Serata event keeps the true spirit of hope in Advent

The Church of Santa Susanna, the Paulist-run American church in Rome, raised over $26,000 for local charities at last year's charity Serata

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by Stefani Manowski

Although his reputation evolved through the centuries to give us who we now know as Santa Claus, St. Nicholas is one of the most beloved saintly figures in the church. Old St. Nick is the fourth-century man who offered hope and compassion to those in need by giving his inheritance to the poor.

Following that saintly example of giving, parishioners and friends of Santa Susanna – the Paulist-run American church in Rome – will gather for the community’s annual St. Nicholas Charity Serata Dec. 1 at Marymount International School. The serata is a gala dinner dance, silent auction and raffle from which all proceeds are donated to nine charities, in the true spirit of St. Nicholas, patron saint of the homeless. The 2006 serata saw a profit of more than 18,000 euros (about $26,000).

“All of the profits go directly to the charities,” said Santa Susanna pastor Father Gregory S. Apparcel, C.S.P. “We keep nothing.”

With a celebratory atmosphere of color, lights and candles, music and terrific food including antipasti, two pasta dishes, two main course selections and more, the serata might just be one of the hottest tickets in town.

“One hundred and fifty people attended a year ago,” Father Apparcel said. “For some reason, this year is more popular, and we expect to have 200 people.”

The popularity of the event has definitely increased since the Santa Susanna Ladies Guild began hosting annual bazaars some 50 years ago.

“It is hard to develop a social justice ministry in downtown Rome for a group of Americans who don’t speak Italian,” explained Father Paul G. Robichaud, Paulist historian and former pastor of Santa Susanna. “By donating all the proceeds to charity, the serata is a way to be a tithing community and a way of saying thanks to God. It is a lovely evening for the whole community.”

The charities supported by the St. Nicholas Charity Serata are:

Archè works with children who are HIV-positive or who have AIDS, and helps their families as well. More than 600 volunteers, trained by qualified doctors, psychologists and social workers, help with home and hospital care, staff a residential home for mothers and children, and provide family support, school support, prevention projects and sensitization in schools.

The Centro Astalli Refugee Center operates dormitories for men, women and children, serves dinner every night and provides a health clinic, Italian language school and social counseling (including job and house searches, and legal aid).

The Joel Nafuma Refugee Centre serves refugees every single day and offers job assistance, information and a place to rest and talk.

The Missionaries of Charity provide a home for the homeless – men and women are housed and fed twice a day. They have a home for single mothers and provide care for their babies when they work. They also have homes for the elderly, the ill, and physically- and mentally-handicapped children.

The Casa Famiglia Villa del Pino houses and cares for men who have AIDS and who have been rejected by their families and local communities and have nowhere to go. They also work to improve education regarding AIDS in the community.

Caritas (the Vicariato di Roma) reaches all nationalities and helps the homeless and the needy in local neighborhoods. Shelter, food, medical facilities and miscellaneous items are provided on a temporary basis until individuals, many of whom are refugees, are able to find their way.

The Casa di San Giuseppe and Santa Teresa serves orphans and troubled children. Half of the children are Albanians, the rest are Polish and Italian. Education in local schools, as well as food, clothes and lodging are provided.

The Di Liegro Foundation works hard to change the structures of society that limit the protection of human beings. It attempts to remove situations of exclusion due to economic or political bias by collaborating with the public administration, as well as with private and volunteer organizations that operate within the field of solidarity and social politics.

The St. Nicholas Fund helps individuals or groups who come to Santa Susanna’s door with legitimate needs, and is under the direction of the Paulist Fathers and the social justice committee of the parish council.



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