A huge THANK YOU to everyone who gave through Cross Catholic Outreach’s Christmas Catalog last year (and also to those who plan to give this Christmas). Wonderful things are accomplished when compassionate Catholics join together to share the true spirit of the season, and your effort to share hope-restoring gifts with poor children and their families proves that! The support we received last year enabled us to provide:
For those who are new to this seasonal outreach, the Christmas Catalog gives compassionate Catholics a simple and inspiring way to incorporate almsgiving into their family’s own annual Christmas observances. As you explore the catalog, you are able to “shop” for the gifts and ministry programs that most touch your heart — everything from providing a child with a soccer ball to helping build a house for a family in urgent need of safe shelter — much like the experience of selecting Christmas gifts from a commercial catalog.
What makes these gifts different is that they provide specific and impactful blessings to those who need help most! They allow you to Be Someone’s Miracle, bringing Christ’s love to needy families around the globe.
Judging from the tremendous response the Cross Catholic Outreach Christmas Catalog has received each year, Catholics are clearly excited by the concept. Every Christmas since 2020, they have eagerly embraced this unique opportunity to bless and answer the prayers of poor families around the world.
This past season, Safe Homes in Guatemala was one of our most popular catalog items. Cross Catholic Outreach was able to fund the construction of 66 simple, sturdy homes for families in the Diocese of Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu who had been living in difficult and unhygienic conditions. With concrete walls and flooring and a strong metal roof, families finally have peace, no longer fearing the rain and pests that once plagued their vulnerable dirt-floor shelters.
Another popular catalog selection was Box of Joy. This special Christmastime outreach puts smiles on the faces of thousands of precious children by allowing them to open their own boxes full of Christmas gifts — and they receive a message about Jesus’ love for them too. For many of these children, the Box of Joy is the first Christmas gift they have ever received!
In the sections below, read more about the families and children blessed by these incredible programs.
The Safe Homes in Guatemala gift option featured in last year’s Christmas campaign brought greater security, health and hope to people like Juan and Rafaela Lopez in Guatemala.
Juan and Rafaela used to live with their children in a one-room, 12 by 18-foot shack made of old planks. Gaps in the walls and holes in the rusted metal roof allowed rainwater to seep into the family’s home, drenching them and their beds. Rats and scorpions used to creep in, too, and termites ate away at the house’s wooden walls.
Thanks to Cross Catholic Outreach donors, however, that battle is finally at an end! Rafaela fondly remembers her family’s first night in their new, dry and pest-free home.
“It was cold in December, but it felt so warm to be there,” she said. “It feels so good that we don’t get wet when the rains come.”
Her husband echoed her relief and gave all glory to God for the family’s newfound security.
“By the grace of God, we now have a very strong foundation for our family,” Juan reflected. “This house will be a good foundation until the Lord calls us home.”
Every home built for families in the diocese has a 338-square-foot floor plan with three rooms and comes equipped with a sanitary latrine. With secure metal doors and shuttered windows, the homes are also built to withstand the region’s frequent heavy storms.
What an incredible gift for families that spent so many years in risky and uncomfortable conditions! Rafaela prays for all the people who made this beautiful dream possible: “May God bless you and your families.”
Last year, Cross Catholic Outreach was able to send Box of Joy gifts to children in six countries: the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras and Malawi. As always, each gift contained toys, treats, clothing, school supplies, The Story of Jesus and a rosary.
Two days after receiving their gifts, children in Chilumba, Malawi, attended Mass at the local parish — many of them still clutching the rosaries they had received. They were clearly so happy about their gifts and thankful to have rosaries of their very own.
Following Mass, the children gave a collective “thank you” to Cross Catholic Outreach and its supporters, saying, “We thank you for the gift you have given us in the Rosary! God bless you all.”
Children at the primary school in Chankholombe, Malawi, were also deeply grateful for their Box of Joy gifts. At one point, the truck carrying gifts to their community broke down on the side of the road, but with a little prayer and work, the truck was able to reach the waiting children. When it arrived, several of the older students immediately broke into a song of thanks.
There were about 800 children present, and they were all so excited to receive their gifts, but they were also very patient! They waited until every child in their class was holding a gift and then opened them all together.
What came next was pure, unfiltered joy!
Several of the children expressed their delight at finding sunglasses, trucks, dolls and even toothbrushes. Many also seemed hesitant to remove their precious gifts from the packaging — they had never received new toys before and weren’t sure whether it was alright to open them. But with a little help and instruction, the children were able to eagerly enjoy the items so lovingly provided by Cross Catholic Outreach donors and volunteers. It warms my heart to see the bright smiles made possible by simple presents packed with great love.
Related: The Impact of a Box of Joy
Our annual Christmas Catalog offers Catholic families lots of inspiring and impactful options for sponsoring a truly meaningful Christmas gift — one that will address a real and urgent need. If you missed it last time, don’t worry! We will have a new catalog online for the upcoming Advent and Christmas seasons. Participate this year, and together we can reach more families than ever before, blessing them with material aid and the spiritual joy of knowing our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Box of Joy is a ministry of Cross Catholic Outreach.
Donations from this campaign will be used to cover any expenditures for this project incurred through June 30, 2027, the close of our ministry’s fiscal year. In the event that more funds are raised than needed to fully fund the project, the excess funds, if any, will be used to meet the most urgent needs of the ministry.
