Where to donate prayer books, holy cards etc

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PaperSmyth

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Dear Forum Participants,
When grandma went to meet the Master, she left a lot of religious prayer books (mostly Catholic, a few ecumenical) behind. She also left some leaflets, holy cards, book marks, etc.
:cool:
Does anyone know anywhere specific where we can send these so they would be used and wanted? (missions, prison ministries, schools that need them, ???)
:confused:
Thanks!
 
Does your church have a literature rack up by the front door? I’d leave them there, and if you have a great many of them, I’d just bring a batch each week. I’m always picking up stuff that other folks bring by my church, and sometimes I leave things myself. I just bought some things yesterday to leave at my church, but of course I did not bring them with me today as I had planned… :cool: :rolleyes:
 
Take them to the DRE at your Parish. He/she will get them into the right hands!
 
Do you have an adoration chapel? That might be a good place - you might like to leave them in a little basket with a note to please say a prayer for your Grandma too. 🙂

Also - if there is a Catholic nursing or retirement facility or Catholic hospital near you they may appreciate them as well.

~Liza
 
Goning to echo again my suggestion to hand them off to someone at the Parish level, and the DRE is the most likely canidate.

When people simply “leave things” in the the back at our Parish - the items would be removed and reviewed. Nothing gets passed out with out approval - just to be careful.
 
Thanks, folks, but . . .

The person who said not to leave things in the church is correct. I used to work at a church and saw a pastoral associate totally wig out over this. All items have to be individually approved by the priest before they can be left–this rule is to protect the faithful from misinformation and outright lies or “unorthodox” teaching. Our priest covers an area larger than the size of Delaware and serves three parishes. He just doesn’t have time to look through this stuff. Our DRE is part time and serves the same number of people. (Some of the stuff looks less than cosmetically perfect anyway, so it would likely just sit there.)

Secondly, the nearest Catholic nursing home and hospital are 200 miles away. I don’t get to that city often. The nearest Catholic school is about 85 miles away. Same story there. 😊 (We’re a bit underserved out here, huh?)

Any other ideas?
 
I know Catholics depolyed in Iraq, those Priests are in dire need of anything they can get. If you want to PM me, I will PM you my address and will add your items to my next Iraq Millitary Parish care package.
 
Prison ministries can also use whatever you have to give. Unfortunately I don’t have an address to give you, but check out This Rock magazine on-line, they have quite a few stories about prison ministries…
 
Yes, it is a problem knowing what to do with used religious things. My dad who lived in another state died a couple of months ago, and when we went through the attic of his house, a lot of books, bibles, medals, statues, etc. were found. I took what I wanted, but still had tons left. I called the church where dad went and they told me they did not want them and offered me no help.

I ended up giving them to a lady down the street who was good catholic in the same church who does charity work, and she took them for me. She said she had people who could use them. She used to be a friend of my mom’s.

I think it is a shame that parishes don’t have some kind of place for them or suggestions.

I understand that religious items that are used and blessed cannot be sold in a garage sale either .
 
PaperSmyth said:
Dear Forum Participants,
When grandma went to meet the Master, she left a lot of religious prayer books (mostly Catholic, a few ecumenical) behind. She also left some leaflets, holy cards, book marks, etc.
:cool:
Does anyone know anywhere specific where we can send these so they would be used and wanted? (missions, prison ministries, schools that need them, ???)
:confused:
Thanks!
Click to expand...
here’s an idea…get a package of school lunch bags in pretty colors and make little grab bags of the small items and put in a nice greeting card or post-card (you can get a whole box of inspirational ones at Dollar Stores) maybe with one of those pre-packaged teabags, and give them out to the home-bound or hospitalized/nursing homes in your parish. could turn into a ministry experience. If you can’t do it yourself, ask the local youth group if they would distribute them for you.
 
Hey, God Answered My Question!
Rev. Fr. Tom Fogarty, SSP, Director of the Holy Family Institute in the USA, wrote in his latest note in the bulk mailing to our group members (read: not specifically addressed to me):

HFI members plus their friends and families might like to send Catholic materials–books, magazines, audiotapes, videos, rosaries, children’s books, and religious instruction texts, and perhaps used consumable religion work texts . . . in fact any Catholic item to:
Family Faith Foundation
70 A Hill Road
Bandra Bombay
India 400 050​

See, God is good all the time!
See ya 'round the Forums!👍
 
PaperSmyth said:
Hey, God Answered My Question!
Rev. Fr. Tom Fogarty, SSP, Director of the Holy Family Institute in the USA, wrote in his latest note in the bulk mailing to our group members (read: not specifically addressed to me):

HFI members plus their friends and families might like to send Catholic materials–books, magazines, audiotapes, videos, rosaries, children’s books, and religious instruction texts, and perhaps used consumable religion work texts . . . in fact any Catholic item to:
Family Faith Foundation
70 A Hill Road
Bandra Bombay
India 400 050​

See, God is good all the time!
See ya 'round the Forums!👍
Click to expand...
Do you have a website for this them/him?
 
Sheeniac said:
Do you have a website for this them/him?
Click to expand...
Sure! I am a second-year Novice in the Holy Family Institute. It is part of the Pauline Family (you know–Daughters of Saint Paul [FSP], Society of Saint Paul [SSP], etc.) The Institute is for lay married and widowed persons in good standing in the Catholic Church:

vocations-holyfamily.com/

This is the USA site. Father Tom is easiest to get a hold of by snail mail. Thanks for providing me an opportunity to promote my organization. 👍
 
BeeSweet said:
Does your church have a literature rack up by the front door? I’d leave them there, and if you have a great many of them, I’d just bring a batch each week.
Click to expand...
for this you need the pastor’s permission, but there, or the adoration chapel, are a great place to leave a pile each week, if you do have his permission.

also ask your DRE if they can use these in CCD. we love to get greeting cards (new or used), envelopes, those little prayer books, medals, rosaries, holy cards, bookmarks and other items that come in solicitaitons from missionary orders, because we use them as prizes and incentives, in crafts and classroom activities and in retreats.

our CUF chapter has a display of used religious books for sale (donated) at each of their monthly presentations.

another place to call or email is Catholic Extension, which diverts such things, esp. books, to dioceses and missions in the US who need them.
 
i agree. the parish does not want you to leave things. i suggest you
contact your diocese and ask them. i am actually having a hard time finding a place to donate my used catholic items, as well. i use to send them to a mission in INDIA but when the priest there saw that i spent $25 to mail them the items,
he politely told me they would rather i send them a $25 monetary donation…
PaperSmyth said:
Thanks, folks, but . . .

The person who said not to leave things in the church is correct. I used to work at a church and saw a pastoral associate totally wig out over this. All items have to be individually approved by the priest before they can be left–this rule is to protect the faithful from misinformation and outright lies or “unorthodox” teaching. Our priest covers an area larger than the size of Delaware and serves three parishes. He just doesn’t have time to look through this stuff. Our DRE is part time and serves the same number of people. (Some of the stuff looks less than cosmetically perfect anyway, so it would likely just sit there.)

Secondly, the nearest Catholic nursing home and hospital are 200 miles away. I don’t get to that city often. The nearest Catholic school is about 85 miles away. Same story there. 😊 (We’re a bit underserved out here, huh?)

Any other ideas?
Click to expand...
 
how about email weboffaith@ewtn.com the two priests that run that show may know. they are full of knowlege. i did see an episode once and they suggested we bury some of the items. yes, in the ground.
 
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