A worker tightens lug nuts on a tire on the assembly line at a General Motors plant. Parishes in the hard hit Ontario cities of Oshawa and Windsor, the hub of the Canadian automobile industry, have helped out many families hit by the hard times being felt in the auto sector. (CNS photo/Jim West)
OSHAWA, Ont. - Fr. Makarios Isaac stood in front of the more than 90 people who braved a late December snowstorm to attend Sunday Mass.
“God is with us. God is with you. No matter how difficult it is right now, He is with you,” he reassured his congregation at Oshawa’s St. Philip the Apostle Church.
The church is just a few minutes from the General Motors assembly plants which have been one of the epi-centres of Canada’s economic recession. Most of the parishioners are — or at least used to be — employed in the auto sector or in jobs related to the industry.
Although news of billion-dollar auto industry bailouts by Canadian and American governments has provided hope that the Big Three auto makers will survive, some experts are wondering for how long. On Dec. 18, the U.S. government pledged $17.4 billion for Ford, GM and Chrysler to get through the economic storm. In Canada, the federal and Ontario governments said on Dec. 20 that they would provide $4 billion in emergency loans to Chrysler Canada and General Motors Canada.
During these uncertain times, Isaac said people are turning to the church for help. He said the parish has seen 150 families asking for help in 2008, double the number from the previous year. And the parish has sometimes averaged 100 phone calls in a week with people worried about not being able to pay for hydro, rent or food, he added. In his three years at the parish, Isaac said this is an unprecedented crisis, even with job layoffs in recent years in Oshawa.
But what has been a source of hope is how people have responded to the need. Aside from gifts, food and donations, some parishioners have even invited families to their Christmas dinners.
In Windsor, Ont., Canada’s automotive capital, the recession has been magnified because the city has long depended upon the auto industry as its sole economic engine.
London Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Daniels, who oversees the southwestern part of the diocese which includes Windsor, said although the city is suffering its worst economic downturn, he has also heard of stories of “remarkable generosity.”
“Parishes understand that the need is real,” he said.
The church’s role at this time is to care for those who need help and to be a voice for the poor and those who are struggling, Daniels said, adding that all levels of government should consider tackling poverty as an economic strategy. At Windsor’s St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, Fr. Tom Ashton said his desperate appeal for bread, milk, peanut butter and student bus passes at one Sunday Mass was sparked after hearing from many parishioners who had lost their jobs and were unable to pay their bills or buy food for their family.
A local reporter happened to be at Mass when Ashton delivered his homily in early December and asked parishioners to help fill the parish’s empty food bank and thinning resources. After a story was published in The Windsor Star, Ashton said the response was phenomenal. Up to $28,000 in cash and at least $10,000 worth of food was donated.
“I’ve never cried so many tears of joy and never said ‘Thank you’ so much in the last few days. It’s awesome,” Ashton said.
For Connie Marion, a mother of two, a $1,000 donation from the parish came at a crucial time. Her husband is currently out of work and due to the auto industry’s recent decline, he has been working temporarily for the past three years at a company which makes car parts.
“It was a breath of fresh air, relief, I was able to give my family a Christmas that I didn’t think was going to happen,” the 34-year-old educational assistant said tearfully in a telephone interview from Windsor, Ont.
Marion said although they have been able to pay the mortgage, buying groceries has been a challenge. She said Ashton’s example reflects the parish’s spirit of generosity.
At Windsor’s Assumption parish, Laura Durham, office administrator, said more people are finding themselves in an economic situation in which they haven’t been in before because of the Big Three’s economic woes. A once stable auto industry job is no longer a guarantee.
In her 17 years at the parish, Durham said there are more families asking for help than before. This year, 60 families, up from 30 last year, have sought help and calls are still coming in.
Meanwhile, in the 28 years that executive director Marina Clemens has been at Drouillard Place, she said she has never seen such an increase in working poor families. Drouillard Place provides emergency food aid, crisis counselling and clothing assistance in Windsor.
Even with the government bailout, some like Marion wonder about how the restructuring will affect the automotive industry in the long run.
For Marion, it’s hard to imagine Windsor without the Big Three carmakers.
“I pray to God. I don’t pray for things. I never have. I always pray for strength,” she said.
Back in Oshawa, Isaac said the church will continue to respond to the community’s needs, regardless of the government bailout’s aftermath.
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