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Local Church
July 20, 2006
Parish social ministry groups focusing on Church’s mission
By Rebecca Bostic
The Catholic Sun
When Deacon Keith Davis helped start a group to embody the U.S. bishops’ document “Communities of Salt and Light” at St. Thomas More Parish in Glendale, he never imagined the effect the group would have on the community.
Six years later, the parish social ministry group has engaged a spirit of service in the parish community — most recently raising nearly $30,000 for a Mexican orphanage last year.
“The purpose of the parish ministry group is to help the parish maintain its focus of the social mission of the Church,” said Deacon Davis, associate director of the Office of the Diaconate for the Phoenix Diocese. “Our mission is not just to have Mass on Sunday, our mission is to have an outward focus toward service to the poor.”
St. Thomas More is not the only parish working toward this goal. Spearheaded by Catholic Charities Community Services, more than 22 parishes throughout the diocese currently have active parish social ministry groups formed in cooperation with the Office of Peace and Justice for the Phoenix Diocese.
The Office of Peace and Justice is working to increase that number.
“We are hoping to raise awareness of Catholic social teaching and charity and justice issues,” said Lawrence Goodwin, West Valley coordinator for the office. “We’re taking our lead from the pope’s first encyclical to get parishes thinking in terms of charity and how that connects to justice.”
Beyond helping parishes form the social ministry groups, the local social justice leaders suggest integrating social service efforts with the liturgical ministry of the parish.
That concept is one that Deacon Davis and the group at St. Thomas More understand well.
If part of the mission of the Church is charity “it has to be part of everything we do and permeate our liturgies,” Deacon Davis said.
The social ministry group at St. Thomas More spent the past academic year studying charity through its Just Faith program.
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