St. Kevin's is a Parish Community with a mission.
To accomplish the mission, we have many ministries. Ministry is service. Every believer in the Lord Jesus is called to serve by baptism. Through ministry, we exercise the priesthood that is ours by baptism. In a parish of more than 3500 families, there are a variety of ways in which a member of the St. Kevin Parish Community can be called upon to minister or to serve. Through ministry, a person in the parish makes a wonderful contribution to the entire parish community. Through ministry, a person is enriched by what others are able to offer to her or to him.

This September 2009 we take this occasion to remind our parishioners of the many ways in which members of the parish, through different ministries, are able to serve the whole community. Our purpose is twofold:

1. to share with the parish community the different dimensions of our parish mission and how through our service we carry out that mission;
2. to invite you to reflect on your own gifts and consider how you might be able to serve by participating in a particular ministry. Every ministry in the parish is in need of assistance and new volunteers.

Parish Ministries

Our Catholic Schools

We are blessed as a parish to be served by three Catholic elementary schools and one Catholic high school:

St. Kevin

Holy Name

Alexander Kuska

Notre Dame College School

To teach in a Catholic school is to live out one's baptismal vocation in a privileged way. It is to participate in the evangelizing mission of the Church. The Catholic educators ministering in St. Kevin's Parish assist us in preparing our young people for the reception of the sacraments and in handing on our faith as Catholic Christians.

Sacramental Preparation

Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist and Marriage – these sacraments are the cornerstone of our liturgical life. They are the essential spiritual resource for our mission as the disciples of the Lord Jesus, in our time and in our place. For each sacrament there is a time of formation. The priests of the parish are ably assisted in this work of formation by the RCIA Team, by teachers in our schools, and by parish ministers, especially for the sacraments of baptism and marriage.

St. Vincent de Paul

St. Kevin's St. Vincent de Paul is a group of parishioners, women and men, who respond with charitable assistance to the emergency needs of people – food, clothing and guidance. St. Vincent de Paul also cooperates with other social services such as the Hope Centre, Health Bus and Open Arms Mission. The group meets on the third Thursday of each month for sharing and planning on how to respond over the next thirty days. Last year, more than 550 home visits were made by St. Vincent de Paul members; 435 bags of groceries were distributed. St. Kevin's Food Bank is under the umbrella of St. Vincent de Paul.

Parish Food Bank

Many, many parishioners contribute to the Food Bank – some daily and many on the weekend, when folks bring food for our Food Bank bins. Dedicated volunteers serve the Food Bank for two to three hours on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. Surplus from St. Kevin's food bank supply also finds its way to St. Vincent de Paul, Harvest Kitchen and Open Arms Mission. In 2008, the Food Bank served 2,475 clients, 731 more than 2007. January's Soups On! is an extension of the Food Bank and funds "social justice scholarships" for Catholic students in the area.

Harvest Kitchen

St. Kevin's Harvest Kitchen is part of a city-wide network that provides a hot meal to guests in need. Wednesday evenings from the beginning of November to the end of April. Harvest Kitchen volunteers are young and old, parishioners and some folks from beyond the parish. This past year, 1850 meals were served by Harvest Kitchen.

Social Justice

The Social Justice Committee helps the parish community grow in its understanding of the social teaching of the church. The Development and Peace action program in January and Share Lent education and collection are central to the work of the committee. The Committee concerns itself with justice issues at home – Social Forums (local social audit, living wage, legacy of poverty in Niagara, cost of poverty) and abroad – education and action on behalf of the poor affected by the irresponsible practices of some Canadian mining companies.

RCIA

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is a process of preparation for persons wishing to become Roman Catholics and for Catholics who have little understandingof their faith. The RCIA brings together a team of committed St. Kevin's parishioners with those who are searching and wishing to know more about our faith. The journey of faith takes place each Monday evening from the beginning of September until Pentecost Sunday. Members of the group meet each Sunday as well for breaking open the Word of God after the homily.

Music Ministry

Our liturgical assemblies are blessed to have some exceptional cantors, instrumentalists and leaders of song to animate and give meaning to our worship. We are blessed, too, to have two very fine choirs. The Adult Choir assists at the 10:00 Sunday Mass and on special occasions. These parishioners work very hard with regular practices and take on music ministry responsibilities in our high liturgical seasons. The Resurrection Choir faithfully serves at our funeral liturgies.

Catholic Women's League

The CWL is a ministry with deep, deep roots in the parish, serving St. Kevin's since October 1951. The CWL supports the parish community by prayer, promoting the sanctity of life, and fund-raising events that build-up the parish community. Meetings are on the first Thursday of every month in the Hospitality Room.

Hospital Visitation

This little group of parishioners tend to the corporal and spiritual needs of the sick in their service of visiting and praying with the sick, and bringing Holy Communion to them. This service also involves listening and conversation and being present to the sick person. By the presence of these parish ministers, the parish community itself becomes visibly present in praying for and journeying with the sick person.

