St. Philip Catholic Church donates $10,000 to Mercy Community Healthcare
Gift deepens partnership between church and community healthcare center
St. Philip Catholic Church recently donated $10,000 to Mercy Community Healthcare to support operating expenses and COVID-19 relief. Because of the pandemic, Mercy has seen a decrease in patient visits, which has resulted in a loss of revenue. This gift helps cover a portion of that unexpected loss.
“We are simply sharing the blessings that God has given us with others,” said Father Marneni Bala Showraiah, pastor of St. Philip Catholic Church.
Joining Father Bala, a recognizable face to many of Mercy’s staff, for the check presentation were St. Philip parishioners Chris and Barb Nelson, and Mike and Victoria Ren.
“Faith-based organizations should support community health. This gift to Mercy is our small way of contributing,” said Chris Nelson, the social action representative on the Parish Pastoral Council.
St. Philip Catholic Church, a longtime supporter of Mercy, serves as a sponsor for the annual Franklin Classic, partners with Mercy on community health fairs, and hosts Mercy’s annual fall fundraising dinner.
“St. Philip is committed to community engagement through our actions as well as our prayers,” said Mike Ren, the administration and finance representative on the Parish Pastoral Council.
“We are grateful for Father Bala, the Nelsons, the Rens and everyone at St. Philip for all they do for Mercy,” said Cindy Siler, CEO of Mercy Community Healthcare. “They have been faithful supporters for many years.
“We are so fortunate to have community partners, like St. Philip, that understand and share our mission to reflect the love and compassion of Jesus Christ. Especially in the times we are facing, we must stand brave together in His love.”
To learn more about the mission of Mercy, visit MercyTN.org.
Pictured (L to R): Chris Nelson (St. Philip Catholic Church), Barb Nelson (St. Philip Catholic Church), Cindy Siler (CEO of Mercy Community Healthcare), Dorothy Bullard (Chief Business Development Officer of Mercy Community Healthcare), Father Marneni Bala Showraiah (Pastor of St. Philip Catholic Church , Victoria Ren (St. Philip Catholic Church), Mike Ren (St. Philip Catholic Church)
About Mercy Community Healthcare
Mercy Community Healthcare was founded in 1999 as Mercy Children’s Clinic with a mission to reflect the love and compassion of Jesus Christ by providing excellent healthcare to ALL and support to their families. The nonprofit clinic added mental health and social services to its integrated care program in 2006, and expanded to a new facility in Franklin, Tenn., in 2009. Mercy was awarded a grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services designating it as a Federally Qualified Health Center in June 2012.
As a result of this, Mercy began seeing adult patients, and Mercy Children’s Clinic transitioned to Mercy Community Healthcare. Mercy Community Healthcare seeks to reflect its mission of providing quality, experienced care to everyone – adults, children, insured and uninsured – throughout Middle Tennessee.
