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 Social
Justice Ministry
The ministry of helping our less fortunate sisters and brothers
ins a basic fundamental teaching of Jesus Christ. Our Social
Justice Ministry has a unique opportunity to serve the people of
Southeast Texas, especially in the inner city of Beaumont.
Several years ago, St. Anthony Cathedral Cathedral began an
active Social Justice Ministry. Assisted by Barbara and Jerome
Fertitta, our Cathedral Community began a Food Voucher program
for those in need. A portion of your monthly donation to the
Poor helps fund this program.
Martin Scott and Msgr. Jerry, recognizing a need for a lunch
program at Some Other Place on Sunday mornings, collaborated
with Paula O'Neill, Director of Some Other Place, started the
Sunday Sack Lunch program in February 1998. Today our Cathedral
volunteers provide lunches to approximately 50 people every
Sunday. Each week our faithful volunteers fee a variety of
people, ranging from young to old, men, women, some sick and
frail - all of whom are our sisters and brothers.
Through our baptism, we are all called to minister to the less
fortunate sisters and brothers. It takes 30 minutes per week to
prepare and distribute the Sunday lunches. Lunches are prepared
in the Cathedral Center kitchen after the 8:00 a.m. Sunday
morning Mass and the lunches are distributed afterwards at Some
Other Place in Beaumont.
Through your donations, the Social Justice Ministry also helps
those in need find safety in Women and Children's Shelters and
safe houses. We minister to those that are in ill health: people
with cancer, AIDS, and mental illness. We minister to the
homeless, the elderly in nursing homes, and displaced children
and teenagers.
Due to the sensitive nature of this ministry, it takes a special
person to effectively become involved. You will be asked to
visit with our Pastor. You will also be asked
to attend classes sponsored by the Diocese of Beaumont on Social
Ministry and a mandatory background check will be conducted.
For more information please call the Cathedral
Office at 409-8336433.
 Criminal
Justice Ministry
Most correctional facilities have a Chaplain who is responsible
for the spiritual care of the offenders. However, ratios of one
Chaplain to a thousand offenders is common. With administration
and emergencies taking up much of the Chaplain's time, it is
difficult to run programs.
Background - The Catholic
Church has a rich background of ministry to the incarcerated in
Texas. This is rooted in the Church's social teaching which
directs the community to minister to those on the margins of
society, including those in jail or prison. This attitude is
taken directly from Sacred Scripture, particularly in the Gospel
of Matthew where we are directed to visit those who are in
prison (Matthew 25, 36).
Present Situation - In the
state prison system, we presently have 150,000 offenders. County
jails and federal facilities add substantial numbers as well.
This is a huge mission field for the Church. Both male and
female offenders, many unchurched, have broken faith with their
families and community and need to hear the Good News of God's
love and forgiveness. If nothing is done to restore these
offenders, the cycle of crime will continue.
Volunteers - Volunteers are
needed to assist the unit Chaplain in running a variety of
programs ranging from devotional to educational, and including
assisting with: prayer groups, rosary, Bible study, R.C.I.A. and
administrative tasks.
Training - Volunteers work directly under the unit Chaplain who
assists and supervises their work. In addition, training is
provided by the Diocese and the federal and state agencies.
Right
to Life Committee
The Right to Life Committee shares the Catholic Church's
position on right to life by raising the awareness of people to
what is happening around them, such as the Bishop's position on
the Death Penalty, Stem Cell Research, Abortion and pending
legislation on these matters. Raising awareness can be
accomplished in many ways:
The possibilities are endless.
All that is required is a concern for others and a desire to
help in some way For further information, or to join the Right
to Life Committee, please call the Cathedral
Office at 409-8336433.
Care
Giving Ministry
This ministry is intended to help people who may need temporary
assistance with things like light housekeeping or sitting with
elder parents while the primary caregiver goes shopping or to
the doctor. You can serve as your schedule permits and should
not take more than one or two hours at a time. For further
information please call the Cathedral office,
409-8336433.
Food
Pantry Ministry
The Food Pantry Ministry provides food for people in need.
Ministers are needed to help collect and distribute food for the
needy. This should only take a few hours per month.
This ministry can be accomplished through donations to groups
like Some Other Place, Catholic Charities, Hospitality Center,
etc. And by direct donations as we do at Thanksgiving and
Christmas. For further information please call the
St. Anthony Cathedral Office, 409-8336433.
Welcoming
Committee
The Welcoming Committee members call the new members to our
parish after they have enrolled. They arrange to meet with them
and introduce them to all of the parish activities. They extend
an invitation to the new parishioners to join in a ministry and
leave a small gift with the new parishioners as they leave. For
more information please call the St. Anthony Cathedral Office at
409-8336483.
Special
Events Committee
We cordially invite you to join our hospitality ministry. We
decorate for receptions and various occasions. We see that
refreshments are always plentiful, that people are comfortable
and when over, we leave the center tidy. This is a fun ministry
with great flexibility and is no very time consuming. The
occasions which we serve are not all work, it is also a great
way to meet and mingle in fellowship with our Cathedral family.
St.
