Sixty Edge and Life Teen youth from Isabel, Firesteel, Timber Lake, Trail City, Whitehorse, and Promise, packed 52 Boxes of Joy as a service project in November. The teens worked in small groups and used donated items to assemble boxes. This year, the youth prayed the Rosary before packing boxes adding the rosary they prayed with in each one. The parish covers the cost of boxes that the youth assemble.

This is the fifth year the parishes have participated in the Boxes of Joy project. During 2020, Father Brian Lane suggested it as a parish-wide as a service project/activity for individuals/families to do in their own homes, since we weren’t meeting for regular youth faith formation classes that school year.

All parishioners of Holy Cross, Timber Lake; St. Mary, Isabel; Holy Rosary, Trail City, are invited to participate by filling their own Box of Joy, but if an individual doesn’t want to do their own box, they can donate items from the suggested list.

Holy Rosary parish also serves as a drop off point for the program receiving additional 13 boxes donated by the confirmation students in Lemmon.

Box of Joy is a program of Cross Catholic Outreach. Each box contains Christmas gifts for children in developing countries and are filled with toys, clothing, school supplies, a rosary and The Story of Jesus. (Courtesy photos)