4
January 22, 2019 | The Valley Catholic
COMMUNITY
By Gregory Kepferle
CEO, Catholic Charities of
Santa Clara County and
President, Charities Housing
Development Corporation
We’ve heard and read the story
of the Good Samaritan hundreds
of times in our life – at church, in
religious studies classes, in faith
sharing groups. But how many of us
remember a character in that story
called the Innkeeper? Lately, he has
become my favorite character in the
story even though it seems he only
has a bit part. You remember how Je-
sus was asked “who is my neighbor”
and he responds with the story of
the man who was beaten and robbed
as he traveled the road to Jericho.
After being ignored and avoided by
a priest and a Levite, his life is saved
by a Samaritan (a heretic) who sees
him, pities him, binds his wounds
and carries him on his own animal
to the inn where the Samaritan cares
for him overnight. The next day as
The Innkeeper of Jericho Road
the Samaritan gets ready to leave on
his business, he pays the Innkeeper
and tells the Innkeeper to care for the
wounded man until the Samaritan
returns. And he promises to pay the
Innkeeper whatever amount is needed
to cover the costs of the care for the
wounded person when he returns.
So the Samaritan does the loving act
of immediately caring for a stranger
in need, his “neighbor” whom he
encounters on the road. And he pays
for the Innkeeper to continue the heal-
ing process. We don’t know how long
the Samaritan will be gone. We don’t
know how long the healing will take.
Who is caring for the man while the
Samaritan is gone? The Innkeeper.
For how long? As long as it takes.
Working at Catholic Charities, I of-
ten feel like we are the Innkeepers. We
have a business to run with competent
compassionate employees who care
for our guests. Our guests are often
wounded by the pains of the world
– wounded by war, prejudice, incar-
ceration, fear, mental illness, unem-
ployment, homelessness, the physical
CCH153_CarDonateAd2_4.937x6in_PressQuality.pdf
1
8/10/15
aches of aging and disabilities, family
struggles, and educational challenges.
And we have volunteer Good Samari-
tans helping rescue the lost and the
broken, restoring ruined homes, and
welcoming the stranger. We are neigh-
bors who care for neighbors in need
here in Santa Clara County providing
food, housing, healing, education and
economic security. We run the “inn” –
the structures, the resources and the
places to provide those life-changing
services. And while we provide this
place of healing, we await the return
of the Good Samaritan.
To lear n more about Cat holic
Charities and our Good Samari-
tan and Innkeeper Funds and to
support our impact funds around
Food, Housing, Health, Education,
and Economic Security please visit
www.CatholicCharitiesSCC.org.
San Jose Coadjutor, Bishop Oscar
Cantú, visited Catholic Charities of
Santa Clara County program sites in
early December. One stop on the tour
was Eastside Neighborhood Center
where Bishop Cantú helped to serve
the daily lunch with Catholic Chari-
ties CEO Greg Kepferle. After the
meal, seniors lined up to greet Bishop
Cantú and receive a blessing.
7:41 PM
Season of Sharing Program Made Christmas
Brighter for Catholic Charities Families
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Donating Your Vehicle
Rebuilds Hope
Vehicle Donations Support Catholic Charities’
Refugee Resettlement Program
Free Towing • Fast & Easy • 100% Tax Deductible
Catholic Charities’ Season of Shar-
ing program made Christmas 2018
brighter for families and seniors thanks
to the support of many generous do-
nors. Businesses, parishes, schools,
and individuals donated thousands of
toys, gift cards, and clothing to almost
2,000 people served in Catholic Chari-
ties programs.
Special thanks to all who donated,
including:
• ACTenviro: Hazardous Waste
Disposal Services
• Bellarmine College Preparatory
Dad’s Club
• Church of the Ascension
• Ciari Plumbing & Heating, Inc.
• CSLOT: Center for Speech,
Language, Occupational and
Behavioral Therapy
• One Workplace
• Santa Clara University
Catholic Charities staff members Maria Ro-
driguez (l) and Erika Blanchard gather toys
and other Christmas gift items for children
served through the Baby Steps Program,
which works with families impacted by the
criminal justice system.
• Saint Clare School
• Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church
• Xilinx
For information on how your parish
or company can get involved in Season
of Sharing in 2019, please call Emma,
(408) 325-5250.
Are you connected with the Diocese of San Jose?
Contact Us Today at CarDonationCC.org or 1 (866) 565-5912
Visit us online
www.dsj.org
Like us on Facebook
Diocese of San Jose
Follow us on Twitter
@DioceseSanJose
Follow us on Instagram
@DioceseSanJose