Social Ministry

The St. Francis Xavier Social Ministry Board was established in the summer of 2003 to be a strong source of direction and leadership for social ministry in the parish. The current Board, which consists of 10 parishioners plus the parish Director of Social Ministry, meets the third Wednesday of each month.

Recently, the Board developed the logo above that represents three broad areas of endeavor for social ministry in the parish: direct service, social justice advocacy, and formation (education for justice and its integral relationship with our faith). All of the ministry’s activities and services are related in some way to one or more of these areas of focus.

The logo’s joined hands demonstrate the inter-connections between these three areas of service; the circle shows the cyclical and inter-related nature of these endeavors; the cross is a symbol of our faith and is at the center of all we do - it expresses an awareness of the good news of God’s love for all and that our hands are now the extension of Jesus’ mission on earth.

With the support of the Pastoral Council and the guidance and assistance of the Social Ministry Board we envision a broader scope for social ministry in the years ahead. We hope to be able to reach our parishioners more often and more deeply in regards to all aspects of Social Ministry. We want to create greater awareness as to what College Church Social Ministry is about, what we do and who we serve.

We invite all to join us as we begin to pursue our hopes and vision for Social Ministry in 2007.

DIRECT SERVICE 2007

In the book Compassion, Henri Nouwen et al call us to “Radical Servanthood”: “When we begin to see God himself, the source of all our comfort and consolation, in the center of servanthood, compassion becomes much more than doing good for unfortunate people. Radical servanthood, as the encounter with the compassionate God, takes us beyond the distinctions between wealth and poverty, success and failure, fortune and bad luck … . The poor are called blessed not because poverty is good, but because theirs is the kingdom of heaven; the mourners are called blessed, not because mourning is good, but because they shall be comforted.”

“Here we are touching the profound spiritual truth that service is an expression of the search for God and not just of the desire to bring about individual or social change … .”

“Radical servanthood challenges us, while attempting persistently to overcome poverty, hunger, illness, and any other form of human misery, to reveal the gentle presence of our compassionate God in the midst of our broken world.” (Compassion, pp. 31-32)

Direct Service Endeavors

in the Outreach Office

The Outreach Program located in the lower level of the Parish Center is open on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to noon and operated through 29 parish volunteers; we provide direct services and assistance for those who are homeless, of low income or in transition. People are referred to us by many agencies in the St. Louis area. Since we are situated near downtown St. Louis where there are homeless shelters such as the Salvation Army’s Harbor Light, most of our male clients come from these shelters. Many also come from transitional places for recently released prisoners and safe houses. In 2006 we served approximately 276 people each month.

In addition to emergency services of food, clothing, resource referrals and care kits, we are well known in the city for helping homeless and low income visitors with assistance in obtaining their state photo identification cards and the requisite birth bertificates. The IDs allow them to move on in their search for employment, housing, schooling, child-care, etc.

As part of our Outreach Program, we host a Legal Clinic on the 3rd Wednesday of every month that is staffed by an attorney parishioner volunteer. If a case requires attention beyond what can be provided in a clinic session, the attorney will either take on the case himself or refer it to one of the pool of attorneys in the Parish who have volunteered to handle clinic cases. These services are for non-criminal cases only.

Hot Stuff (February 24, 2007) and Cool Stuff (August 11, 2007) are annual events that provide a meal and essential clothing items to homeless and poor people in the City. They are entirely parish run and supported and are important days not only for our guests but also for our parishioners who look forward to meeting our guests. Hot Stuff and Cool Stuff are coordinated by parishoner and staff member Ruth Cochran.

The Casserole Program with St. Patrick Center is coordinated by parishioner Mary Claire Voss. Since 2005, it has grown from 20 volunteers to 33 who now provide lunch once a month for 250-300 homeless at St. Patrick’s Center.

There are two Sandwich Programs: Parishioner Lea Koesterer coordinates volunteers who make 350 sandwiches on the 2nd Sunday of each month and deliver them to Karen Catholic Worker House. Students in our Parish Religious Education program, coordinated by staff member Angie Doerr, provide and make the sandwiches for our Outreach Program. Our visitors, who consume over 250 sandwiches each month, are very appreciative.

Katrina Outreach efforts in 2006-2007 were organized under the leadership of parishioner Maureen Byrnes. Four trips to New Orleans were made by groups of Parish volunteers who joined hands with Catholic Charities Operation Helping Hands in New Orleans to help in renovation and clean-up.

