Parish Life Ministry

Bereavement Committee
This committee supports members of our parish family as they bury and grieve for their loved ones.  Volunteers currently serve at the funeral Mass, help with the funeral reception, and send several sympathy cards during the first year of mourning.  Often they help parishioners to find appropriate grief counseling.  The committee is also beginning to help families with the process of planning their funeral.

Building, Grounds & Beautification
This ad-hoc group brings God's natural beauty to the grounds of our church, rectory, and school by planting flowers in flower beds and helping with the general landscaping and ground upkeep.

Finance Committee
This canonically required committee consists of financial professionals who assist and advise the Pastor in financial matters.

Hospital Ministers
These parishioners minister to the Catholic patients at Winchester Hospital.  These special Eucharistic Ministers bring them Communion on the 2nd Sunday of every month after the 10:00 a.m. Mass.  In a very real way, these ministers share Christ with those whose illness prevents them from worshipping at Mass.  

Hospitality Committee
This committee seeks to promote friendships and social interaction among parishioners.  On the first Sunday of the month, Coffee and Doughnuts are served after the 8:00 am and 10:00 am Masses, either by committee volunteers or representatives from other parish ministries.  Twice a year the committee also helps prepare dinners for the Pre-Cana retreats.  The committee welcomes new members as they expand their efforts to include picnics and potluck dinners.

Knitting Group
This group of parishioners knits woolen garments, scarves, gloves etc. for donation to the Little Brothers of St Francis, who, in turn, hand them to street people whom they serve.  One section of this group consists of shut-ins who work at home.

Mother's Group
The Mother's Group meets every Friday from 10:30 - 11:30 in the Parish Center.  It is open to moms with young children who want to spend time interacting with each other while their children play together.  The Mother's Group provides mothers and children with an opportunity to get to know one another within a casual environment and in the context of our parish family. 

New Parishioner Welcoming
We are committed to giving a warm welcome to new parishioners as they begin to integrate their lives with our parish family.  Volunteers can help by personally welcoming new families through phone calls and possibly through home visits.  Through dinners and other special events, the parish wants to keep in closer contact with these new parishioners during the first several months after they join.   

Office Support- Mailings
Volunteers are needed to help with special parish mailings, such as the monthly newsletter and the Grand Annual.  This would involve stuffing envelopes, putting mailing labels on the envelopes and preparing them to go to the Post Office. 

Office Support - 1000 Club
The 100 Club raises money for the parish.  It is directed by a volunteer and a group of volunteers processes all written communications with the members, including the monthly notification of winners etc.

Parish Pastoral Council
This council consists of twelve elected and three appointed parishioners, who serve a three year term.  The Council is advisory to the Pastor.  The members each take areas of parish life in which they have a special interest and represent these on the Council.  

Parish Visitors- Homebound Ministry
This group of parishioners minister to those of our parish community who cannot worship with us on a regular basis due to illness or advanced age.  They bring communion to the homebound, have a prayer service and then spend time visiting usually once a week.  Anyone interested in bringing the presence of God to the homebound within our parish family is welcome to join us. 

Peace & Social Justice Committee
This committee strives to increase the parishioners' awareness of peace and social justice issues within our local community and throughout the world.  The members usually plan one project each month for parishioners to become involved with such as the Black History project, the Thanksgiving Food collection, our adopted parish in Peru, etc.  They meet once a month. 

Pre-Cana Team
The Church requires that all engaged couples go through an approved marriage preparation course.  At St. Mary's, our Pre-Cana team is made up of married lay couples and a priest who serves as chaplain.  They hold three sessions with the engaged couples to help them discuss finances, intimacy, and other marital issues.  Our marriage preparation course is held twice a year (April and October) and is open to engaged couples both in our parish and those from other parishes.

Right to Life Committee
These parishioners are dedicating to promoting the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death.  They promote a "culture of life" by educating the parish and the public on abortion-related issues, especially late-term abortions and the effects of abortion on women.  They also pray the Rosary for Life on the second Saturday of the month. 

Rosary Makers
This group actually manufactures rosaries and distributes them to individuals and groups.  They donate the rosaries to many different groups including children, prisoners, shut-ns and even to our sister parish in Peru.

Stewardship Committee
The Stewardship Committee is responsible for making stewardship a way of life within our parish family.  Through quarterly meetings they evaluate the parish's stewardship efforts and assist with the annual Stewardship Renewal.  New members are welcomed to help us become better stewards of time, talent, and treasure.