Communication
Ministries Operation Helping Hands
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Missionary Outreach
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
SOCIETY OF ST. VINCENT de PAUL
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international Catholic organization of lay persons who provide assistance to persons in need. Frederic Ozanam, a 20 year old college student, founded it in Paris, France in 1833. Placed under the patronage of St. Vincent de Paul, the Society derives its inspiration from his thinking and work and seeks in a spirit of justice and charity, by a person-to-person involvement of its volunteer members, to help those who are needy and suffering. This ministry encompasses every form of aid that alleviates suffering and serves everyone regardless of church affiliation.
Mary, Queen of Peace founded a St. Vincent de Paul “conference” in 2000. Conference members meet at 7:00 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month in the church building to pray, meditate on a scripture reading, and discuss current client cases.
All client information is strictly confidential. Clients generally come to the conference through phone calls to the church or through referrals. Conference members conduct home visits in pairs to meet prospective clients and assess their needs. Funding to assist clients comes in the form of monthly collections for the poor at mass. There are occasional drives for clothing, blankets and food through the parish.
Each client and/or family have unique needs, that require individual solutions. Sometime personal problems are at the root of a client’s needs, and often some amount of counseling is necessary. Most assistance is provided on a short-term basis, and clients who have serious ongoing needs are usually referred to other social agencies, which may be better suited to meet those needs.
It is said those who see in the poor the face of Jesus” understand the Vincentian spirit. For more information, please contact the ministry leader, Jerry Broussard at 630-0256.
PRISON MINISTRY
The Prison Ministry is composed of men and women of Mary, Queen of Peace Parish who, along with volunteers from other surrounding Catholic Parishes and with many other Christian denominations visit St. Tammany Jail and Rayburn Correctional Institute on a regular basis.
These volunteers bring God's Word and the love of Jesus Christ through the distribution of Bibles and other materials, which are read and discussed during the visits.
The Eucharist is made available on special occasions.
For more information, please contact the ministry leader, Toni
Henry at 845-1061.
PRO – LIFE COMMITTEE
Every individual is created by a loving God in His own image. From the very beginning each life is a part of God’s perfect plan. The goal of the Pro-Life Ministry at Mary, Queen of Peace is to proclaim a consistent ethic of the sanctity of human life, from the moment of conception to natural death. We do this through prayer, both private and communal; education, learning and living the teachings of the Catholic Church in life issues; and service, being involved in our community. Just as Mary proclaimed, “I am the servant of the Lord.” For more information, please contact the ministry leader, Julie Pigg at 985-624-6811 or email juliepigg@yahoo.com.
SAMARITAN CENTER
The Samaritan Center provides services to the poor in the Mandeville-Lacombe area and is sponsored by 19 local Christian Churches. On the first weekend of each month, parishioners of Mary, Queen of Peace have the opportunity to donate non-perishable food items and toiletries for the Samaritan Center’s Food Pantry. These items may be brought to the Church building, where they are collected on Monday morning by parishioners who volunteer to bring the items to the Samaritan Center. The Samaritan Center is always looking for volunteers in a number of areas. For more information, please contact the ministry leader, Tom Fitch - 626-7879.