Catholic teaching calls us to serve those in need and to change the structures that deny people their dignity and rights as children of God. Service and action, charity and justice are complementary components of parish social ministry.
–Communities of Salt and Light, U.S. Catholic Bishops.
The Saint Paul the Apostle Justice
Please check the bulletin for current projects which include:
Inspired Gifts Holiday Boutique (formerly Alternative Gift Giving)
In early Advent FaithJustice members provide an opportunity to support various charities. Those who contribute are given gift cards to inform family and friends that a donation has been made in their name and wishing them a Merry Christmas.
Food Pantry
When attending Mass, please bring items from your home as a “tithe” for the poor. Food pantry collection baskets are set up at each door to receive the donations. The following items are always helpful: pasta, rice, beans, tomato sauce, cookies, small packaged cookies and snack packs, bottled water, men’s socks, large t-shirts, underwear, soap bars, toothbrushes, toothpaste, disposable razors, shaving cream, etc. Items received are taken to various service agencies in the area.
PATH (People Assisting the Homeless)
St. Paul parishioners provide meals and serve food one evening a month for the homeless living at PATH in West Los Angeles. You may wish to volunteer one month by making a dinner for about 25 people, bringing it, and serving the food to the residents. It is a good activity for a family team. Contact spajoc@sp-apostle.org
Sandwich Builders
Once a month members of the community bring bread, peanut butter, jelly, bananas, water bottles and individually packaged desert items to the parish upper social hall and make lunches for the homeless. Over 100 people generally participate and make close to 1000 lunches which are then packed into parishioner cars and distributed to various outreach centers in the city. It’s always a Friday night and it takes one hour. Look to the calendar for the next opportunity and just show up with a few supplies. E-mail
spasandwichbuilders@gmail.com for more information
St. Roberts Center
St. Roberts is located in Venice. Every six weeks parishioners volunteer to serve the homeless on the weekend at St. Roberts. Our CCD children also do a collection of toiletries and socks for St. Roberts during Advent and Lent each year.
Suits for Success
Save your suites. Once a year we will sponsor a drive to collect clothing items that are “suitable” for job interviewing. These suites, shirts, ties, shoes are distributed to PATH, and to Chrysalis, two agencies that provide the homeless with training for job placement and a better place in society.
Thanksgiving Projects
Each year parishioners volunteer to provide turkeys and traditional thanksgiving dinner items to the Westside Thanksgiving event. We also volunteer to serve the homeless at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Thanksgiving morning where more than 3,0000 guests are served a traditional thanksgiving dinner and as well as other amenities.
At Thanksgiving time, the children of our school take home a shopping back and bring it back to school with Thanksgiving food items which are then given to various agencies throughout the Westside.
Voter Registration
St. Paul’s FaithJustice committee provides an opportunity each year for parishioners and visitors to register to vote, encouraging our community toward informed and responsible citizenship.
