Outreach Ministries

The Christian Action Commission acts upon the Gospel mandate to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, find shelter for the homeless, visit the lonely, and care for all those in need. Through the many parish service projects, which originate from and are organized by this commission, the parish actively participates in Christian service and outreach to those in need within our local community. The Christian Action Commission also seeks to educate the parish community on issues pertaining to life, peace, health, and justice. Parishioners are always welcome to become Christian Action members or to participate in any of the following ministries.  

The Food Pantry has been a part of the Christian Action Commission since 1987. Our parish provides and delivers a week's worth of food to families in need in the Clay Township area. Parishioners are needed to help deliver during the day to local residents that call for assistance. Each year the parish budgets money to help the poor with food, rent, utilities, medical, and front door assistance.  Non-perishable food donations, monetary donations, and SCRIP gift certificates all contribute in allowing our parish to reach more families each month.

Parish Coordinators: Terri Sergio and Alice Wack

The Casserole Program is a weekly service for the Center for the Homeless and the YWCA. Families or individuals are provided with a pan and recipe and supply their own ingredients to make a large casserole and deliver it to Church. These casseroles are used to feed the men, women, and children who live at the Center for the Homeless and YWCA. The parish office maintains a rotating schedule of volunteers.

Parish Coordinator: Dee Rogers

The Pack-a-Lunch Program provides 60 sack lunches three times a month to the Center for the Homeless. The lunches we provide go to the residents who go out and work in our community. Finding and maintaining employment is an integral part of overcoming homelessness. Many men and women at the Center are making progress towards the goal of self-sufficiency. Your participation not only helps to ease the Center's tremendous task of providing 250 meals a day but also lets the residents know of our support as they continue to improve their lives and the lives of their family. Parishioners make sandwiches and assemble sack lunches for the Center for the Homeless. Instructions are available for all participants.
Parish Coordinator: Dee Rogers
Dismas House provides transitional housing and support services to men and women who have been recently released from incarceration. Parishioners prepare dinners and eat with the residents of Dismas House periodically throughout the year. These nights of fellowship are truly privileged encounters with those in our local community seeking to build better lives. 
The Giving Tree is a parish project that provides Christmas gifts for those who are experiencing some kind of poverty. The Giving Tree gifts are distributed to local families, nursing home residents, and disabled adults who otherwise would not receive any gifts at all. We regularly partner with Clay Relief, Catholic Charities, Dismas House, Hannah's House, St. Margaret's House, Women's Care Center, Hope Ministries (Help with Love), Christ Child Society, Healthwin, and our sister parish of Corpus Christi in Bangladesh. All parishioners are invited to sign up online through the Giving Tree registry at the beginning of Advent. All the necessary gift information will be listed online, and parishioners are responsible for returning the gifts on time. Volunteers are need to sort and deliver the gifts that are purchased.
Parish Coordinators: Linda Hatfield and Janis Emmendorfer
The holiday season can be a particularly difficult time for those experiencing financial need. At a time when we are reminded of Christ's unfailing love for us, and his desire to dwell in this world with us, others can feel weighed down by financial burden or isolated from those they love. We hope to meet some of these needs and share God's love with our community members by providing holiday food baskets for families. Baskets are delivered around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, and volunteers are needed to help pack and deliver the baskets to local homes. This is a wonderful way to share Christ's love with those in need, especially around these special times of year.
Our Respect Life Ministry seeks to provide opportunities for parishioners to participate in activities that support the dignity of life from natural conception to natural death. This Christian work for justice asks that we respect the life of every human person according to the "seamless garment," caring for individuals from "womb to tomb." While we work to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, we must not forget those who are suffering injustice at the beginning and end of life. These issues include abortion, euthanasia, and the death penalty.

October is Respect Life Month, and we hold an annual Diaper Drive for the Women's Care Center to benefit mothers and babies here in South Bend. As we celebrate Mother's Day in May, we invite parishioners into the Crib Club, offering donations in honor of a loved one which will then be used to purchase cribs for local families, again through the Women's Care Center. Sales from carnations sold on Mother's Day go directly to St. Joseph County Right to Life. It is important to remember that truly being pro-life includes care for the mother as much as the child. We pray that women feel supported in their pregnancies as well as after the birth of their children. Christians must help them rejoice at the gift of life by offering the aid they need to find peace with the new responsibility God has given them. Let us always have an attitude of joy and thanksgiving to support all life.

Parish Coordinator: Elizabeth Sain