In a new Global Outreach effort, we are in the process of developing a twinning relationship with a sister Jesuit parish in Central America. Parishioners Tom and Natalie Wilcox have initiated a “Sister Parish Committee” that now meets the 2nd Sunday of each month after the 10:30 a.m. Liturgy in the Pastoral Center. All are welcome.

ADVOCACY 2007

We also need to look beyond the individuals we assist to the social issues and situations with which they struggle. It is also our responsibility to become agents of change of unjust and inhumane systems and structures we observe or uncover. We want to become public advocates for those who bear the brunt of these injustices. We hope to move beyond an Advocacy Committee to Parish-wide involvement with advocacy efforts.

“Honest, direct confrontation is a true expression of compassion. As Christians, we are in the world without being of it. It is precisely this position that renders confrontation both possible and necessary. The illusion of power must be unmasked, idolatry must be undone, oppression and exploitation must be fought. This is compassion.

“We cannot suffer with the poor when we are unwilling to confront those persons and systems that cause poverty. We cannot set the captives free when we do not want to confront those who carry the keys. We cannot profess solidarity with those who are oppressed when we are unwilling to confront the oppressor. Compassion without confrontation fades quickly into fruitless sentimental commiseration.” (Compassion, p.124)

Advocacy Endeavors

While we are no longer formal members of Metropolitan Congregations United we are implementing what we hope will be an active, informed Advocacy Committee within the Parish. We welcome and invite parishioners interested in advocacy and social justice issues to join this committee. The Committee meets monthly to coordinate and direct parish advocacy efforts and to identify local issues for parish advocacy efforts.

Peace Vigils are held each Sunday at 7:00 p.m. in front of the Church. Parishioners Mary and Jerry Wuller coordinate this on-going effort for peace.

In order to raise awareness about social justice issues in this area, in the U.S. and globally, we are initiating in 2007 a speaker series on social justice issues. The presentations will be supported with honest, historical data and will provide a forum for dialogue and discussion of the topics

We are offering an in-depth look at immigration issues through a 4-day border immersion trip to El Paso/Ciudad Juarez for participants in our Just Faith program. This is a Friends Across Borders trip coordinated and sponsored by Maryknoll Lay Missioners. Once completed we will assess this as a possible offering for all parishioners.

Beginning in 2007, our Annual Parish Vendor Sunday will include fair trade exhibitors.

FORMATION 2007

We hope to teach and offer time for reflection on what we are learning through our direct service efforts as an essential part of this ministry. We need to educate and create awareness among all parishioners of the injustices and social issues we observe or uncover, of the integral relationship between faith and justice, between direct service and advocacy. As we continue the “breaking of the bread” it is an expression of our solidarity with one another but is also an expression of our solidarity with all those who suffer, whether in our local community or in another country.

Formation Endeavors

We continue to offer Just Faith each year for all those interested in deepening their faith and their knowledge of the justice tradition of the Church. JustFaith is a 30 week long formation process and spiritual journey. This program meets weekly for readings, videos, guest speakers, discussion, prayer, retreats and hands-on experiences in justice education. 2007-08 will be College Church’s 6th year for offering a JustFaith experience.

Social Ministry will continue providing gatherings for recognition, appreciation and growth of its outreach volunteers. These gatherings may consist of luncheons, a day of recollection, and a speaker or visit to some of our agency referral sites.

Social Ministry and Religious Education will be coordinating some offerings for our parish youth and children to raise a consciousness and awareness of how service and action around social justice matters is integral to their faith.

As mentioned above, we will start a speaker series on current justice issues on 2007.

The Role of the Parish Community in Social Ministry

“The primary quality of community is a deep sense of being gathered by God. When Francis Xavier traveled alone across many continents he found strength in the sure knowledge that he belonged to a community that supported him with prayer and brotherly care. And many Christians who show great perseverance in hard and lonely tasks find their strength in the deep bond with the community in whose name they do their work ….”

