Direct Service Ministry

Many Catholics already know that being a follower of Jesus means that we are called to care for those who are in need. The list of human needs is long and challenging. Opportunities for service could include creating a parish St. Vincent DePaul chapter, training teenagers to visit elderly shut-ins or prepare food for soup kitchens. A parish could host the outreach of the Catholic Charities’ Immigrant and Refugee Program for naturalization and citizenship services or be a site for its youth enrichment and gang prevention work with Making the Right Connections. Parishioners could be invited to volunteer with the Home Repair program and link the parish’s elderly population with Senior Services to keep independent people in their homes. A parish could become a supporter of the Parish Hotline Food Program for family emergencies with monthly financial contributions or food collections. It could mean assisting at homeless shelters, volunteering in schools and literacy programs, providing pro-bono legal or medical services for persons unable to pay, joining Habitat for Humanity in building a home for a homeless family. It could include visiting prisoners, working with migrant farm-workers, reaching out to gang members, or assisting persons recovering from drug, alcohol or other addictions. An effective Social Ministry Committee will constantly be researching community needs and invite and prepare parishioners for service. An example: one parish includes in their weekly bulletin a box in the corner of one page called "Opportunity of the Week". In that box it might say something like: On November 17, Habitat for Humanity will be building a new home in our community. If you would like to join this effort, please call Joan Johnson at 355-5335.

Last Update April 27, 2007