Social Justice Committee

Purpose & Responsibilities/Activities

The Social Justice Committee is one of the standing committees of the Parish Pastoral Council. The Social Justice Committee continues the ministry of Jesus by service to marginalized persons and persons with special needs. It promotes and coordinates programs that strive to provide justice and charity in full measure to all of God’s children. It provides opportunities for parishioners to respond to the social needs of today.

Goals

In accord with Catholic Social Justice teaching, the Social Justice Committee addresses these goals.

  • Through direct Committee and subcommittee activities, which include:
    • Alternative Gift Market
    • Operation Rice Bowl
    • Prison Ministry
    • Sanctity of Human Life committee
  • Through official encouragement of Committee members and St. Cecilia parish members to support and involve themselves in the conduct of worthy activities sponsored by other organizations in the Ames and larger community. Through donations of funds provided by the parish through the black bag collections to help support the activities of other organizations that are active in social justice areas.
    • Examples of organizations receiving monthly donations include:
      • Butterfly Freedom House
      • Emergency Residence Project
      • Food at First
      • Good Neighbor Emergency Assistance, Inc.
      • Home For Awhile
      • Matthew 25 House
      • Obria Medical Clinics
      • Primary Health Care
      • MICA Food Pantry
      • Story County Dental Clinic. 
    • Examples of organizations receiving annual donations are:
      • ACCESS
      • Alliance for the Mentally Ill
      • Ames Ecumenical Housing
      • AMOS
      • Friendship Ark
      • Habitat for Humanity
      • Heartland Senior Services
      • Youth and Shelter Services (Stork’s Nest).
    • Other recipients include:
      • Days for Girls International
      • Haiti Mission Trip
      • Martha’s House of Hope
      • Save the Rain
      • Sister Water Project
      • Wellspring Missions (Sudan wells with Trinity Lutheran Church, Marshalltown, Iowa)
      • Wings of Refuge

Additional Information

The Social Concerns Committee bridges the gap between the Gospel and the world. The committee’s role is to promote and coordinate programs that will guarantee justice and charity for all people in local and world communities, especially the poor, lonely, aged, oppressed, homeless, and minority groups. The committee seeks to realize these goals by direct service, policy formation, and advocacy.

The committee’s purpose and responsibilities are specified more completely in official guidance provided by the Archdiocese of Dubuque. Please see page 38 and page 39 of the MANUAL FOR PARISH PASTORAL COUNCILS.

Want to know more about Catholic Social Teaching? See: Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions.

The committee meets monthly and the members are volunteers.

Members

Please click here for current members.

Contact

Please click here to go to the contact page, then select Social Justice Committee from the dropdown.

Minutes

Please click here to view the meeting minutes.

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