Peace & Justice Ministries

PEACE AND JUSTICE MINISTRIES

"There is no peace without justice..." --St. Pope John Paul II

Peace & Justice Ministry has to do with social justice and, as St. Pope John Paul II said, “There is NO PEACE without justice...” The ministries at St. Therese Church that have to do with social justice are:

Christian Services (a ministry of giving economic assistance to the poor in our area)
Detention Ministry (a ministry of giving time and attention to youth who are seing time in jail), and
The Rosary Makers (a ministry of making and distributing Rosaries to those in poor areas or countries).

CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING is a body of doctrine developed by the Catholic Church on matters of poverty and wealth, economics, social organization, and the role of the state. Its foundations are widely considered to have been laid by Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical letter “Rerum Novarum,” which advocated economic Distributism and condemned Socialism, although its roots can be traced to the writings of Catholic thinkers such as St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine of Hippo, and is also derived from concepts present in the Bible.

According to Pope Benedict XVI, its purpose "is simply to help purify reason and to contribute, here and now, to the acknowledgment and attainment of what is just…. [The Church] has to play her part through rational argument and she has to reawaken the spiritual energy without which justice…cannot prevail and prosper. Justice is not a mere human convention. When, in the name of supposed justice, the criteria of utility, profit, and material possession come to dominate, then the value and dignity of human beings can be trampled underfoot. Justice is a virtue which guides the human will, prompting us to give others what is due to them by reason of their existence and their actions. Likewise, peace is not the mere absence of war, or the result of man's actions to avoid conflict; it is, above all, a gift of God which must be implored with faith, and which has the way to its fulfillment in Jesus. True peace must be constructed day after day with compassion, solidarity, fraternity, and collaboration on everyone's part."

St. Pope John Paul II said that its foundation "rests on the threefold cornerstones of human dignity, solidarity, and subsidiarity." These concerns echo elements of Jewish lawand the prophetic books of the Old Testament, and recall the teachings of Jesus Christ recorded in the New Testament, such as His declaration that "whatever you have done for one of these least brothers of Mine, you have done for Me."

CHRISTIAN SERVICES PROGRAM

"When I was hungry, you gave me to eat..." Matthew 25:35

The Christian Services Progdram is comprised of committed Catholic Christians who take seriously Christ’s call to serve Him through serving others and to “love one another as I have loved you.” Our mission is to provide services to the poor, the elderly, and to the families of the recently deceased. Some of our ministries include, but are not limited to:

Providing monthly groceries to residents of Alhambra;
Providing them with Holiday Baskets (Groceries with ham or turkey) for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter;
Finding caretakers for our elderly parishioners;
Hosting funeral receptions for the loved ones of our deceased parishioners;
Assisting persons with rent and utility assistance;
Visiting the shut-ins, when called on to do so;
Assisting elderly or handicapped parishioners with transportation to appointments and errands;
Acting as a go-between for job-seekers and parishioners requiring help (housekeepers, babysitters, etc.); and
Referring persons in need to other appropriate resources.

How Can You Help?
We are in great need of more people to become Christian Services volunteers. You can help in several ways:

Volunteer to spearhead and coordinate a much-needed Bereavement program; help with the program once it’s established;
Be on call to assist with funeral receptions (set up tables and chairs, decorate, bake cookies, put out and replenish food and drinks, etc.);
Put together bags of groceries for those in need;
Help to distribute groceries before the holidays (evenings);
Coordinate a ham or turkey drive for our parish;
Visit lonely shut-in parishioners;
Transport those in need to appointments, errands;
Sponsor a non-perishable food drive at your place of work or in your neighborhood.

To get involved, call (626) 282-2744 from Monday through Wednesday, between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

PEACE AND JUSTICE MINISTRIES

CHRISTIAN SERVICES PROGRAM

ST. THERESE ROSARY MAKERS