St. Joseph Church in the Archdiocease of Minneapolis and St. Paul is hosting a coat drive for those in need on Dec. 10 and 11.

This comes as the coldest season of the year is about to arrive. 

One of the most important works of mercy in the Catholic Church is to help those who are in physical need, be it for housing, food or clothing. 

“Know of a family in need this Advent season? Visit St. Joseph, Waconia tomorrow to pick up a coat or two, free of charge,” the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis posted on Facebook. 

The St. Joseph Catholic Church will have coats available to pick up from Friday, Dec. 10 at 7 to 9 p.m. and on Saturday, Dec. 11 from 8 to 10 a.m. The event will be taking place within the parish center, in the lower level of the church. 

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, there are seven corporal works of mercy, which are directed to the physical needs of the individual. 

“The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity. It is also a work of justice pleasing to God," according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The donation of coats to those in need is clearly stated in scripture in Luke 3:11: “He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none and he who has food must do likewise. But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you. If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?”

The church is located at 41 E. First St. Waconia, Minnesota. Questions can be directed to Julie at jloscheider@stjosephwaconia.org. Waconia is a city in which over 4,000 of the 106,000 residents are living below the poverty line.