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The Service and Outreach Ministries at OLPH help us proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ by developing and administering a parish agenda for life, justice, and peace- to ensure that social ministry is an integral part of our Catholic life. OLPH, in all it's ministries, is committed to promoting life and peace and to overcoming poverty and injustice. We strive to incorporate all the Social Teachings of the Catholic Church in everything we do. |
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Meetings every second Monday of the month, 7:00 PM, Pastoral Center
AMIGA is the acronym for A Mission in God's Amor. The OLPH AMIGA ministry reaches out to our brothers and sisters in areas of northern Honduras. The goal of the ministry is to collect usable essentials of everyday life and the funds to ship them to Honduras. This includes over-the-counter medicines; medical equipment and supplies; clothing for men, women, and children; bedding; linens; non-fragile cooking items and utensils; and school supplies. Donations are accepted at the two beige storage units located at the rearmost parking lot behind the church during designated collection times. The collection season is January through October, and each year a shipment is targeted for departure in the October-November timeframe. Donation times, dates and needs are posted in the church weekly bulletins throughout the year.
This ministry welcomes individual participation as a member. The Ministry meets once a month, normally the 2nd Monday of the month. Moreover, this ministry depends on the general membership of the parish for both donations and individual participation to pack boxes throughout the year and load the container for shipment in the September - November timeframe.
The efforts of the ministry support the larger efforts of AMIGA, a St. Louis based mission (501c3 nonprofit) co-founded by Dr. Helen Kornblum and Sister Raquel Ortez SSND. The mission's primary goals are health education and basic preventive health care in Honduras through clinic work in villages, personal visits to patients in their homes, educational health care instruction, and support of existing hospitals and clinics that serve the poor.
This support and affiliation offers our parishioners the possibility of a mission experience traveling to Honduras as part of the AMIGA mission trips. The cost of travel, and a nominal cost for sharing food and lodging are borne by the individual traveler.
OLPH Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) provides parish youth and their families the opportunity for fellowship through sports activities (flag football, soccer, volleyball, basketball, track, T-ball, baseball, and softball). The mission of CYO is to offer to all youth, sports, and recreation programs emphasizing friendly competition through good sportsmanship “modeled” by adult participants, and to invite all participants, Catholic and otherwise, youth and adults, to share in the life of their church/faith community.
Gatherings on the first Wednesday of every month, 9:00 AM-12:00 Noon, in the Pastoral Center
All parishioners age 50 and over are invited to take part in the faithful friends' ministry. Everyone is welcome! The mission statement of this ministry is: to provide social opportunities for the senior members of OLPH parish- "to spend quality time with faithful friends in a spiritual environment". Social activities often consists of games, guest speakers, craft demonstrations, etc. A pot-luck meal, door prizes, and lively conversations always add to the enjoyment. This ministry collects items for "haven for hope" twice a year at Easter and Christmas. Knit hats are also made for premature infants for area facilities. Greeting cards are collected during the year and taken to the local St. Jude facility to help the children.
Meetings every third Sunday of the month, 1:00 PM, Pastoral Center
The Guadalupana Society assists the priests and engages in Catholic action. The hosts and wine used for Masses are purchased and paid for by the Guadalupanas with money raised from monthly taco sales held the fourth Sunday of every month. The Guadalupanas also coordinate the yearly Mass for the Our Lady of Guadalupe Celebration and provide a Fiesta Dinner for the parish.
Habitat for Humanity is an ecumenical Christian, non-profit housing organization working in partnership with God's people in need to build simple, decent, and affordable housing. Habitat works with low-income families who would not otherwise be able to afford a house. OLPH partners with another local parish and Habitat to help families build houses for themselves. Habitat is not a charity or a hand-out program, but rather a “hand-up” program helping families help themselves. Construction usually begins in the spring and finishes in early summer. OLPH has co-sponsored nine houses since 2009. Volunteers are recruited in January.
A number of members of the OLPH Community volunteer their time at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center ministering to adult and juvenile offenders. Under the auspices of the Bexar County Detention Ministries, Inc., volunteers provide educational, social, and religious services, including pastoral care and counseling, to incarcerate adult and juvenile offenders. These services are provided to facilitate the transformation of incarcerated adult and juvenile offenders into productive individuals with new direction and meaning for life and to assist in the successful reintegration from incarceration back into society. There are currently nine staff chaplains and approximately 300 volunteers providing interdenominational religious services, pastoral care, and Bible Study seven days a week. Additionally, Catholic volunteers organize and facilitate four ACTS retreats each year for incarcerated adult males and females.
