Outreach Commission
Every Christian is called to live a life of charity and justice, sharing the Good News of God's love for his people, especially the poor, the widowed, the orphaned and the alienated. Grounded to this mandate of the Gospel and the Social Teachings of the Church, the Outreach Commission is tasked to educate the parish on social justice principles and to guide, coordinate and evaluate the ministries of the parish that respond to the many needs of the poor and the needy, in the parish and in the larger community. This commission oversees the following ministries:
List of Services
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Peace and Justice Ministry
Would you like to be a messenger of Peace? Would you like to see Equity and Justice spread in our communities? If this is something that speaks to your heart, please consider joining the St. Clare Peace and Justice Ministry. Members meet monthly to support and grow our social justice work within the parish.
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Society of St. Vincent de PaulList Item 2
The St. Clare Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul serves people in need of food, rent, and utility assistance within the boundaries of St. Clare Parish. Volunteers are needed to respond to emergency requests for assistance, deliver food and maintain our food pantry. For more information on the work of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the greater Portland area, please click the link.
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Giving Tree
During Advent, parishioners donate and deliver Christmas gift cards, personal hygiene items, turkeys, hams, fruits, vegetables, canned foods and treats to our St. Vincent de Paul families. Team members, phone callers, sorters and delivery familes are needed.
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Fr. Jim Galluzzo's Toiletries for the Needy Project
Donations of unopened travel-size personal hygiene items are collected throughout the year and may be brought to the St. Clare parish office. During Advent, Fr. Jim and his team sort, wrap and deliver hundreds of toiletry packages to homeless shelters, soup kitchens and the HIV-AIDS Day Center in downtown Portland.
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Junque & Jewels Rummage SaleList Item 1
Our annual 3-day parish-wide garage sale is held in the gym on the 3rd weekend of June. Families donate their used goods and treasures which are sold to the public to raise money for the parish. Organizational team members, sorters, haulers, pricers, sellers, set-up and clean-up crews are needed. The 2024 Junque and Jewels sale will be held on June 21-24. Volunteers will be needed from June 14-24. Donations will be accepted from June 15-19.
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Knights of ColumbusList Item 4
The John Clare Council consists of Catholic men over the age of 18 from St. Clare and St. John Fisher parishes. To find out more about the activities of our local council, please click the link to read their blog. Interested in joining? Please contact Don Mey at 434.429.9881.
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Rebuilding Together
Participate on a parish team to provide critical repairs and renovations for low-income homeowners in the Portland area once a year in April. For more information about the Rebuilding Together Portland organization, please click the link.
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American Red Cross
Provide hospitality at life-giving blood drives at St. Clare four times per year. Our next drive is on Thursday, Mar. 14, 2024. Watch for details in the parish bulletins.
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St. Andre BessetteList Item 3
Assist other parishioners in preparing and serving a warm meal on the third Friday of every other month to persons who are homeless or with limited financial resources who live in the Burnside area of Portland. Important as the food is the opportunity to share hospitality with our guests. This is a great opportunity to join with other parishioners in service to those in need. Cooks arrive at 4pm. Baggers and servers come at 5pm. Service is from 6:30-7:30pm.
