St. Mary’s steps up its game
A report from St. Mary’s Parish, Annapolis |
Annapolis is a city blessed with great physical beauty—a charming historic setting along the banks of the water—yet our community is a study in contrasts. Within the city St. Mary’s Parish calls home are both very wealthy residents and those who are in need of support for food and shelter. Our parish has a very strong and active outreach program that assists in serving those in our community family who are most in need.
We provide weekly support every Monday and Wednesday when a dedicated team of St. Vincent de Paul volunteers meets in our downtown church with individuals and families who need help to keep their electricity on, pay the rent, or find a job.
The St. Vincent de Paul Society consists of anywhere from 50 to 75 volunteers who meet with an average of 40 to 50 clients per week in the church rectory.
It’s not just the adults in our parish who help out. Every week students from our elementary and high school prepare hundreds of bagged lunches and bring them in for the Light House Shelter, our local homeless-prevention support center.
During the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays hundreds of food baskets are delivered to the homes of those in need, in addition to clothing and toys for children and families. St. Mary’s Parish pastorally as well as financially supports our St. Vincent de Paul Society, Birthright of Annapolis, and the Annapolis Light House shelter. Last year alone the parish contributed almost $175,000 in ministry to the poor.
Although St. Mary’s has a long tradition of supporting those in need, in 2013 we stepped up our game, hosting our first Winter Relief program. Winter Relief is a seasonal emergency temporary shelter hosted at different Anne Arundel County religious facilities each week from late October through April.
For one week our parish provided overnight shelter for homeless people who had nowhere to escape the cold winter weather. As you know, last winter was particularly cold, so the need was even more serious.
Our Winter Relief week, ably organized by our St. Vincent de Paul Society, required the efforts of a large number of other parish volunteers. The response was generous: parishioners volunteered to provide pantry items for the kitchen, to cook and serve meals, or to stay with the guests overnight.
Many of our ministry groups participated in their own special way: the Knitting Ministry gave the guests hand-knitted hats and scarves, the Ancient Order of Hibernians entertained them with song and balloon creations, the Catholic Daughters called bingo games, and senior members of the boys’ lacrosse team prepared and served a meal.
In all our interactions we tried to make people feel like welcome guests in our parish and to treat them with the dignity they deserve but may not often receive. For example, a parishioner who is a hairstylist volunteered to give our guests professional haircuts. Just this one small thing—something we take for granted but these people rarely have access to—helped make them feel cared for and showed our respect for them as children of God.
In times that are still economically challenging for so many, Jesus’ words in Matthew 26, “The poor you will always have with you,” have never rung more true—yes, even here in Annapolis.
At St. Mary’s we live out our Redemptorist charism and reach out to the poor and most abandoned. We hope that our prayers and our actions bring us all closer to God while serving his people.