The Christian Service Commission exists as a model and resource of Catholic social teaching to enable the entire parish community to put the social teaching of the Church into action.  The Commission empowers the members of the parish to fulfill the Church’s mission of love, justice, freedom and peace under the mantle of evangelization by communally responding, in an organized way, to societal and individual needs.  The commission creates and/or promotes programs that strive to address human needs and achieve justice whether locally or in the broader communities of the vicariate, region, Archdiocese, state, nation and world.

To fulfill this purpose, Christian Service has several ongoing activities throughout the year as well as specific events listed below.  Our ongoing activities include:

• St. Mary’s Emergency Food Pantry serves clients on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm. Our mission is to serve with respect and compassion as we provide assistance, and to “make Jesus Christ known and visible.”
• Our local St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) Conference is a valuable affiliation of the pantry.  SVdP assists those in financial crisis such as with utility shut-off notices and eviction notices on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.
• “Sandwich Sundays” – on the 1st Sunday of each month volunteers of all ages (families encouraged) are invited to prepare 100 lunches for the homeless and poor in Detroit.  Lunches are prepared in the Parish Center following 11:00 Mass from 12:00 – 1:00.
• Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers is an outreach to the elderly and disabled that provides rides to Church, doctor’s appointments, etc., as well as companionship and small chores.  Volunteers are always welcome.
• Salvation Army Soup Kitchen – St. Mary’s prepares a lunch at the kitchen on the 1st Monday of every other month.
• Funeral luncheons – St. Mary’s provides this ministry by preparing a lunch following the Funeral Liturgy.  Volunteers are welcome to help prepare, serve and clean-up as well as provide desserts.
• Respect Life Committee – we endeavor to inform and assist others, employing the social teachings of the Church as we uphold the dignity of all life from birth to natural death.
• St. Mary’s has an active Health Ministry under the direction of our Parish Nurse.  They minister to the physical and spiritual needs of our community in a variety of ways, i.e. communion to the homebound, bi-annual blood drives, exercise classes, grief support groups.  Both nurses and other volunteers are invited to assist Richi and Marge in this ministry.

January

• Gleaners Food Bank/Kroger Food Drive each January.  Volunteers welcome to assist with collection of food inside the doors of Kroger (23 Mile, Chesterfield)

February

• Host 3 Lenten soup suppers in Parish Center.  Speakers present reflections on our Lenten journey.  Volunteers welcome to prepare soups and help serve/clean-up.
• Conduct Operation Rice Bowl in parish which assists people worldwide, and at the same time inform our community about our responsibility to care about the needs of our brothers and sisters throughout the world.

March

• Appalachian Dinner in Parish Center.  Volunteers of all ages welcome to prepare, serve and clean-up.  Dinner to support the “poorest of the poor” at the Piarist School, a Catholic, “tuition-free,” college prep middle and high school in rural Kentucky.
• Invite families of the parish to fill Easter food bags in the pantry.

May

• Right-to-Life carnation sale, Mother’s Day weekend.  Volunteers of all ages invited to hand out carnations at the doors of Church after Masses and collect donations for right-to-life causes.
• Postal Workers Food Drive, Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend.  Volunteers invited to help sort food in the Gym both as food comes in on this Saturday and the following week.

July

• MCREST (Macomb County Rotating Emergency Shelter Program), third week in July in Parish Center.  Volunteers of all ages needed to help set-up, serve/clean-up meals, etc. during this week of caring for the homeless at our Church.

October

• Respect Life Baby Shower throughout October.  Initiative of the Respect Life Committee where items are collected in Church and donated to Compassion Pregnancy, a crisis pregnancy center to assist moms who choose life.

November

• Giving Tree set-up in Church.  Gifts for the children of our pantry clients and our adopted parish in downtown Detroit.  Volunteers welcome to “decorate” tree with tags.
• Invite families of the parish to fill the Thanksgiving food bags in the pantry.

December

• Gifts organized in Gym 2nd week of December. Volunteers welcome.
• Gifts distributed to families in December.  Volunteers welcome.
• Advent Tea in Parish Center, 1st Sunday of Advent. We invite our youth and men to help serve the ladies at this Tea which provides the participants with a chance to hear a speaker drawing us into the meaning of Advent and to reflect on the 2nd coming of Christ.  Each year we choose a different outreach project to support with the proceeds from the Tea.

We welcome you to join our Commission meetings which are held on the 2nd Monday of each month – September through May at 7:00 pm in the Annex or participate in any of our activities.  If you have questions, please contact Debbie Warren, Christian Service Coordinator at debbiewarren@smqoc.com or 586-725-2441 x 31.