Outreach & Pastoral Care
Ministry of Care
We at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish take seriously the mandate to bring Christ in the Eucharist to the hospitalized and homebound among us. We consider this ministry a call to service, and we commit our time and talent to those who need us. Ministers of Care are Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion who are commissioned at the discretion of the Pastor and work under the supervision of the Director of Pastoral Care.
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion who serve at Mass are not necessarily Ministers of Care. Ministers of Care are required to complete additional training. The Ministry of Care at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish normally serves Del Webb Hospital, a number of assisted living facilities and anyone homebound within our parish boundaries who is unable to attend Mass. When able, Holy Communion is taken to the hospital daily. When possible, prayer and Communion services are held weekly and some assisted living facilities. At others, communicants receive in their rooms on a weekly basis. Homebound parishioners usually receive weekly.
The Catholic Outreach Center is available for those parishioners who need additional assistance with resources. Information and referral, counseling, care management, and parish nursing services are available. These services are provided to parishioners free of charge or at a minimal cost.
For more information, contact Fernando Gomez at 623-344-7285 or fgomez@ololscw.org.
Respect Life Ministry
“Every human life, from the moment of conception until death, is sacred because the human person has been willed for its own sake in the image and likeness of the living and holy God.”
Thank you for considering joining the Respect Life Ministry at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. This ministry promotes advocacy and support for persons, institutions and community education around issues that degrade human life. Issues that degrade human life include abortion, assisted suicide, euthanasia, unethical research and medical practices. Advocacy and education include prayer at abortion facilities and church, sharing information and community resources available to expecting parents that promote continuation of pregnancy up to birth and thereafter, and sharing information and community resources available to the elderly related to aging and natural end of life.
Current activity undertaken by the ministry is the monthly baby item collection for the three diocesan approved pregnancy centers. Several ministry members regularly pray outside the local Planned Parenthood facility in Glendale. A “Spiritual Adoption” program concluded in October 2022 with a baby shower and all items collected delivered to the pregnancy center of the month. A baby bottle drive is scheduled for next February 2023 to benefit Aid to Women pregnancy center.
The Respect Life Ministry appreciates your consideration of this call to service. There are many possible activities that could be realized if the number of ministry members grows. Meetings are currently held on the first Tuesday of each month at 1:30 pm in the Fr. McGivney room on the parish campus. A pro-life Rosary is recited at 1:00 pm in the church prior to all general meetings. Ministry members will be required to complete SET (Safe Environment Training) foundation class or annual renewal online.
If you have any further questions, please contact Terese Boas by email at boasfmly@comcast.net or phone 904-718-3322.
St. Vincent de Paul
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is the largest Catholic lay organization in the world, operating in 142 countries. The Vincentians of Our Lady of Lourdes Conference have provided person-to-person service to the needy in this area regardless of race, creed, color or status for over 30 years.
We are dedicated to the urgent exhortation of our founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam: “Let us go to the poor.” The homes we visit are among the special places where those who seek assistance and those who offer it meet on the common ground of God's love. The compassion of St. Vincent and Blessed Frederic motivates Vincentians to continue the ministry to the poor begun by Jesus Christ himself.
Gratitude to Our Parishioners
We are indebted to our supportive parishioners for all the many ways they enable us to continue our mission.
- In-kind donations of furniture, bedding and bath linens, dishes, glasses, tableware, pots and pans, and clothing may be dropped off at our truck location church for that month between Masses on Charity Weekends from September through May.
- Non-perishable food for our pantry is collected between Masses at both churches on Charity Weekends in March/June/September/December.
- On the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week, turkeys and food for Thanksgiving meals are brought to our drop-off location at Bashas’ on Meeker Blvd., SCW.
- Vincentians outside church with their collection baskets appreciatively accept monetary donations after weekend Masses on Charity Weekends of January/March/May/July/September.
- Contributions for special projects like Back-to-School and Christmas Adopt-A-Family.
If you would like to learn more about how you could become an Associate Vincentian or Full Vincentian, please contact the St. Vincent de Paul office at 623-344-7267.