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Social Ministry Committee
This committee focuses on the promotion of social
justice in our community in accordance with the social teachings of the Church.
It organizes and initiates projects and programs that respond to human need and
facilitate change within social, economic, political or ecclesial systems so
that the life and dignity of the human person are protected and promoted. It
applies that teaching to the concrete circumstances of the Parish, its
neighborhood, and surrounding community. In cooperation with the Faith Formation
Committee, it provides opportunities for education in the principles and issues
of social justice and coordinates opportunities for parishioners to get involved
in both social service and social action. Contact Lonnie Ellis, Director of
Social Ministry, by e-mailing him here
or calling 651/227-7669, ext. 310.
The Works of Charity
"Charity will never be true
charity unless it takes justice into account."
Parishioners value the
relationship between charity and justice. Direct service to the poor and
marginalized brings us into contact with persons who give us new insights
and deeper sensitivity.
Loaves and Fishes
The third Friday of every month is the
evening, our faith community commits to making and serving the meal at the
Dorothy Day Center. The Women's Club donates time and labor to raise money for
this and the Softball Teams provide financial donations from the parish summer
picnic.
Swap Shop
The Swap Shop is a place to bring your gently used
clothes and household items for others to use. You may take items you can
use while dropping off items you no longer need. You do not have to bring
items in order to take items. This is not based on economic need. We are
recycling!
The Swap Shop is open on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each
month from 10am – noon for customers, and from 9am to noon for donations. It
is closed during the summer, with May 17 being the last Saturday for the
2008 summer. The Swap Shop is located in the basement of the St. Thomas More
School. Enter the school from the back main doors and go down the flight of
stairs to the bottom. Please - no summer clothes at this time.
We are in need of volunteers. If you are interested in
learning how to volunteer at the swap shop e-mail us
here.
Meals on Wheels
Receiving these meals is vital for those who are
homebound. It allows them to live independently, in their home. Please
consider this volunteering for vital ministry. Members of our parish
community deliver Meals on Wheels on the first Wednesday of the month. To
sign up as a regular, a sub, or for more information please contact Lonnie:
651/227-7669, ext. 310 or e-mail him
here.
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Advent Giving Tree
Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of this parish, our four
charities benefited
greatly!
Midwest
Special Services
The Listening House
The Women’s Advocates
Domestic Violence Shelter
St. Thomas More's
Swap Shop
Emergency Fund
This fund assists persons
experiencing immediate financial crisis when they cannot be served through
established agencies.
Food Shelf Collection
Food and monetary donations taken
from this collection benefit two neighborhood food shelves in our area, both
of which serve people within our parish boundaries.
A
Community Caring for Life
An Archdiocesan program supporting women
and families in their pregnancies and 1st year of life. As a faith
community, we celebrate the gift of each new life from the moment of
conception. Just to the left of the ambo in sanctuary of St. Thomas More Church is
a Family Tree. On it we hope to put the names of all women who are expecting
a baby, including adoption. Then our whole parish can pray for her as she
nurtures new life.
When we are notified that the baby is born, we
will add the baby’s name-as all of us await the child’s baptism. To add a
name to the tree call: 651/227-7669, ext. 312.
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Habitat for Humanity Service
Learning
Parishioners volunteer for a day to work
on a habitat home and spend time in reflection and discussion about the root
causes of poverty that push individuals and families to requires assistance to
meet their basic needs.
Action For Justice
Working for justice means working for changes in the systems,
structures, institutions, and public policies that are at the root
causes of poverty. The goal is to transform the existing structures to
be more responsive to the poor and marginalized in our community.
The Churches of
Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Thomas More is committed to action and
education for justice.
The Social Justice Committee organizes,
initiates and participates in projects and programs that facilitate change in
social, economic, and ecclesial systems so that the life and dignity of the
human person are protected and promoted. The organizations we work with to take
action for change in our community are:
ISAIAH
A regional ecumenical faith-based
community organization. Isaiah's goals are to strengthen congregations,
develop stronger leaders through training, and address issues of justice
in our community, both locally and regionally.
Sowers of Justice
An archdiocesan organization committed
to changing structures and hearts on behalf of justice. It provides an
opportunity for legislative advocacy on behalf of the poor through
action alerts during the legislative session, skills training, and
educational opportunities.
The
Catholic Campaign for Human Development
and its local counterpart, the Christian
Sharing Fund are collections taken up to financially support
organizations addressing the root causes of poverty.
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Domestic Violence Task Force
In its research over the past several
months, St. Thomas More’s Domestic Violence (DV) task force has learned that
domestic violence is ever-present in our society and can take many forms.
The task force also learned that the justice system has not been successful
in keeping domestic violence victims safe or in holding perpetrators of such
violence accountable.
To tackle this social justice issue, the DV task
believes that a response from our faith-based communities is appropriate and
necessary. Such a response involves developing a coalition of faith
communities to work on ways to address DV (similar to the work Isaiah has
done and continues to do on the issue of affordable housing).
Our vision is grounded in the need to bring
about a justice system change.
Obviously, the first step in implementing such a
change is an understanding of the system as it presently operates:
e.g., what are the civil and criminal penalties for perpetrators; what does
the system do to protect victims and families; what community “safety net”
support systems are in place or are lacking?
To understand how victims and families are
presently protected and perpetrators are controlled, we propose that there
be conducted a system analysis (or safety and accountability audit) of the
St. Paul justice system’s response to domestic violence. This process
for analyzing a city’s systemic response to DV has been conducted in
Houston, Duluth and many other cities. The analysis or audit process
intimately involves persons who actually work within the system as well as
persons who are experienced in the analysis process.
We believe that persons working within the
system will be motivated to participate in the process if they understand
that the outcome of this analysis/audit process will reduce the incidence of
domestic violence. To initiate this analysis, endorsement will be
needed from city officials, community leaders and church leaders.
Our work will include visiting with these
officials and leaders to learn their perspective on DV, and their experience
with it, and to obtain their support for the analysis. We will engage
other volunteers, including those from other faith communities, to
participate in the work of the DV task force and add their voices to those
in support of a system study.
Ultimately, we envision a community, encouraged,
leavened, prodded and led by members of faith communities, including
pastoral staff, which:
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understands that domestic violence is wrong;
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supports a justice system which keeps victims
safe, perpetrators accountable;
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provides resources to assist victims and
families leaving violence;
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and demonstrates zero tolerance for abuse.
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