Ministries

For scheduling our Liturgical Ministries, we utilize “Ministry Scheduler Pro”. If you are a current Liurgical Minister and are looking to log in to the Web Terminal for the program, please use this link: https://secure.rotundasoftware.com/30/web-terminal/login/saintvincentrichboro

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion

Contact
Bob Flowers
rwflowers414@gmail.com

Our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EEM’s) are entrusted with assisting the Pastor in distributing Communion at parish Masses, and with bringing Holy Communion to the sick. After Sunday Mass, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion go to the Richboro Care Center and Brookdale Northampton to visit with the sick and to distribute Holy Communion; the celebrant sends them on their mission on behalf of the worshiping community.

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion also bring Holy Communion to homebound parishioners who desire to receive more frequently than once a month.

Anyone interested in joining this vital ministry is invited to contact Bob Flowers at rwflowers414@gmail.com or call the Parish Office: 215-357-5905.

Resources for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion

Select Guidelines for EEM’s for St. Vincent de Paul Parish – July 2023

Full Guidelines for EEM’s from the USCCB, Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and specific instructions for St. Vincent de Paul Parish – July 2023

Training Videos for EEM’s from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Ministers of Hospitality

Contact
Nancy Staller
nancystaller@yahoo.com
(215)603-1703

In this ministry men and women 16 years of age and older welcome all to Church and assist in any way they can. They take up the collection, and distribute the parish newsletter as they say goodbye. They also coordinate a response to any emergencies.

All are asked to consider giving one Sunday a month to this ministry during the Mass they normally attend. Some offer to serve more frequently; those unable to fulfill an assignment find a substitute from the phone list. New members receive written guidelines covering dress code and duties.

This ministry is an excellent way for new parishioners to meet fellow parishioners, make friends and get involved in the parish. Contact our coordinator, Nancy Staller, or feel free to speak with any of the Ministers of Hospitality before or after Mass to learn more about this ministry.

Lectors

Contact
Kathy Dougherty
(215)332-4903

Lectors are called to proclaim the Word of God at liturgical celebrations. They must have received the three Sacraments of Initiation and be validly married (if married). They are to prepare for this important ministry by prayerfully previewing the readings prior to the celebration. They must be able to proclaim the reading loudly and clearly, so that all may hear the Living Word.

Kathy Dougherty arranges for the training of Lectors at both the Sunday and weekday Masses.

Music Ministry

Contact
Hubert Rutkowski
(617)777-2083

All parish members who are musicians and singers are invited to join our choir and cantor programs. Instrumentalists are likewise invited to share their time and talent.

Cantor Program

Cantors lead the congregation in song at the weekend liturgies; for Liturgy of the Hours (Morning Prayer, Vespers and Night Prayer), on special feasts and Friday nights in May and October; and on Holydays (including Christmas). Cantor and music schedules are prepared in 6 to 8 week intervals. Rehearsals can be arranged for anyone needing help with learning the music. The ability to carry a tune and be able to stand in front of the congregation and lead them in song is all that is required. The ability to read music is helpful but not a requirement.

Adult Choir

The adult choir is composed of a group of individuals with a common bond — a love for music. Being a member offers those with this love for music the opportunity to join other singers to create beautiful melodic harmonies. The choir rehearses on Tuesday evenings, 7:30 to 9:00 pmm and sings at Mass on the first and third Sundays of the month October through May, Christmas Eve, Holy Week and the Easter Vigil. Anyone interested is invited to join us on Tuesday night. New members are always welcome.

See Youth Choir and Teen Mass Music Group.

Wedding Ministry

Contact
Rose Michalski
(215)942-7440

Members of St. Vincent de Paul parish’s Wedding Ministry provide assistance to wedding parties and their guests. Typically two members of the ministry attend the wedding rehearsal to learn all that will be required on the wedding day — ribbons, programs, structure of the ceremony, etc. They return the day of the wedding to ensure the Church is prepared for the ceremony, act as resources for the wedding party and their guests, line-up the wedding party for the entrance procession, and communicate with the celebrant.


This ministry has been appreciated by the families and helps avoid some problems on the big day. New members of this ministry are most welcome.

Angel Food

Contact
Mary Donnelly
(215)768-8671

It is the mission of this ministry to prepare and deliver meals to deserving families in their time of need. This could be a happy time when a new mom comes home with her baby, or a sad time because of illness, death or other circumstances.

Participants are given ample notice when asked to prepare a meal, and may turn down an assignment if the timing is not convenient. Anyone who cooks but doesn’t drive (or drives but doesn’t cook) can be matched with someone who does what he or she cannot do.

If you or someone you know could use our services, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We will provide meals for a day, a week — or as long as the need exists. Our dedicated Food Angels are ready to help when help is needed.

