JUNE 2019

    My name is Daniel Paterson. I am a local and have resided off Metairie Road for the past six years. I have experienced a long road of unemployment and health problems with a bad hip, severe arthritis and dealing with the government denying me disability. I wasn’t able to work much but enough to survive. Thank God for St. Catherine of Siena and my landlord, who is a parishioner of St. Catherine of Siena. This church has been one of the only churches in the area willing to help me. Other churches demand tithing and servitude in order to get benefits such as food or help with overdue bills.

     I am a Christian and have attended Mass at St. Catherine. I am not Catholic, but my ex-wife was and she brought me to Mass quite a bit, so I’ve learned a lot of the Catholic ways. After much desperation and suffering, approximately six years ago, I came to this church asking for a little help with a bill and the St. Vincent de Paul Society was more than willing to help me. Since then I learned about the food program on Thursdays, which I believe literally saved my life. The Government cut off my food stamps and other benefits so this church’s food program gave me an opportunity to stay healthy and move along with my life.

     I recently, within the last year or two, received hip replacement and the church paid my rent for a month during my recovery. I am so grateful to this church; I am without words. I humbly come before God thanking him for the opportunity to serve him and be a part of this community somehow, and become a better Christian just because of the undemanding Christianity shown to me in my time of need.