The Southern Cross that introducing the homeless to the day center would be a good day.
Father Edney is the pastor for ECC and a Catholic Charities’ board member. If plans of opening the center by the said date do not push through, the organizers will conduct the Embrace event in its previous venue – St. Mary Parish Center.
When such occurs, The Embrace will serve both the needy and homeless families at the parish center. This is a mission that the event has been engaged in the past years.
One of the event’s coordinators and the founder of El Centro Catholic’s Homeless Ministry, Richard Enriquez, stated ECC needs donations for The Embrace.
The Embrace is an outgrowth of the efforts of the homeless ministry; for more than a decade, it provides weekly mean and spiritual nourishment.
Personal hygiene items/ toiletries, new clothes, new toys, food gift cards, and monetary donations are needed. Enriquez shared that everyone could drop off these donations at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and St. Mary Catholic Church.
Cash donations by personal check can be made out to either parish, and the memo line should include “for Embrace.” At the same time, those interested in donating can also give online at elcentrocatholic.org.
El Centro Catholic
As indicated on its webpage, El Centro Catholic is a network of parishes under the Diocese of San Diego. This network comprised Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Mary, and St. Mary’s School in El Centro.
El Centro Catholic has a community of over 2000 families. Its parishes, namely St. Mary’s and Our Lady of Guadalupe, each have their rich history.
St. Mary Catholic Parish began as a small church in 1907 before it became a large community. In 1957 a school building was constructed and gave birth to St. Mary’s School. One may visit St. Mary at 795 S. La Boucherie Road, El Centro, California 92243.
Our lady of Guadalupe was established in 1946. It is located at 153 E. Brighton Avenue in El Centro, California, 92243.
Fr. Mark Edney serves as the pastor for both churches. At the same time, Fr. Dan Nunez, Associate Pastor and Deacons, Domingo Enriquez, and Sergio Hernandez serve the two churches.
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