Please find below the ways our parish reaches out and serves our community. Please consider joining one (or more!) of these ways to be a witness of Christ's love. If you have any questions, please contact the Parish Office at 269-649-1629. Thanks and God bless!
A group of volunteers working to offer the adults of our parish varied opportunities to continue to grow more deeply in our Catholic faith. The goal is to offer opportunities in several forms, and on varied days and times, to appeal to all parishioners. Recently offered are bible studies, seasonal programs for Lent or Advent, and Pack the House, which is a gathering to share a meal and hear a speaker or view a video on current Catholic topics. New members are welcomed and appreciated. Diversity of volunteers (age, background, etc.) will result in new ideas, which are encouraged. If you are interested, please leave your name, phone number and email address in the Parish Office at 269-649-1629.
This invisible, yet essential ministry is responsible for cleaning and pressing the altar linens and purificators that are used during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Guidelines are provided to ensure altar linens are prepared with appropriate care and respect. By the diligent care of the altar linens, the Church expresses her joy at the inestimable gifts and graces she receives form Christ’s altar.
This ministry is time-flexible and performed at home with training provided! The time commitment would be approximately four hours a week on a rotating team schedule. Call the Parish Office at 269-649-1629 to join this team.
Our annual rummage sale is held in the Parish Hall each summer, with our sale dates looking to be August 1st, 2nd, and 3rd for 2024. Everyone is encouraged to donate their unwanted items. Help is also needed to set up, sort, price, work during the sale, and take down. Proceeds go to the building fund. Watch the bulletin for information &/or contact the Parish Office (269-649-1629) if you would like to help.
All are invited every Monday evening in the Manning Center from 6:00pm to 7:00pm for Bible Study with Msgr. Tom Martin. No reservation required and you can just bring yourself. The study looks at the Gospel for the upcoming Sunday and is a wonderful opportunity for prayer, reflection, and personal connection. For questions, please contact the Parish Office at 269-649-1629.
Funeral MinistryThe funeral ministry organizes compassionate volunteers to set-up and clean-up a catered meal after a funeral. To volunteer to serve in this important work of ministering towards grieving family and friends, please call the Parish Office at 269-649-1629 to have your name put on the list. Hospitality MinistryThe Hospitality Ministry provides meals for new mothers and other parishioners recovering at home after a hospital stay. For more information, email Deb Stafinski at dstafinski11@gmail.com. We also provide welcome bags to new parishioners. Please email Christy Salasbury for more details at christysalisbury1@hotmail.com. In-Sharing MinistryThe In-Sharing ministry works in conjunction with other churches in the Vicksburg area and the South County Community Services to serve the poor and needy in the Vicksburg area. Currently, members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society are covering this. Please call 269-649-1629 and listen for the St. Vincent de Paul Society extension to leave a message in order to receive more information here. Knights of ColumbusSt. Martin’s Knights of Columbus Council 13305 was chartered in 2003. The Knights provide service to St. Martin and St. Edward Parishes as a whole, with the founding principles charity, unity, and fraternity ever on their minds. The Knights meet in the Manning Center on the fourth Tuesdays of each month at 7:00 p.m. and have a family summer picnic and Christmas party. Fund raising activities include a Farmers’ Breakfast one Sunday a month in the Parish Hall and a Corn Beef and Cabbage Dinner around St. Patrick's Day. Membership is open to all men 18 years or older, who are practicing Catholics. For more information, contact Bill Zeman (616-914-3962) Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA)OCIA stands for the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults. It is the standard discernment and formation process for adults wishing to learn more about our Catholic faith and to prepare those interested for their profession of faith, entrance into the Church and reception of the Sacraments of Initiation. The OCIA process is composed of several parts: Inquiry, which is general information about the Church, such as our core beliefs, devotions, types of prayer, Mary and the Saints, and general practices and teachings of the Church. The second part is the Catechumenate, a period in which the Seven Sacraments of the Church are discussed. During this time that we discern at a deeper level the