Outreach
Bereavement
The Bereavement Ministry will offer practical help, comfort, and support to those experiencing a loss and to those bereaved members of our community. Once a year, in November, the Bereavement Ministry sponsors a Mass of Remembrance to honor all those parishioners whose Funeral Masses were celebrated in our church during the past year.
Contact: Pat Conroy 215-721-0199 or pat.conroy@stmariagoretti.net
Giving Tree
Each year during Advent our Giving Tree Program begins. This ministry makes it possible for those less fortunate and shut-ins to celebrate the Christmas season. Over 2,000 angels are hung in the narthex of the church and families are asked to purchase the item written on the angel. During the 3rd week of Advent a group of parishioners help to sort the gifts and deliver them to the less fortunate. All names are kept confidential. If you would like to be part of this special ministry or know someone who would benefit from their good works, please contact Maripat & Pat Shelly.
Contact: Maripat & Pat Shelly 215-256-0273
Parish Social Committee
This committee sponsors two social events per year which include the Annual Parish Appreciation Picnic and a Pancake Breakfast/Easter Egg Hunt. The socials are a “fun-raiser” for the parish and help to build fellowship and community among us. We have approximately 2 or 3 meetings prior to each event and have as much fun planning the social as the social itself. It is a great way to get to know your fellow parishioners.
Contact: Cheryl Ryan 215-721-0199 ext. 219 or cheryl.ryan@stmariagoretti.net
Poor Box Initiative
The Poor Box Initiative ministry is an outreach program at Saint Maria Goretti parish. The funds collected from the poor boxes, located in the church narthex each weekend, are donated to designated community food cupboards and organizations that serve people with various needs. Suggestions for any local non-profit organization that might benefit from this ministry are welcome.
Contact: Monica D’Elia 215-272-2774 or mdelia1655@verizon.net
Prayer Shawl Ministry
Prayer shawls are knitted or crocheted, blessed by a priest or deacon and delivered to parishioners who are chronically ill, recovering from surgery or homebound.
Contact: Barbara Krummert 267-424-4821 or bkrummert@yahoo.com
Respect Life Ministry
The Saint Maria Goretti Respect Life Ministry, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, seeks to uphold the dignity of every human life from conception ,to natural death. Through prayer, service, and advocacy, we strive to be a visible witness to Life.
Contact: Bob McCormick 215-362-1247 or bobmcc52@gmail.com or Jessica Akiya 215-350-7476 autumnvalley@juno.com
Sisters in Spirit
Sisters in Spirit is a women’s group that is open to all women of the parish 18 years and older. Our mission is to encourage women in faith. We do this by monthly faith-sharing meetings and spiritual, service and social outings. Meetings are typically held the 3rd Thursday of each month in the Parish Center from 7 to 8:30 pm. Outings are typically held each month.
Contact: Holly Miller 267-718-4615 or hollymiller2@mac.com
St. John’s Hospice
Saint John’s Hospice provides hot meals, shelter, mail services, support, and counseling for homeless men in Philadelphia. Saint Maria Goretti Parish provides casseroles for the hot meal in the trays they provide, as well as coffee, tea, sugar, and toiletries (sample sizes are best; no mouthwash, please). Their truck picks up our donations on the second Tuesday of each month but donations can be dropped off any time in the Ministries room in the church. There are no meetings; your participation is welcome at any time. Shop when you shop, cook when you cook, and drop off your donation when you come to church.
Contact: Therese Peck 215-855-2852 or terryp19@verizon.net
St. Vincent de Paul Society
Founded in Paris in 1833, the Society of St. Vincent DePaul joined the already established Vincentian Communities of Priests and Nuns in service to the poor. Inspired by Gospel values, The Society, a Catholic lay organization leads women and men to join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to–person service to those who are needy and suffering. We are one of the largest Catholic organization in the world with 750,000 members in 149 countries.
The Society has two aims: to do a great deal of spiritual good for its members through the exercise of charity, and to do a little spiritual and temporal good for a few poor families in the name of Jesus Christ.
Our conference has been present at Saint Maria Goretti Parish since 2006. Members of the Society visit the homes of anyone in the community who request our help. We go as neighbors to listen, offering prayer, hope and support. Sometimes we provide advice, sometimes we help them utilize community or parish resources; sometimes we provide rides, sometimes pay bills, but we always offer hope and prayer.
We also conduct monthly food drives in the Parish which benefits local food banks and shelters. Twice a year we arrange for a truck to visit the parish for donations of clothing and/or housewares. There are different levels of membership in the Society. Meetings are held on Mondays beginning at 7:00PM in the I.H.M. Room in the lower level of the Parish Center.
Contact: Edie Hardnock 215-721-0199 ext. 224 or scrabblegirl52@gmail.com