Anthony Prayer Line
The St. Anthony Prayer Line is in need of those who wish to pray
in intercession for others. We pray knowing God will answer our
prayers. We pray that God will heal a sick person, ease the pain
of another, welcome into Heaven those who die. For more
information, or to join the St. Anthony Prayer Line, please call
the Parish Office at 409-8336433.
Elder
Program
The mission of our Elder Program is to help God's people in
need, the elderly of our community. The program will address the
following:
Minor home care:
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Plumbing -
running commode tanks, leaky faucets, etc.
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Electrical -
fuse box replacements, balancing fans, washer-dryer,
switches, inside/outside light bulb replacements, etc.
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Roof Repair -
replace missing shingles, unclog gutters, etc.
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General Repair
- repair broken windows, repair or install door locks, paint
or repair fence, etc.
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Garden and Lawn
- cut grass, weed, and plant, etc.
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Indoors - dust,
vacuum, plan a meal or just say hello with a bouquet, etc.
Major repairs will be reported
and professional firms will be tapped. Washers and dryers with
major problems will be repaired at the Federal Prison. Turn
around time for these repairs is generally 5 - 10 days.
Who will be the volunteers?
How
will they be recruited?
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The Boy Scouts
are in place.
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Inmates at the
Federal Prison are in place.
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Volunteer skill
sheets will be inserted in Sunday bulletins
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A speaker will
be available to speak at church organizations.
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Using the
church directory, volunteers will be recruited and
recipients will be identified.
Beaumont Habitat for Humanity's
restore/warehouse located at 610 Trinity (at the corner of
Fanning) is expecting donations that will help God's people in
need. We will be building homes, and will have supplies for
minor home repairs.
For further information please call the St. Anthony Cathedral Office at
409-8336433.
St.
Anthony Cathedral Ladies
St. Anthony Cathedral Ladies is a ministry that strives to
promote true Christian charity, love of God and neighbor, and
Christian family life. Some of the activities that we have taken
on that foster love for the house of God is the weekly cleaning
and adornment of the church. We also care for the altar and
provide for its immediate needs. We tend to the needs of our
neighbors in the Parish by providing nourishment, through our
bereavement committee, in time of death.
One of the many joys in which we delight is hostin of Parish and
Diocesan receptions. The Cathedral Ladies enjoy membership in
the Beaumont District, Diocesan and National Council of Women.
We invite all women of St. Anthony Cathedral to enrich their
lives and ours by joining the Cathedral Ladies. For further
information please call the
Cathedral Office at 409-8336433.
St.
Anthony's Men's Club
The St. Anthony's Men's Club is a service group for St. Anthony
Cathedral. The purpose of this organization is to assist the
church and school by providing labor and/or financial help. We
raise funds by selling barbecue six months out of year. Eighty
percent of our donations go to St. Anthony's school. Our
membership is open to all men, married or single, within our
Catholic family of the Diocese of Beaumont. For further
information please call the
Cathedral Office at 409-8336433.
St.
Anthon Cathedral Office Assistance
How many people know the enormous amount of work that goes into
maintaining the Cathedral? On the average, Cathedral office
employees work 55 - 60 hours per week, and during Holy Week it
can be as high as 70 hours. Due to funding restraints, it is
impossible for the Cathedral to hire enough people to fill the
needs in the office. It is through your sacrificial commitment,
by giving your time and talents, which make the Cathedral
community the special sacred place that it is. Here's how you
can make a difference at the Cathedral:
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Front Desk
Attendant: answering the telephone, directing visitors to
the appropriate people and places, researching archived
sacramental records
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Money Counters:
Join at least three other Cathedral parishioners in counting
and preparing the weekly collection for deposit at the bank.
It takes about three hours and schedules are sent to all
volunteers.
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Filing and
Research: Help file contract documents, vendor invoices and
accounting records.
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Mass Mailing:
Communicating through mail-outs is an essential part of
"getting the word out" on what's going on in our Cathedral
Community. Helping to fold, stuff and stamp letters to
parishioners gets the message out in a timely manner.
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Bulletin
Preparation: Our Cathedral bulletin is never ready until all
additional inserts are placed inside. This work takes place
each Friday morning, unless otherwise specified, and takes
about one to two hours to complete.
The Parish office hours are:
Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays 8:00 a.m. to
1:00 p.m. We would love to have your help if your schedule fits
into this time frame!
For more information or to volunteer, please call the Cathedral Office,
409-8336433.
Religious
Article Gift Shop
The Religious Article Gift Shop Ministry seeks to increase the
presence of religious articles in our parish homes. Through
these sales we hope to empower St. Anthony's Parish Community.
We will provide the community with a broader scope of
inspirational items and prayer aids. This ministry provides
religious and spiritual treasures in one convenient locations,
at appropriate times of the church year. Items for sale are
Bibles, books, pictures, crosses, audio and video tapes,
rosaries, statutes and other religious gifts.
This fair is held just before the two great seasons of the
Christian year, Advent and Lent. Volunteers are needed to help
secure exhibitors, publicize the fair, assist in setup, serve as
greeters, and assist visitors with their purchases. For more
information please contact the Parish Office at 409-8336433.
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409-833-6433