General meeting on the first Tuesday of every month, 7:30 PM, Pastoral Center
Officers meeting on the third Tuesday of every month, 7:00 PM, Pastoral Center
A Catholic fraternal organization open to practicing Catholic men 18 years and older was founded by Fr. Michael J. McGivney in 1882. The Knights of Columbus Catholic Men's Organization is considered to be a strong right arm of the Catholic Church and is dedicated to uphold Catholic beliefs and morals, along with charity and service as the bulwarks of the order. The Knights of Columbus provide support to the church, community, youth, and families through prayer, service activities, and monetary donations and promote the principle of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism.
The OLPH Military Ministry was “launched” on July 3, 2011, memorialized by a dedicated Mass during which all active duty, retired, and past military service members, Guard and Reserves, were recognized by parishioners' applause as the members stood in place while the OLPH choir sang their respective service hymn in a beautiful and complete medley of military hymns immediately following the final prayer of the 10am Mass. Upon entering the church, all military members, or spouse of a deployed member, were given a bright yellow ribbon to honor their service with the wording, “OLPH Honors Our Military Parishioners and Families.” The ribbons were proudly worn during Mass and at the reception following held in the Pastoral Center. Many parishioners gathered at the Center to enjoy the honor of service to our nation, past and present.
The Ministry is an outreach to military members and families, many of whom attend a weekend Mass but quickly depart church without any involvement with our parish family. The Ministry's initial goal is to establish a relationship with these members and families, inviting and encouraging each to join the mainstream of our parish family, parish ministries, and activities.
The needs of our military members and families are many, and transcend the social aspect of our parish. This Military Ministry can be of service and assistance in so many ways, such as reaching out to spouses and families left at home when the member is deployed. This Ministry is perhaps the most readily accessible Catholic source of help for our parish military members and families.
The Military Ministry is dedicated to “serve those who serve us,” an extension of OLPH's Mission Statement… “a caring community …where everyone feels welcome.”
The faithful who are ill or homebound are deprived of their accustomed place in the Eucharistic community. In bringing communion to them, the Pastoral Care minister represents Christ and manifests faith and charity on behalf of the entire community toward those who cannot be present at the Eucharist. For the sick, the Pastoral Care visit and reception of communion is not only a privilege, but also a sign of support and concern shown by the Christian community for its members who are ill. The sick, elderly, and homebound are joined to the parish by Pastoral Care Ministers who are called to bring compassion and the Eucharist to those in need. Our OLPH Pastoral Care outreach consists of:
The OLPH Festival is a wonderful community event and is the only major fundraiser held annually for the church. Participation by parishioners continues to help make this event a huge success. The Festival provides an opportunity for parishioners to come together as community for fun, fellowship, and games. This year's Festival is scheduled for October 16. Large numbers of volunteers are needed to make this parish event successful
OLPH parish maintains two cemeteries for the burial needs of our parishioners. Cemetery No. 1 was established in 1897 on two acres of land donated by Jacob Friesenhahn. Located near the intersection of IH-35 and Loop 1604 on Old Austin Road (1.2 miles West of the Church grounds), many of the founders of our parish and their families are buried there. Cemetery No. 2 was established in 1948 with the purchase of 4.2 acres from William Riedel and is located on the Church grounds behind the school. Burial plots are still available for purchase.
The mission of the Respect for Life Ministry is to raise awareness of the sanctity of live from conception through natural death. The goal of this ministry is to further this mission by coordinating events at the parish that offer parishioners the opportunity to get involved in helping people who are marginalized by society. The Respect for Life Ministry and the Pastoral Council will be hosting numerous parish forums throughout the year to educate parishioners on the Church's mission for life.
Events: January-Sanctity of Life Week
October-Life Chain
Successes: Rosary for Life
A family-oriented organization where youth and parents work together to achieve goals and enjoy fellowship, and learn leadership skills through sponsored gatherings and activities, scouting provides opportunities for boys to have fun while learning about the world around them. The Boy Scouts typically met on Mondays at 7:00 PM in the School Cafeteria, and the Cub Scout meetings are usually held the 3rd Friday of the month at 7:00 PM in the school cafeteria.
