Christian Family: Caregivers

This compact documentary aimed at Catholics looks at the Christian precepts of caregiving within the home, parish, and larger community. The idea is that values related to helping those in need actually originate in the family, where children learn about physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Caregivers emphasizes two broad areas where such values can be applied across the board in creative ways: corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The former is defined in terms of physical care, such as feeding the hungry, providing drink to the thirsty, offering shelter and clothing to those in need, and visiting the sick and imprisoned. Along the way, the program also describes specific ways in which those missions can be taught in the home and extended into the good works of a parish and in private and public charities. Good nutrition in the home, for example, can translate into broader awareness for providing wholesome foods to food banks and soup kitchens. The perennial problem of homelessness, which stretches official social services to their limit, can be offset by churches in a variety of ways, while clothing donations can go a long way toward meeting basic needs. A solid primer on practicing faith-based beliefs in real-world applications, this is recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)