Free-will offerings for used religious books benefit Carmelite nuns

Friday, Dec. 25, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY — The universal Catholic Church must make disciples of all nations (MT 28:19), and this call  has been one of the missions of the Magdalene Religious Goods and Coffee Grotto in Salt Lake City.

One way they fulfill this mission is by offering used religious-themed books for freewill offerings. The monetary donations, which so far totals almost $600, is given to the Carmelite nuns in Holladay. 

The fundraiser started when somebody who had a large collection of books passed away; those books were donated to the Magdalene Religious Goods and Coffee Grotto.

“They brought boxes and boxes of books, so we set them up and thought of making it a fundraiser for the Carmelite nuns,” said Jacque Smithe, the store owner. 

The books that are donated are given a special stamp and placed in a specific area of the shop. The public is welcome to take a book and leave a free-will offering.

“We never question the amount that they leave, or if they leave anything,” Smithe said. “This is just a way to evangelize.” 

“We let the books do the evangelization. If they don’t have any money, they can just take them. … What happens is that we have quite a few homeless people that come in, and lot of them just take a book and leave a quarter or something, and then we have other people that take a pamphlet and donate $20, so it all evens out and works out at the end,” said  Smithe.

 “We are also asking people to bring their old spiritual books in so we can raise more money for the Carmelites,” said  Smithe, adding that those who donate books  get a free latte. “This is a way that we can afford to raise money for the Carmelites. With the help of the community we are able to do it – spread the word and spread the Good News.”

The fundraiser has two things going for it, Smithe said: One is that it helps the nuns, and the other is that it “kind of gives the faith away. … The whole focus is to spread the love – you help people and so forth.”

In her perspective, giving the books for free-will offerings is also a  way of getting the message out without disturbing anyone.

The Magdalene Religious Goods and Coffee Grotto, 2030 South 900 East Suite E, Salt Lake City, is open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.