“We are able to do many hard things, tolerate many conflicts, overcome many obstacles, and persevere under many pressures, but when we no longer experience ourselves as part of a caring, supporting, praying community, we quickly lose faith. This is because faith in God’s compassionate presence can never be separated from experiencing God’s presence in the community to which we belong.” (Compassion, pp.60-61)

If you have any questions about Social Ministry at the College Church or if you wish to express an interest in any of Social Ministry’s current or future endeavors, please contact Vicki Simon, Director of Social Ministry, at 314-977-7309 or vsimon1@slu.edu




					The St. Francis Xavier Social Ministry Board was established in the summer of 2003 to be a strong source of direction and leadership for social ministry in the parish. The current Board, which consists of 10 parishioners plus the parish Director of Social Ministry, meets the third Wednesday of each month. Recently, the Board developed the logo above that represents three broad areas of endeavor for social ministry in the parish: direct service, social justice advocacy, and formation (education for justice and its integral relationship with our faith). All of the ministry’s activities and services are related in some way to one or more of these areas of focus. The logo’s joined hands demonstrate the inter-connections between these three areas of service; the circle shows the cyclical and inter-related nature of these endeavors; the cross is a symbol of our faith and is at the center of all we do - it expresses an awareness of the good news of God’s love for all and that our hands are now the extension of Jesus’ mission on earth. With the support of the Pastoral Council and the guidance and assistance of the Social Ministry Board we envision a broader scope for social ministry in the years ahead. We hope to be able to reach our parishioners more often and more deeply in regards to all aspects of Social Ministry. We want to create greater awareness as to what College Church Social Ministry is about, what we do and who we serve. We invite all to join us as we begin to pursue our hopes and vision for Social Ministry in 2007. DIRECT SERVICE 2007 In the book Compassion, Henri Nouwen et al call us to “Radical Servanthood”: “When we begin to see God himself, the source of all our comfort and consolation, in the center of servanthood, compassion becomes much more than doing good for unfortunate people. Radical servanthood, as the encounter with the compassionate God, takes us beyond the distinctions between wealth and poverty, success and failure, fortune and bad luck … . The poor are called blessed not because poverty is good, but because theirs is the kingdom of heaven; the mourners are called blessed, not because mourning is good, but because they shall be comforted.” “Here we are touching the profound spiritual truth that service is an expression of the search for God and not just of the desire to bring about individual or social change … .” “Radical servanthood challenges us, while attempting persistently to overcome poverty, hunger, illness, and any other form of human misery, to reveal the gentle presence of our compassionate God in the midst of our broken world.” (Compassion, pp. 31-32) Direct Service Endeavors The Outreach Program located in the lower level of the Parish Center is open on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to noon and operated through 29 parish volunteers; we provide direct services and assistance for those who are homeless, of low income or in transition. People are referred to us by many agencies in the St. Louis area. Since we are situated near downtown St. Louis where there are homeless shelters such as the Salvation Army’s Harbor Light, most of our male clients come from these shelters. Many also come from transitional places for recently released prisoners and safe houses. In 2006 we served approximately 276 people each month. In addition to emergency services of food, clothing, resource referrals and care kits, we are well known in the city for helping homeless and low income visitors with assistance in obtaining their state photo identification cards and the requisite birth bertificates. The IDs allow them to move on in their search for employment, housing, schooling, child-care, etc. As part of our Outreach Program, we host a Legal Clinic on the 3rd Wednesday of every month that is staffed by an attorney parishioner volunteer. If a case requires attention beyond what can be provided in a clinic session, the attorney will either take on the case himself or refer it to one of the pool of attorneys in the Parish who have volunteered to handle clinic cases. These services are for non-criminal cases only. Hot Stuff (February 24, 2007) and Cool Stuff (August 11, 2007) are annual events that provide a meal and essential clothing items to homeless and poor people in the City. They are entirely parish run and supported and are important days not only for our guests but also for our parishioners who look forward to meeting our guests. Hot Stuff and Cool Stuff are coordinated by parishoner and staff member Ruth Cochran. The Casserole Program with St. Patrick Center is coordinated by parishioner Mary Claire Voss. Since 2005, it has grown from 20 volunteers to 33 who now provide lunch once a month for 250-300 homeless at St. Patrick’s Center. There are two Sandwich Programs: Parishioner Lea Koesterer coordinates volunteers who make 350 sandwiches on the 2nd Sunday of each month and deliver them to Karen Catholic Worker House. Students in our Parish Religious Education program, coordinated by staff member Angie Doerr, provide and make the sandwiches for our Outreach Program. Our visitors, who consume over 250 sandwiches each month, are very appreciative. Katrina Outreach efforts in 2006-2007 were