Community Support Groups

List of 7 items.

• Divine Mercy Home School Support Group

  This group is an association of lay faithful established to promote homeschooling among Catholic families and to support those families who are engaged in providing their children's primary education at home. They seek to nourish Catholic families, to help build the Church, and to promote the blessings of homeschooling.

• Marriage Encounter

  Marriage Encounter activities are designed to help couples deepen the joy and beauty of their marriage. The initial activity for couples is participation in a Marriage Encounter Weekend --a time for them to get away from the distractions of the world to renew the "spark" in their relationship. After that, there are a variety of follow-up activities during the year. The main goal of the group is to provide support and encouragement to married couples. Strengthening marriages helps strengthen families, our parish/church and our world.
  
  

• Natural Family Planning

  Their mission is to provide Natural Family Planning instruction to all interested men and women. They want to share their view that abstinence (at the right time) is a normal and responsible part of marriage that can deepen the marital relationship while it performs the important function of helping plan pregnancies. A free orientation is given once each month and interested couples return for follow-up instruction throughout the next 4-5 months. They also provide assistance for those couples having difficulty achieving pregnancy.
  

• Silver Saints

  The Silver Saints Ministry works to provide advocacy, resources, and assistance to our senior parishioners in every aspect of their spiritual growth and development. Breakfast meetings are held monthly at St. Mary’s Church on the third Wednesday, from 7:30- 9:00 am.

   

  Announcements of upcoming meetings and events are posted in the weekly bulletin. The Silver Saints sponsor two major activities during the year, and the Committee is always open to suggestions for more:

   

  1. Annual Facilities Accessibility Tour: a team of parishioners tour the campuses of St. Mary’s and St. John Neumann with a focus of physical accessibility issues for senior parishioners. Concerns that have been identified and have been corrected, or are still in the process of being addressed include: sound, lighting, railings, signage, crosswalk striping, automatic doors, and awnings over handicap entrances. After the tour and observations are compiled, we present our findings to the St. Mary’s Facilities Committee where projects are developed and added to either the annual Repair and Maintenance list or to the Capital Improvement Projects list. The Accessibility Tour is scheduled in the Spring.

   

  2. Annual Silver Saints Spiritual Retreat: This is a one day, in Parish retreat for senior parishioners and their caregivers. We schedule a guest inspirational speaker who will provide guidance and discussion on the spiritual challenges that are unique to those experiencing increased disabilities and other new challenges that come with aging. There is time for reflection and Confession, and the Retreat participants attend noon mass as a group. The Spiritual Retreat is scheduled in early Summer.

   

  New members are always welcome!

• Special Gatherings

  Occasional Series featuring programs of parish wide interest (e.g. Civil War History and St. Mary’s Parish), lectures, demonstrations, holiday luncheons, etc.  Proposed events presented based on perceived appeal to an audience of men and women of the parish and their guests.  Volunteer serve ad lib or per presentation.  Expectation is 3-4 per year.

• Walking with Purpose

  Walking with Purpose is a Catholic Bible study program that aims to bring women to a deeper personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We offer personal study and small group discussion that link our everyday challenges and struggles with the solutions given to us through the teachings of Christ and the Catholic Church.

  Walking with Purpose endeavors to meet women where they are, giving them practical Biblical teaching that is consistent with Church doctrine and uses the Catechism of the Catholic Church as an additional resource. Walking with Purpose has three elements: at-home study, parish-based or independently run weekly small group meetings, and a monthly talk on relevant Bible study material. Parish-based programs are offered during the daytime or in the evenings, and childcare is provided. All Bible study materials have received the imprimatur from the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and vary in length and depth of study in order to meet the varying needs of participants.

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• Welcoming Committee

  The Welcoming Committee focuses on fulfilling the parish vision statement ―to be a warm and welcoming Community of Faith. Committee members call all new parishioners and welcome them to the parish, answer any questions, and encourage people to get involved in the many ministries and organizations that make St. Mary‘s such a vibrant community. The Committee also hosts a reception twice a year to give existing parishioners an opportunity to meet and welcome the new parishioners. This is a great time for new parishioners to meet the representatives from the ministries and organizations and find out more about how to fulfill their call to serve.