JANESVILLE — These have not been easy times for Heidi Cicmansky and many of her neighbors in this southern Wisconsin city.

The General Motors plant, having shed workers for years, will close completely next week, taking with it thousands of other jobs in related industries across the region.

"We need all the prayers and support we can get right now," said Cicmansky, 45, whose husband has been unemployed since losing his job as a human resources manager at a metalworking plant in June.

Tuesday evening, Cicmansky and her family were among about 100 parishioners at a special Mass for the unemployed and underemployed held jointly by five Catholic parishes in and around Janesville.

The hard times and tough economy dictate that the church reach out in solidarity to those suffering, said the Rev. John Auby, pastor of St. William Catholic Church in Janesville, where the service was held.

"It's important to remember that God is always close to us, and that He is the light that will see us through difficult times," he said in an interview.

The Mass drew people like Gina Gardner, 41, of Janesville, whose husband recently lost his job as a pilot with Midwest Airlines. "There's a lot of healing needed," she said. "The whole country is in strife, but we're being hit particularly hard in this community."

Bishop Robert Morlino of the Madison Catholic Diocese presided over the Mass, arriving about 30 minutes late due to heavy snow that likely suppressed attendance. Morlino told parishioners that they get their dignity from who they are, not what they do for a living. The greatest dignity comes from being a disciple of Jesus Christ, he said.

"My heart goes out to you tonight," he said. "But I cannot say to you that you are not called to rejoice, that you are not called to have hope, because the Lord is near."

Pastors at several Madison-area churches said the recession is beginning to affect their parishioners, although not yet to the degree found in Janesville.

At Midvale Community Lutheran Church in Madison, ministers are saying special prayers each service for those in financial distress, said the Rev. Katie Baardseth. It is sometimes hard to know how many people are suffering economically, she said.

"I think Madison's economy is different from Janesville's right now, but I think people often are private about their struggles," she said. "It takes time for them to feel comfortable talking about it."

There often is a degree of shame in our culture about being unemployed, Baardseth said. She hopes churches can be places where people shed that shame and are healed, she said.

The Rev. Bill White, pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church in Madison, said that while his church's parishioners have not suffered major job losses, many who draw from investments for living expenses are hurting.

"That's where it's really been tough, and I think it's hard to know when that's the issue," he said.

Despite the economy, pledges are up at Bethel Lutheran Church, White said. Memorial United Church of Christ in Fitchburg also had a strong stewardship drive this fall to pay church expenses, even though some people have had to reduce their contributions, said the Rev. Bonnie Van Overbeke.

"People who aren't in crisis have stepped up and balanced out those who can't," she said.

At St. William Church in Janesville, a few parishioners have been forced to move to find work and other families have been split as one spouse relocates for a new job and the other stays behind to sell the house, Auby said. The parish has temporarily waived the tuition for a handful of families at its 200-student school to help keep children enrolled whose parents are having financial problems, he said.

The Rev. Randy Timmerman, pastor of St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Janesville, another sponsor of Tuesday's Mass, said he often reminds people that Jesus came from humble roots.

"He was born in a manger — a place of emptiness," he said. "Yet love came into the world despite no room at the inn."