Baby's Corner

On the fourth Sunday of each month, parishioners are asked to donate new infant clothing to be distributed to needy parents in our own area and young pregnant women at the Mother Costello Home in Bensalem. Please place your donations of new ‘onesies’, sleepers, outfits etc. (sizes 3 months to 4T) in the hamper located at the back of the Church.

This joint ministry of our parish conference of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul and our parish Pro-Life Ministry provides support to needy parents who have chosen Life.

CRS Chapter

Contact
Larry Blankemeyer
blanks0330@gmail.com
(email with subject line "CRS Chapter")

CRS announces part of a new strategy in the US, the formation Catholic Relief Services Chapters — nationwide and comprised of students, families, individuals and others — advance CRS’s lifesaving mission to end global poverty and suffering through meaningful action.

The goal of CRS Chapters is to equip and empower volunteers to become champions for the mission of global solidarity, champions for the families and communities that CRS serves, and to lead the way to a more just and peaceful world, inspired by our gospel call. This is accomplished by encouraging our elected officials and the media to highlight and support this lifesaving work, and by mobilizing the essential resources to aid in these efforts.

Our parish chapter has the goal of addressing two major global issues: forced migration and global malnutrition. Supported by CRS, participants will be trained to advocate for the needy around the world by developing relationships with members of congress, visiting and speaking with them, reaching out to local news outlets, etc., all with the purpose of raising awareness about these issues.

Christmas Food Baskets

Contact
Debbie Wenclawiak
(267)980-8155

Each Advent, parishioners prepare food baskets for the poor in Visitation School and Parish in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. Participants are given the family name, and the names and ages of children and parents. They then make up baskets filled with non-perishable food, clothes and toys to be delivered to the Religious Ed Building the Saturday before Christmas. These baskets are then transported to the parish for distribution.

Ethical Trade

Contact
Larry Blankemeyer
blanks0330@gmail.com

“There is no worse material poverty … than the poverty which prevents people from earning their bread and deprives them of the dignity of work.”

The CRS Ethical Trade program helps us bring the core values of our faith to the choices we make as consumers — choices that have the power to lift our brothers and sisters out of poverty. Fair and ethical trade is rooted in caring for people and the planet. It is about honoring Christ through our purchase.

The CRS Ambassadors here at St. Vincent de Paul, invite everyone to purchase fair and ethically traded products. Our hope is to educate through opportunities to reflect and advocate on issues affecting the most vulnerable — human trafficking, climate change and livelihoods for refugees.

Helping Hands

Contact
helpinghands@crs.org

Helping Hands is a unique hands-on volunteer event founded on Matthew 25:35 — “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink” — and the Catholic call to social justice. Developed by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Stop Hunger Now, Helping Hands is a meal-packaging program that is fun for adults and children. Volunteers come together to package nutritious meals for people in developing countries who are suffering from food shortages and famine.

Stop Hunger Now provides the materials, sets up, and teaches volunteers how to assemble the meals. CRS educates the group about the people they are helping, and ships the meals to partners overseas, who then distribute them.

Our last Helping Hands will be on November 14, 2021 because a new CRS policy to go into effect on January 1 will require registration for the program directly with CRS and would violate the parish’s privacy policy.

Other ways to do a program similar to Helping Hands will be explored to involve our parishioners in spreading our “faith in action.”

Meals for the Homeless

Contact
Jeanne Flowers
jeanne@nni.net
Home: (215)322-8924
Work: (215)357-5905 EXT 101

Casseroles prepared by our parishioners feed the homeless at St. John’s Hospice in Philadelphia. St. John’s provides the pans, lids, and easy-to-prepare, nutritious recipes. Each casserole feeds approximately 6 hungry men; the Hospice uses about 80 per day.

The frozen casseroles are collected at 20 Worthington Mill Road on the Sunday and Monday before the third Tuesdayof the month. Please mark the casserole with the date using a black permanent marker — month/day/year.

Our freezers have room for 60 pans. Please consider joining this ministry. It’s an easy project you do at home at your convenience and the cost for ingredients is under $10. Those who do not cook may donate toiletries, band-aids, aspirin, towels, washcloths, new socks, and tablespoons.

Outreach

Contact
Jerry Hnizdo
hnizdo1@hotmail.com
(215)815-4479

Our Outreach Ministry strives to expose all our parishioners to institutions which serve the needs of special populations within our community — the homeless, the poor, persons with disabilities, etc. — and provide opportunities to participate in that service. The ministry also intends to reach out to individuals who have in some way distanced themselves from the Church, and invite them to greater participation through service.

Examples of institutions involved thus far are: Family Services of Bucks County Homeless Shelter; Divine Providence Village, Delaware County; St. Edmond’s Home, Rosemont; The DePaul Catholic School, Germantown; and Holy Family Home (the Little Sisters of the Poor), West Philadelphia.

