Social Concerns
In Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI describes the “unbreakable bond between love of God and love of neighbor” (no. 16). The experience of God’s love, he says, should move us to love our neighbors, in whom God is present. But what should this loving action look like? The Catholic tradition recognizes two distinct, but complementary, ways we can respond to the Gospel call to put love in action: social justice (addressing systemic, root causes of problems that affect many people) and charitable works (short-term, emergency assistance for individuals).
St. Mary's offers many different programs and organizations to enable all parishioners to act for more social justice and do services.
Activities
- Sunday for the Poor Drives
The first Sunday of each month at St. Mary's is designated Sunday For the Poor with a drive to help restocking the St. Vincent de Paul Society food pantry.
Sunday for the Poor Food Drive on June 1 & 2
"Feed the hungry (cf. Mt 25:35, 37, 42) is an ethical imperative for the universal Church, as she responds to the teachings of her Founder, the Lord Jesus, concerning solidarity and the sharing of goods." (Pope Benedict XVI in Caritas in Veritate, 2009). You can help feeding the hungry in Bryan/College Station by bringing non-perishable items to the food drive at St. Mary’s next weekend, June 1 & 2, for the St. Vincent de Paul Society food pantry. Items suggested are brown or black beans, spaghetti pasta and sauce, rice, potatoes flakes, cans of soup and chili. Donations can be put in the carts at the back of the church. Thank you for helping feeding the hungry of our community!
Sunday for the Poor Food Drive on June 1 & 2
"Feed the hungry (cf. Mt 25:35, 37, 42) is an ethical imperative for the universal Church, as she responds to the teachings of her Founder, the Lord Jesus, concerning solidarity and the sharing of goods." (Pope Benedict XVI in Caritas in Veritate, 2009). You can help feeding the hungry in Bryan/College Station by bringing non-perishable items to the food drive at St. Mary’s next weekend, June 1 & 2, for the St. Vincent de Paul Society food pantry. Items suggested are brown or black beans, spaghetti pasta and sauce, rice, potatoes flakes, cans of soup and chili. Donations can be put in the carts at the back of the church. Thank you for helping feeding the hungry of our community!
- Social Ministries Outreach Collections
The Social Ministries Outreach Collections are taken up monthly, usually on the 4th Sunday of the month, with the main collection next weekend. If you wish to donate for the collection, envelops are available at the poster and can be put in the main collection baskets. The Social Ministries Outreach Collections help support the local outreach efforts of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Good Samaritan Gabriel Project Life Center, Brazos Valley Coalition for Life, Habitat for Humanity, as well as special needs brought to the attention of the parish.
Monetary donations to the Poor Box located along the right side wall of the entrance of the church contribute to support the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Monetary donations to the Poor Box located along the right side wall of the entrance of the church contribute to support the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
- Service Fair
St. Mary's Service Fair is taking place on Tuesday September 18, 2012, from 4 to 8 PM in the student lounge. This was an opportunities for students to visit with representatives from different organizations offering long-term volunteer opportunities (from a few weeks to a couple of years) and local volunteer opportunities, and gather information materials on display.
- Voter Coffee House
The annual Voter's Coffee House is scheduled for Sunday Oct 21st, 2012 from 3:30-5:15 PM. Guest speaker Jennifer Carr Allmon, associate director of the Texas Catholic Conference, will speak about our duty to form our consciences in accordance with the Catholic Church teachings and the guiding principles to vote as a Catholic American. The event iss sponsored by SMAPL and ACT.
- Work of Human Hands Sale
First weekend of December (Sat. Dec. 1st & Sun Dec. 2nd, 2012) from 9 AM to 9 PM in St. Mary’s Activity Center
The Work of Human Hands provides an opportunity to put our consumer dollars to work for a better world by buying extraordinary, one-of-a-kind Fair Traded handcrafts through the Work of Human Hands project of Catholic Relief Services in partnership with SERRV. The beautiful products sold through Work of Human Hands are created by more than 90 producer groups in 30 countries around the world. All the items are produced by democratically run groups of disadvantaged artisans and farmers, mostly women, who struggle to compete in the conventional trading system. When someone purchases their products, they not only generate needed income for the artisans, but also contribute to the sustainable development of the communities where producers live by stimulating local economies around the world.
The Work of Human Hands provides an opportunity to put our consumer dollars to work for a better world by buying extraordinary, one-of-a-kind Fair Traded handcrafts through the Work of Human Hands project of Catholic Relief Services in partnership with SERRV. The beautiful products sold through Work of Human Hands are created by more than 90 producer groups in 30 countries around the world. All the items are produced by democratically run groups of disadvantaged artisans and farmers, mostly women, who struggle to compete in the conventional trading system. When someone purchases their products, they not only generate needed income for the artisans, but also contribute to the sustainable development of the communities where producers live by stimulating local economies around the world.
St. Mary's organizes a few day-long out-of-town service trip during the fall and spring semester, as well as a few week-long mission trips during Spring Break.
The 3rd annual Social Justice Week is scheduled for March 18 to 24, 2013. This is a week during Lent with a number of activities to provide an opportunity to all St. Mary's parishioners to deepen their knowledge of Catholic Social Teaching and raise awareness on some social justice issues.
A fun way to join in the spirit of giving and to show the poor in our community that we really do care about them. The 5K Run/Walk is organized by St. Mary’s Advocates for Christ Today (ACT) group and all proceeds go directly to the St. Vincent de Paul Society,
Organizations:
- ACT: Advocates for Christ Today
- SMAPL: St. Mary's Aggies Promoting Life
- Jail Ministry: Catholic services on Sunday morning to the Sandy Point minimum security jail in Bryan.
- St. Vincent de Paul Society: providing people of the community in need with emergency financial assistance, food and clothing.
- Ministry to the Sick: bringing spiritual and healing comfort to parishioners who are sick or home-bound
Services opportunities
- Organizations supported by St. Mary’s
- Local service opportunities
- Summer service opportunities
- Long-term service opportunities
Social Concerns resources
St. Mary’s social justice newsletter is published as a full page insert in the Sunday parish bulletin usually on the 3rd Sunday of the month. Each month Matthew 25 brings a social justice issue viewed from the perspective of the Catholic Social Teaching, helping us to get informed, reflect and act.
During the summer the Conversations about Contemporary Concerns offer the opportunity to all interested to learn together about a different topic each week through a short presentation followed by a discussion.
A couple of weeks from June 21 to July 4, 2012, with different activities to defend Religious Freedom.
For more information on any of the activities, programs and organizations under Social Concerns, contact Clotilde, St.Mary's Director of Social Ministries.
Calendar (Next 10 upcoming events)
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Jun 26, 2013Change the life of a child through the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA). Come to this meeting to learn more about the sponsorship program.