“In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Galations 5:22-23

St. Paul taught this; my parents and siblings had taught me about this throughout my life. Inspired by that teaching, I learned that in our family any in-law was treated like a sibling.Three days before my brother-in-law Henry died, a deacon of the Church and I visited him. Visiting the sick and the dying is one of the Corporal Works of Mercy. Many of the people the deacon and I visited were veterans of the U.S. military. Henry had been a Marine during the Vietnam War in 1967.

CARITAS' ministry partners in Uganda, the Little Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi truly know the fruits of the Spirit.

For many years Henry had been a high school basketball referee. He stood tall at six foot three. When I was eight years old he took me to see a local high school game. We sat in the front seats along with the coaching staff. I was amazed by the bright, shining, red scoreboard lights and the ball players. To me they looked like professionals. When Henry and I attended that high school game, my eyes were wide open. It was all a new awakening for me.

CARITAS For Children is nothing short of what St. Paul has taught us. The fruit of the Spirit calls us to witness the joy of children growing and learning. Sponsorship offers a new peace to children in need as they benefit from the kindness and generosity of their benefactors. The faithfulness of the sponsored children and their teachers, CARITAS’ Catholic religious ministry partners inspires our faith. The children in Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, Haiti and the Dominican Republic are learning the fruit of the Spirit in a new, enlightened path through CARITAS’ Catholic child sponsorship programs.

My brother in-law Henry was a gentle soul, he suffered the results of Agent Orange from his action in Vietnam. I remembered him as a counselor and teacher, advocating for the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. The kind of death that Henry endured was good for no one. To anyone who knew him, Henry left behind a lot of faithful love. He simply gave kindness, wellness and hope to people. Henry knew the value of a child, and demonstrated the fruit of the Spirit.