This ministry is open to all single adults over the age of 21. And yes, we have all ages in our group! The purpose of this ministry is to provide an atmosphere of faith, fun, support, and laughter! Some of the activities we have participated in: game night, Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner preparations, Elf Louise gift wrapping and delivery, National Catholic Singles Conference, faith enrichment classes, Habitat for Humanity, OLPH Annual Pancake Supper, Riverwalk, San Antonio Missions tour, baseball &hockey games, Jazz Festival, dancing, Folklife Festival, Botanical Gardens, etc. That and more in just our first year!
This group has a Planning Committee that is made up of anyone who wants to participate. We meet periodically to plan our events, and make our plans based on feedback from the rest of the group. You can be as involved as much or as little as you choose to be!
St. Ann's Christian Mother's Society, founded in August of 1905, is affiliated with the Archconfraternity of Christian Mothers in Pittsburgh, PA. All women are invited to join the Society, whether married, widowed, divorced, or single (with or without children). The Society's objectives are to willingly promote the Christian education and ideals set out in the Archconfraternity's Principal Rules and Regulations. St. Ann's primary purpose is to be sisters in faith and to pray through Mary, our Intercessor, for all children and to instill in our children Christian morals and ideals. Some of the current projects include:
Meetings are held the 4th Tuesday of every month (except for July and December) at 7:30 PM in the Pastoral Center.
St. Michael's Society has been an integral part of the history and continuing development of OLPH Parish. Founded at the turn of the 20th century by a group of German parishioners, most of who were immigrants or first generation Americans, the Society today includes fourth generation members who carry on the tradition with the same dedication and devotion to the parish and its ministries. The Society's purpose is to promote a vigorous Catholic life, to support the Church and School, to appropriate monies within the primary purpose of the Society, and to engage in Catholic action. Membership is open to men 18 years of age or older who are practicing Catholics leading a Christian life, do not belong to any lodge or society forbidden by the Church, and provide their children with an education in the Catholic faith.
Meetings are held the 4th Tuesday of every month (except for July and December) at 7:30 PM in the Pastoral Center.
The St. Vincent de Paul Dining Room at the SAMM Shelter (San Antonio Metropolitan Ministry) serves three meals a day to San Antonio's homeless, indigent, and hungry. Between 200 and 300 men, women, and children are served at each meal by a team of twelve. The OLPH Ministry to the St. Vincent De Paul Dining Room includes 25 parishioners who serve every six weeks on Friday evenings.
This ministry is a valuable aid to the staff when there are large mailings going out to parishioners. Volunteers usually are needed during a weekday to stuff, label, and seal envelopes. It is really more fun than work! This can be a time to meet new friends and visit with old friends while serving the parish community in an important way. Mailings can be done as quickly as one hour or as long as three-four hours, depending on the number of volunteers available.
This ministry requires volunteers to help coordinate and serve at special parish events such as receptions for priests after Sacramental Celebrations, parish receptions for hail and farewells, and receptions for families after funerals. Other ways to help serve the community can be done from home: cooking, baking, sewing, or telephone calling. The time required varies with the event.
Periodically volunteers are needed to help beautify and maintain the grounds of OLPH. Activities would include tree and brush trimming, power washing buildings and concrete areas, and removal of brush and debris. Also, there is an occasional need to help in the upkeep of facilities. Projects could include anything from painting to plumbing. If you have a skill that you would like to share in the upkeep of your parish, please let us know. The more volunteers we get, the easier the work gets. Please help make our parish look good and function well.
The parish library, located on the 2nd floor of the Pastoral Center is open during the week (9am-4pm) and Sundays (9am-1pm). Volunteers will be asked to commit one-two hours per month to assist parishioners in finding and checking out books
This ministry is designed to help various staff members with a variety of tasks. These can range from organizing materials, to answering phones, making phone calls, covering the front desk when the receptionist is not available, etc. Time required is during the weekday, either mornings or afternoons, usually 3-4 hours. Volunteer receptionists also needed periodically to staff the front desk in the evenings, Mondays-Thursdays, from 5:00 PM-9:00 PM.
With the upcoming changes to the Roman Missal, effective November 2011, OLPH will be providing audio/visual and PowerPoint presentations of all the Mass parts, including music. Volunteers are needed to ensure the success of this new ministry. We need committed volunteers to develop the PowerPoint presentations for the weekend Masses and seasonal liturgical celebrations. We also need volunteers to operate the audio/visual equipment in support of all Masses and various special liturgical services. Training will be provided. We need adults and responsible teens with knowledge of computers and electronic equipment, and willing to commit to 2-4 Masses per month.
If you prefer organization to electronics, help will also be greatly appreciated with scheduling of volunteers, which would require a few hours per month.