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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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AMIGA is the acronym for A Mission in God's Amor. The OLPH AMIGA outreach ministry reaches out to our brothers and sisters in Christ in areas of Northern Honduras. The goal of the mission is to collect clean (usable condition) essentials for everyday life and the funds to ship them to Honduras. This includes clothing for men, women, and children; bedding; linens; non-fragile cooking items and utensils; medical supplies; school supplies; and over-the-counter medicines. Donations are accepted at the two beige storage units located at the back parking lot behind OLPH during designated collection times. The collection season is from January-October, and each year a shipment is targeted for departure in the fall. Donation times and dates are posted in the weekly bulletins throughout the year.
The efforts of the ministry support the larger efforts of AMIGA, a St. Louis based mission [501(c)(3) non-profit] co-founded by Dr. Helen Kornblum and Sister Raquel Ortez SSND. The mission's primary goals are education and basic preventive health care in Central America through clinic work in villages, personal visits to patients in their homes, educational health care seminars, and support of city hospitals that serve the poor.
The ministry enjoys a core active committee membership of 20-25 persons and draws on volunteers from the parish to pack boxes throughout the year and to load the truck for shipment.
The ministry committee meets once a month, currently the 2nd Monday of the month at 7:00 PM
A licensed Marriage and Family Therapist is available for parishioners seeking counseling. For more information, contact the Parish Office.
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.
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 4th 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. The Guadalupana Society is open to both men and women and meets the 3rd Sunday of each month at 1:00 PM.
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 through 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.
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. Meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 7:30 PM
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 18. 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 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 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. The first forum is scheduled for September 14, 7:00 - 9:00 PM.
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.
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 everywhere 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 7:30pm in the Pastoral Center.
St. Michael's Society has been an integral part of the history and continuing development of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish. Founded at the turn of the 20th century by a group of German parishioners, most of who were immigrants or 1st 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 7:30pm 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.
The Welcome Ministry of OLPH Parish is a rewarding and cordial activity. All newly registered parishioners are contacted and welcomed into the parish community by an individual from the Welcome Ministry who answers questions and invites the new parishioners to participate in the life of the parish. A Welcome Orientation is held on the 3rd Sunday of each month to introduce new parishioners to the OLPH Ministry Team and the Pastoral Council and to provide information about the spiritual and social opportunities available in the parish. Members of the Welcome Ministry greet and welcome the parish family as they enter church for weekend Masses, sharing the warmth of their parish faith. This awakens the “inner spirit” of love and sets the tone for the Mass. Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the month at 6:30 PM in the Pastoral Center.