Senior Homes Ministry

Volunteer ministers from St. Kevin's give time and talent to serve the spiritual needs of the Catholic residents of Woodlands of Sunset (Monday morning) and Rapelje Lodge (Friday morning). The volunteers visit with the residents; meet twice a month to pray the rosary; bring residents to the chapel or prayer room; prepare the altar and assist with readings and music for Mass; and take the Eucharist to those unable to leave their rooms.

Liturgical Ministry

Eucharistic Ministers, members of the laity and of the Eucharistic Assembly, are a clear sign that the Mass belongs to all of the people. These ministers have the awesome responsibility of giving to the assembly of brothers and sisters the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion. Some Eucharistic ministers also take the Body of Christ to the sick and those unable to assist at Mass.

Readers proclaim God's Word. At each Mass, the Liturgy of the Word is the moment to hear and to respond to God's Word in the Old Testament and in the New Testament.

Servers at the altar, both young and old, play an important role in the liturgical action; ushers or ministers of hospitality help create a welcoming environment for our liturgies; sacristans do so much to "set the altar," making ready the liturgical space for different celebrations. The Parish Liturgy Committee meets regularly to help plan and organize the celebrations for the different liturgical seasons of the year.

Youth Ministry

The Youth Ministry team works with our Catholic schools and with parish families. An important dimension of this ministry is to train teens to work with younger girls and boys. Each summer, the Vacation Bible School takes place for one week in August. Throughout the year, members of the Youth Ministry team animate retreats for Grades 6-7-8. At different times of the year, there are youth ministry activities that bring young people closer to the parish community.

Children's Sunday Liturgy

From September through to the end of June, the children's liturgy team provides an important learning and prayer opportunity for children during the 10:00 a.m. Sunday Eucharist. Young families greatly value this service as it allows for deeper adult participation in the Eucharist and it offers children a wonderful way to come to know and serve Jesus.

Pastoral Council

St. Kevin's is a large parish. There are many different activities and ministries that take place. The Pastoral Council, made up of the priests of the parish and ten parishioners, whose names have been suggested to the Pastor by the parish, serves as both a review board and to an extent, a planning board regarding the operation of the parish. The Council provides valuable service in being able to articulate some of the sentiments and needs of parishioners and in being able to assist the priests and the parish as a whole in the living out of our parish mission.

Stewardship

A large parish has many challenging "plant and finance concerns." The Stewardship Committee brings much needed expertise and wisdom when it comes to the material needs of the church, the grounds and the rectory. The committee keeps a keen eye on the revenue the parish generates each year and, of course, on the expenses. Members of the committee manifest real ownership of the history and heritage of St. Kevin's and a strong desire to care for the future, for the decades to come in the life of the parish.

Bereavement Ministry

A small group of our parishioners assist the priests and deacons with the prayer for the deceased at funeral vigils. These parishioners are a tangible sign that St. Kevin's Parish journeys with the grieving family during moments of deep sadness. Each All Souls Day, the bereavement prayer team helps structure the memorial Mass liturgy that is offered for all parishioners who died during the past year.

Bereavement Support Group

With the Support Group, the parish collaborates with the Welland Hospital palliative care service to offer support and a safe, compassionate environment to people in grief. On the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of every month, there is a meeting in the Hospitality Room. Here the bereaved can share their pain and tell stories of their loved ones and begin to create a new life.

Pro-Life

St. Kevin's offers support to the Welland-Port Colborne Pro-Life movement. This ministry is shaped and inspired by the unequivocal teaching of the Church on the sanctity of life from the womb to the tomb. The parish depends on the great gospel-work of the pro-life ministry for opportunities to act on behalf of the sanctity of life and for a deepening awareness of the gospel of life.

Prayer Life

The Oasis Prayer Group meets every Wednesday evening in the Hospitality Room. This little group of parishioners has been meeting weekly to pray together for the last 20 years. Prayer is offered for the specific needs of individuals, for members of the parish and for the needs of the world. The Cenacle Prayer Group meets Tuesday mornings in the church with the similar purpose – to pray for families and for the needs of the parish and the world.

Parish Visitation

Mobility is a hallmark of our society today. Each month several new families (15 - 25) move into the parish and register as members of the parish. (By the same token, we also have families moving out of the parish). Our parish visitation team becomes agents of hospitality, visiting new members and welcoming them to the parish. They share an information package with them that describes what goes on at St. Kevin's and how we as a parish may be able to serve their pastoral and spiritual needs.

Prayer of the Christian Community

Christ does not have hands.
He has only our hands to do his work, today.
Christ does not have feet.
He has only our feet to go towards others, today.
Christ does not have a mouth.
He has only our mouths to proclaim his Gospel, today.
We are the Bible which humanity still reads.
We are the call of God, written in words and works.
By the intercession of the Holy Family of Nazareth,
we pray to the Lord to teach us
to be the Good News in the world of today. Amen.

–Seventh Mission Congress of Latin America, 2003