organized under the leadership of parishioner Maureen Byrnes. Four trips to New Orleans were made by groups of Parish volunteers who joined hands with Catholic Charities Operation Helping Hands in New Orleans to help in renovation and clean-up. In a new Global Outreach effort, we are in the process of developing a twinning relationship with a sister Jesuit parish in Central America. Parishioners Tom and Natalie Wilcox have initiated a “Sister Parish Committee” that now meets the 2nd Sunday of each month after the 10:30 a.m. Liturgy in the Pastoral Center. All are welcome. ADVOCACY 2007 We also need to look beyond the individuals we assist to the social issues and situations with which they struggle. It is also our responsibility to become agents of change of unjust and inhumane systems and structures we observe or uncover. We want to become public advocates for those who bear the brunt of these injustices. We hope to move beyond an Advocacy Committee to Parish-wide involvement with advocacy efforts. “Honest, direct confrontation is a true expression of compassion. As Christians, we are in the world without being of it. It is precisely this position that renders confrontation both possible and necessary. The illusion of power must be unmasked, idolatry must be undone, oppression and exploitation must be fought. This is compassion. “We cannot suffer with the poor when we are unwilling to confront those persons and systems that cause poverty. We cannot set the captives free when we do not want to confront those who carry the keys. We cannot profess solidarity with those who are oppressed when we are unwilling to confront the oppressor. Compassion without confrontation fades quickly into fruitless sentimental commiseration.” (Compassion, p.124) Advocacy Endeavors While we are no longer formal members of Metropolitan Congregations United we are implementing what we hope will be an active, informed Advocacy Committee within the Parish. We welcome and invite parishioners interested in advocacy and social justice issues to join this committee. The Committee meets monthly to coordinate and direct parish advocacy efforts and to identify local issues for parish advocacy efforts. Peace Vigils are held each Sunday at 7:00 p.m. in front of the Church. Parishioners Mary and Jerry Wuller coordinate this on-going effort for peace. In order to raise awareness about social justice issues in this area, in the U.S. and globally, we are initiating in 2007 a speaker series on social justice issues. The presentations will be supported with honest, historical data and will provide a forum for dialogue and discussion of the topics We are offering an in-depth look at immigration issues through a 4-day border immersion trip to El Paso/Ciudad Juarez for participants in our Just Faith program. This is a Friends Across Borders trip coordinated and sponsored by Maryknoll Lay Missioners. Once completed we will assess this as a possible offering for all parishioners. Beginning in 2007, our Annual Parish Vendor Sunday will include fair trade exhibitors. FORMATION 2007 We hope to teach and offer time for reflection on what we are learning through our direct service efforts as an essential part of this ministry. We need to educate and create awareness among all parishioners of the injustices and social issues we observe or uncover, of the integral relationship between faith and justice, between direct service and advocacy. As we continue the “breaking of the bread” it is an expression of our solidarity with one another but is also an expression of our solidarity with all those who suffer, whether in our local community or in another country. Formation Endeavors We continue to offer Just Faith each year for all those interested in deepening their faith and their knowledge of the justice tradition of the Church. JustFaith is a 30 week long formation process and spiritual journey. This program meets weekly for readings, videos, guest speakers, discussion, prayer, retreats and hands-on experiences in justice education. 2007-08 will be College Church’s 6th year for offering a JustFaith experience. Social Ministry will continue providing gatherings for recognition, appreciation and growth of its outreach volunteers. These gatherings may consist of luncheons, a day of recollection, and a speaker or visit to some of our agency referral sites. Social Ministry and Religious Education will be coordinating some offerings for our parish youth and children to raise a consciousness and awareness of how service and action around social justice matters is integral to their faith. As mentioned above, we will start a speaker series on current justice issues on 2007. The Role of the Parish Community in Social Ministry “The primary quality of community is a deep sense of being gathered by God. When Francis Xavier traveled alone across many continents he found strength in the sure knowledge that he belonged to a community that supported him with prayer and brotherly care. And many Christians who show great perseverance in hard and lonely tasks find their strength in the deep bond with the community in whose name they do their work ….” “We are able to do many hard things, tolerate many conflicts, overcome many obstacles, and persevere under many pressures, but when we no longer experience ourselves as part of a caring, supporting, praying community, we quickly lose faith. This is because faith in God’s compassionate presence can never be separated from experiencing God’s presence in the community to which we belong.” (Compassion, pp.60-61) If you have any questions about Social Ministry at the College Church or if you wish to express an interest in any of Social Ministry’s current or future endeavors, please contact Vicki Simon, Director of Social Ministry, at 314-977-7309 or vsimon1@slu.edu

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