Mother's Day means 'Mother's Love' at St. Denis

By Susan Bailey | CFP Correspondent

Mother’s Day is a time to remember our mothers and all they have done for us.  But for the women of St. Denis Parish in Douglas, Mother’s Day signals the beginning of their annual campaign to help other mothers in need.
Begun by Elaine Kelley and Dolores Colonero in 1998, “Mother’s Love” grew out of a desire to follow one of the most memorable sayings of Jesus: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt. 25:40). The initiative, sponsored by the Catholic Women’s Council of St. Dennis, lasts for two weeks, beginning on Mother’s Day, which this year is May 13.
The program’s premise is simple.
“We ask all our parishioners to donate one box of diapers or brand new clothes, or they can give us a gift card from a store,” Mrs. Colonero said.
The idea for “Mother’s Love” was inspired by the work of a group of women at a nearby parish who had gotten together to help new mothers in need.
“Elaine and I sat down one time and thought we ought to do a charitable thing,” Mrs. Colonero said. “Finally we came up with this program. Then we went before the Catholic Women’s Council members to see if they would sponsor this. They were all 100 percent for it. And then the council members named this program ‘Mother’s Love.’”
Each year members are asked to contribute and to get their family members to help.
“Some people have their children pitch in five or 10 bucks. That’s how we do it; we just ask,” Mrs. Colonero said.
The program is modeled after The Giving Tree often seen in parishes during the Advent season.
“We put tags up in the front of the altar so people can come and take a tag,” said Debra Yacino, a volunteer for the program. “People will come and take a tag and bring it back with something specific they have purchased. Or they can make their own choice; that’s how we do it.”
“We make out tags that will say, for example, ‘Boy’s suit, size 1 to 8,’ or ‘Girl’s dresses, size 1 to 8,’” said Mrs. Colonero. “Then they can make their own choice. We give to a wide variety; we give to children from newborn up to 10 years old.”
The generosity of parishioners inspired the Catholic Women’s Council to expand beyond the parish into the community. Each year Mrs. Colonero reaches out to local businesses.
“We only ask for one package of diapers. We don’t ask for money,” said Mrs. Colonero. Among the many businesses that participate are two banks in town, Webster Federal and Unibank, along with the police and firefighters’ associations, the Knights of Columbus and Al’s Oil in Shrewsbury, where Mrs. Colonero works part time. All contributions are acknowledged in writing by the pastor of St. Denis, Father Ernest P. Allega.
Donations are split among three different foundations: Catholic Charities in Northbridge, and Abby’s House and Visitation House, both in Worcester.
The women’s council is always ready to help.
“We have many members of the Catholic Women’s Council say, ‘When you’re ready to sort the clothes give me a call and I’ll come down to the church and help you. Or ‘when you’re ready to deliver the diapers, my husband will put them in his SUV and deliver them.’ There’s an awful lot of volunteerism,” Mrs. Yacino said.
The generosity of the parish and surrounding community is astounding. In 2017 they collected 150 packages of diapers (12,000 individual diapers in total) along with 175 outfits of clothing including sleepers, onesies, baby blankets and socks. In addition, numerous gift cards were donated from grocery stores.
“We don’t ask for a lot. We try to keep it simple,” said Mrs. Colonero. With many hands and hearts working together, the parish of St. Denis truly lives the words of Jesus to take care of the least of these.