upcoming initiation into the Church and reception of the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Holy Eucharist, and Confirmation. Those who complete the program are received into the church at the Easter vigil. For more information, please contact the Parish Office at 269-649-1629. Pastoral Care MinistryIf you or someone you know is homebound, sick, or infirm and they would like a visit or communion, please call Sue Maneikis in the Parish Office at 269-649-1629. We'll schedule a time in which Msgr. Martin or one of our Deacons will come to visit you. If you have a Sacramental emergency, such as needing Last Rites, please call the parish number (269-649-1629) and select the emergency phone line. Prayer LineThe Prayer Line has played a significant role in connecting parishioners through the power of prayer since it started in 2009. Beginning with eleven prayer warriors and a lead contact, our Prayer Line has grown to 35 prayer warriors who lift up the needs of anyone who asks for prayer. To leave a prayer request, or to begin to participate as a prayer warrior, please email deena.christine@yahoo.com, or call (269) 303-8016. Raise Right Gift CardsRaise Right, formerly known as Scrip, are sold after the weekend Masses in the narthex. The parish benefits from Raise Right sales by earning a profit on each card we sell. We do need volunteers for the Raise Right Sales, please call the Parish Office (269-649-1629) if you are interested. Selling the cards does not take a lot of time after Mass and is easy to learn- training is available. Readers and UshersWe always welcome new readers and ushers! Please call the Parish Office (269-649-1629) if you are interested. Training to become a reader or usher is easily arranged by appointment. Religious EducationOne of our most important callings as Christians is to instill the living faith in our children. To assist parents in this duty, children in 1st through 12th grade meet on Sunday mornings from 9:30a.m. - 10:45a.m. For information, to register your children, or to volunteer as a catechist or assist in any age group, please contact Tim McNamara at the Religious Education Office dre@stmartinvicksburg.org or the Parish Office at (269) 649-1629. St. Isidore GuildThe St. Isidore Guild maintains and cares for the Mary Garden and surrounding areas. The Garden was created in the 1960's by a group of dedicated and innovative parishioners for the purpose of honoring Our Blessed Mother by providing a sacred space for enjoyment, meditation and beauty. The flowers chosen for inclusion into the Garden are special to Mary and have lovely meanings.
St. Martin's Council of Catholic WomenSMCCW (locally known as the HALOS) is an organization of women of the parish wishing to grow spiritually, strengthened by the diversity of age, and sharing faith to build our community. We are members of the National Council of Catholic Women. There are no membership requirements for any woman in the parish. Just bring an interest for the fun, friendship, and fellowship that grows out of planning and participating in numerous activities and services. Some of the many projects and activities that SMCCW arranges are: St. Vincent DePaul SocietyThe St. Vincent DePaul group meets twice a month on Monday evenings. If you are interested in joining this group, which administers the parish’s charity contributions, please contact Lisbeth Polasek, 269-649-1629, ext. 70. or Social CommitteeThe Social Committee plans a variety of social functions throughout the year to increase fellowship among our parishioners. Some events are for the entire family (like the Annual Parish Picnic), other events are targeted to specific age groups in the parish (like the Annual Mardi Gras - style "Anything Goes" party). By coming together at these events and getting to know the people of the parish, each of us will feel more a part of our parish family. Through these social events, new parishioners and visitors have opportunities to meet others and learn about the various other ministries of our parish and community. If you are interested in joining the Social Committee, if you have ideas for social events, or if you want to volunteer to help at any of the functions, please contact Nick & Barb Ostrosky at (269) 459-6271. Volunteers are always needed. Exact dates of the various social events are announced at Mass and in the weekly bulletin. Youth MinistrySt. Martin of Tours Youth Ministry desires that students encounter Jesus Christ: through fun activities, in-depth discussions, the call to prayer, and most profoundly in the Eucharist. We strive to live virtuously, so that we may be active followers of Christ in the Church and our communities. We look to engage our parish and local community through different acts of service. What we value: Honesty, Compassion, Truth, and Service. For more information, please contact Michelle Klein at ym@stmartinvicksburg.org. |