This past spring and summer, Deacon Wil Colón of Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, worked with Booksmiles to organize a book drive to benefit childhood literacy programs. Booksmiles collects and distributes books to children in “book deserts” across New Jersey and Philadelphia. Parishes from all over our diocese turned up with donations and amazingly, 2,770 books were collected!
From the first donations at our April Clergy Conference to the last stop, Deacon Colón met and worshipped with parishes throughout the diocese as he traveled to pick up book donations, attending Bible studies, sharing in fellowship, and learning about each congregation’s ministries.
“I am so grateful to the people across our diocese who opened their hearts in ‘radical welcome’ to me, someone they’d never met before,” says Deacon Colón.
Deacon Colón was supported and encouraged in this outreach by Nativity Cathedral’s dean, the Very Rev. Jon Stratton. The Rev. Nick Lorenzetti, priest-in-charge of Trinity Mount Pocono, along with Trinity’s Senior Warden Nancy Tkas, provided the space to stage and prepare the books for delivery.
Deacon Colón reports that the folks at Booksmiles were thrilled with our “book haul” and greeted the delivery with humility and gratitude, engaging in conversations about other possible projects in which our diocese could collaborate.
“Well done, siblings of the Diocese of the Susquehanna,” says Deacon Colón. “To God be the glory! Stay tuned!”