People to People Sunday

Nonperishable food items and canned goods brought to Church the first and third Sundays of the month are delivered to the food cupboard at Jesus Focus Ministry Southampton (at Bethanna), where they are available to local people in need and are also available for the St. Vincent’s Hands Ministry and other agencies to help their clients. This food bank, open Monday through Friday, 9:00 to 11:30, helps over 24,000 annually — area families affected by unemployment, house fires, death of the wage earner, hospitalization, etc. In recent years, demands on area food banks have increased, while government support has remained constant, or even cut back. People to People Sunday has made a difference.

Parishioners also may deliver food directly to the food bank at 1030 2nd Street Pike, Southampton, PA (215-953-2000). As you drive into the Bethanna Complex, you will see a barn-shaped shed. If no staff are present, place the food in the shed. Staff are present from 9:00 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. and will assist — you simply put your delivery on a cart.

Acceptable items include UNOPENED pasta, cereal, rice, canned fruit, juice, meats, soups, vegetables, beans, tuna, pancake mix and syrup, powdered milk, pudding, personal hygiene products, and any other non-perishable items.

St. Vincent Hands

Contact
(215)357-3517

This new parish organization, called St. Vincent’s Hands Ministry, was established in March of 2021 and enables us to provide real time assistance to anyone in need, and minister beyond our parish boundaries.

Poor Box donations in Church are used by this Ministry to meet needs in our area: e.g. help provide food to the needy, shelter to the homeless, and heating oil, electric bills, mortgage payments, and health insurance premiums for the unemployed.

Also available are donation cards to honor someone on the occasion of a birthday, anniversary, etc. and memorial cards for the deceased. Donations by check, are made payable to St. Vincent’s Hands Ministry.

To request help or refer a hardship case in the area, leave voice-mail at 215-357-3517, EXT 501. Confidentiality is observed in all cases.

Parish Events Team

Contact

The Parish Events Team strives to foster a deeper sense of community and fellowship in our parish community. Events are planned throughout the year to bring the Parish community together to celebrate each other and God’s love for us.

Aside from some of the social events planned on a annual basis such as the Pasta Dinner, and periodic fellowship events including coffee and donuts after weekend Masses, this ministry also helps to provide assistance with some of our liturgical and spiritual events such as our Parish’s annual 40 Hours Devotions, our Easter Triduum Liturgies, and the May Devotions Mass & Procession. Watch for announcements in the Parish Newsletter.

Altar Servers

Contact Fr. Paolino
pastor@saintvincents.net
(215)357-5905 EXT 102

Candidates for this ministry are Catholics who have received the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist, and faithfully practice and live their Catholic faith. They should be mature enough to understand their responsibilities and to carry them out well and with appropriate reverence. Students in the 5th grade or above are invited to serve. Enrollment is announced in the Newsletter, and is followed by a period of instruction and training.

Adult men and women are also called to accept the invitation to become altar servers for funerals or other Liturgies when our school-age servers are not available. Training sessions will be scheduled.

Children's Liturgy of the Word

A group of volunteers offers the Children’s Liturgy of the Word at the 10:30 or 9:30 Sunday A.M. Mass. Following the Collect, the opening prayer, the children (from age 4 through 4th grade) are called forward, and they follow the children’s minister to the Liturgy of the Word room. There they hear the readings from the Children’s Lectionary, and interactively reflect on them. They have their own Creed and Prayer of the Faithful and return to Church during the offertory.

No pre-registration is necessary. All children are welcome and encouraged to attend.

High School Youth Group

Coming Soon!

Our High School Youth Group, designed for teens in grades 9 through 12, integrates ongoing faith formation with fun and personal growth through activities that are social, cultural, athletic, spiritual and service oriented. They employ resources from the nationally recognized program Life Teen.

Their geographical base is a room in the Religious Education Building. Their communications base is Youth Night, every Sunday at 7 P.M. — well, not every Sunday. Their bulletin board is the High School Youth Group column in every issue of the Parish Newsletter.

All our high school youth are invited to participate in great discussions, fun activities, awesome service projects, fantastic social activities, a summer mission week, etc. Make great friends, grow personally, and make a difference in the parish!

A core group of youth and adults plan faith formation discussions, Bible Study, Teen Masses, social activities, and service opportunities. Teens and parents are welcome as members of the core group.

Youth Choir

Contact
Alice Gallagher
sraliceg@nni.net
(215)357-5905

The Youth Choir is open to all elementary school children of the parish. The choir sings at the 10:30 or 9:30 A.M. Mass one Sunday a month (September through June) as well as Christmas eve, Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. Rehearsals are on Thursdays, 4:30 to 5:15 P.M. Any child who enjoys singing is encouraged to join us.