Saint Elizabeth Charity – From gratitude to the elderly

This year Caritas Alba Iulia celebrates on the 20th of November its patron saint’s, Elizabeth of Thuringia`s, feast day. The charitable organization didn`t choose the princess of Thuringia as a patron saint accidentally. Elizabeth’s prayerful spirit, her sensibility towards people’s physical and emotional needs, her kind personality that healed the sick and helped the needy – are some good examples to follow by every Caritas member.

Once, Elizabeth brought a leprous begger home, she washed him, she bandaged his wounds, and since she didn’t had any room left in her house, she put him in her conjugal bed. His arriving husband, count Louis, intended to challenge his wife for such an exagerated act, but entering the room, he had a vision: Christ in pain was looking at him from the conjugal bed. Louis falled to his knees, expressed his gratitude and said no more to Elizabeth, but: „You should host a guest like this any other time.”

Anytime we hear this story, it concusses us, prompts us to take actions. We meet sick, needy people every day. Their physical needs pop into our eyes immediately, but we also face the mute help-shouts of people burdened with emotional baggage, lacking inner peace and joy. We see the way they become lonely just because their hair is white, their skin is wrinkled and their movements, maybe their way of thinking too, are slow. Now we are organizing this charity for them. From gratitude since they raised us, taught us, loved us. Recognition can be expressed in many ways. There are children who draw. Young people who sit closer to the armchair. Adults who visit their parents more frequently. People who donate. You can be one of them by clicking HERE.

In his circular letter, the archbishop dr. Gergely Kovács encourages us to express our gratitude to the older adults, as well. He communicates, that the value of last year’s proceeds, gathered for disadvantaged children, is 226.442 lei, which he thanks to all.