Immediately after his election in 2013, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Konrad Krajewski as his papal almoner (an almoner is a person appointed to do works of charity on behalf of another). Pope Francis instructed his almoner to 'throw out the furniture' from his office, (as he would not require it). The Holy Father told his almoner not to wait for the poor to approach him for charity, but to 'go out on the streets and identify the really needy persons'. I believe this is an object lesson on how charity should be done. There are many people who approach the church for charity. It is not easy to identify who is really needy and who is not. So let's do it Pope Francis' way. Our parishes have a strong network of parish councillors and animators. The animators are ideal resource persons who can identify the needy, as they minister to just about 10-15 families . Animators must report any such needy case to the parish priest. Animators must serve as the almoners of the parish priest.
