Our Harvest on Vine
And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you,
whatever you did for one of these least brothers and sisters of mine,
you did for me… For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was
thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no
welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison,
and you did not care for me.’ Then they will answer and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked
or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer
them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these
least ones, you did not do for me.’ Mt 25:40, 42-45
By virtue of our Baptism, we have been given a special responsibility to reach out to others- it is at the heart of the teaching of the Catholic faith- nothing less.
When we feed the hungry, comfort the afflicted and show respect to those in need, we live our calling as the Body of Christ in action. Harvest on Vine is instrumental to the mission of our parish, important to the Collaborative we’re building, of our vocation as Christians, and particularly, as Catholics.
St. Mary- St. Catherine of Siena’s Harvest on Vine food pantry is now entering its 23rd year of service. From its beginning, the parish identified food insecurity as an issue in the neighborhood and began what became Harvest on Vine food pantry to address it, beginning with seven families and a few volunteers. Today, we serve more than 775 families with the hard work of more than 100 volunteers. Food is distributed three times a month- twice a month behind St. Catherine’s rectory and monthly at Mishawum, giving each family a week’s worth of food. No one is turned away.
Through the years, the food pantry weathered storms, developed its mission and is now thriving. We recently purchased another 8’ x 10’ walk-in freezer that stores 4 tons of frozen meat and fish. Twice a month the freezers are filled, and twice a month they are emptied. We opened the Boyce Community Kitchen, hosting monthly cooking classes for the community and social gatherings. Hundreds of our neighbors have benefitted from this program. We’ve partnered more closely with the St. Mary- St. Catherine of Siena Society of St. Vincent de Paul, providing services that meet the needs of our clients (rental assistance, furniture, bedding).
During the pandemic, the need for food skyrocketed. In response, Harvest on Vine increased the amount of food distributed. We wore masks and gloves and moved the operation outside, adapting, bundling up to weather the cold, ignoring wind and snow.
Charlestown residents and organizations ran food drives for us. Our Faith Formation students collected soap, shampoo, and other toiletries, and in partnership with St. Francis de Sales’s conference, initiated a successful towel drive. We continue to operate outside to maximize health safety for all. We’re looking at the feasibility of building an overhang along the back of the rectory for food distributions and more.
Generous donors continue to give us the means to provide fresh produce, meat, milk, cheese, and eggs at every distribution. Each month we give out foods like potatoes, onions, peppers, plantains, tomatoes, lettuce, Bok choy, bananas, and other fruits and vegetables. We survey our clients and order foods that respond to the needs of our clients, respecting cultural preferences.
The Greater Boston Food Bank refers to our Town as a “food desert”. Most of our families don’t have transportation to drive to supermarkets. The stores within walking distance offer little affordable, fresh food. At this time, Harvest on Vine is blessed to have food to distribute. We are doubly blessed to have committed volunteers to distribute the food and supporters who give us the means to purchase it. Today, with the cuts to safety net programs that help feed the poor, we need your support more than ever, even more than the
pandemic years. Among the over 2,000 people we regularly serve, roughly 520 are children. The concerns are great, the challenges are many, but through your help, we’re taking it on. We aim to bridge the food-desert gap.
The needy in our midst, often invisible, need our support all year long. Through your generosity and the hard
work of so many, we know we can respond to the need. May we heed the call of the good King, the Lord Jesus, to respond to His challenge joyously. Join us (and bring someone you love) at a distribution, share a talent or skill, donate food, money, or give in other ways generously. How blest we are to have so much. How blest we are to have opportunities to give. We will not only give to those in need- we’re also giving to the King of Kings.
Thomas MacDonald Director, Harvest on Vine
Fr. John Sheridan Pastor, Charlestown Catholic Collaborative
Monthly Distributions:
Second Saturday and last Tuesday of the month,
behind St. Catherine Rectory @ 49 Vine St and
fourth Thursday of the month at Mishawum Park.
The Nineteenth Annotation of the Spiritual Exercises (11/19-4/22)
The Nineteenth Annotation Retreat of the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, An Invitation to Meet Christ in Prayer, arranged by Fr. John Sassani & Mary Ann McLaughlin is being offered in a group setting for Catholic adults. The number of participants will be limited.
These Spiritual Exercises extend over the course of twenty-three weeks and are loosely aligned with the liturgical year.
The group will use the ZOOM Format to meet weekly, on line, from 10am to 12 noon starting on
Wednesday November 19, 2025 through Wednesday April 22, 2026.
Mary Ann McLaughlin and Deacon Dan Burns will direct the Spiritual Exercises. For further information please call Mary Ann at 617-686-2287 or email:maryannmclaughlin2@aol.com.
Healing Retreat for Adult Children of Divorce (3/28/26)
The Catholic ministry, Life Giving Wounds in collaboration with Family Life are offering a one-day healing retreat for adult children of divorce or separation at the Pastoral Center in Braintree from 9 AM – 5 PM on March 28th. The day will include talks, prayer, confession, Adoration, Mass, small group sharing, meals and resources. The retreat fee is $45 ($25 for college students). Visit bit.ly/lifegivingwoundsretreat for more information.