Social Action
St. Wenceslaus Social Action Group
The St. Wenceslaus Social Action group usually meets on the fourth Thursday of the month at 7:00 in the parish house dining room. Newcomers are always welcome.
For more information on the St. Wenceslaus Social Action group, please contact one of the following: Mary Higgins 758-0464 Bill Belkengren 758-3526.
Meeting schedule: Upcoming meetings: July – if necessary for specific projects, Aug. 26, Sept. 23, Oct. 28, Dec. 2, Jan. 27, Feb. 24, Mar. 24, Apr. 28, May 26? (maybe – very busy time)
Our group’s goals are as follows:
1. Develop our own understanding of and commitment to Catholic Social Teachings. (We are studying Lazarus at the Table, by Bernard Evans.)
2. Promote awareness of Catholic Social Teachings in our parish.
3. Promote charity/service opportunities
4. Promote social justice/change opportunities.
Our current work is in support of a Parish Ministry Fair Sept. 25/26 and the following:
• Recycling efforts at the New Prague Half Marathon in May, our parish festival in August and Dozinky in September
• Parish collections for the Peace Center food shelf • The Dorothy Day soup kitchen and soup supper
• The Joint Religious Coalition Day on the Hill
• Agriculture in Scott County
• Guatemala and Red Lake missions
• Family mission trip to Leech Lake
• The Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl program
• Informing parishioners about Catholic Social Teachings
Social Action Meeting Report June 24, 2010
After opening prayer and a good discussion on human dignity from our reading of Lazarus at the Table, we talked about fair trade coffee sales. We decided to sell coffee on Saturdays and Sundays between Masses on the 2nd Saturday of each month. beginning in September. Mary Zweber volunteered to help with paperwork, and Mary Higgins is planning to ask Kathy Doyle if she would be willing to work with her. We will charge the same amount the Guatemala mission trip youth charged, and any profit will go to the hospitality fund for the parish. We will sell the coffee that Susan has left first and then the unsold supply from the mission trip group. We will need to redesign the labels eventually.
We discussed the evolution of the ministry fair into a year-long effort to make the culture of the parish more welcoming and to invite people to get involved with parish ministries. “All Are Welcome” would include several components, including an initial Powerpoint or iMovie presentation, ministry minutes, bulletin inserts highlighting ministries and volunteers, a revised procedure for welcoming new parishioners, and possible sign-up for volunteers. We discussed using the parish pictorial directory sessions as a good time to welcome parishioners, update their information and provide them with info about ministries.
Mary will check with Fr. Kevin and set a date for the initial brainstorming meeting, probably July 12 or 14. This meeting would be a combined meeting of the welcoming committee and the social action group, with Parish Coordinating Council members invited as well.
We talked about putting out the recycling bins for the parish festival and Susan and Andrea said they have trucks we might use. Sally felt it probably isn’t worth putting them out for Dozinky or the half marathon.
We will do the fall pillow cleaning and give proceeds to the parish hospitality fund.
Ann Christy shared that she will be joining a Murray Spanish Ministry cohort in the fall. She will be taking part in an extensive program to learn Spanish and working with people involved in ministry to Hispanics. She will be unavailable for participation in our group for the next year, because they will be meeting on Thursday nights.
Bill Belkengren volunteered to help with leadership of the group.
Social Action Meeting Report May 27, 2010
Lazarus at the Table – chapter 2 We decided to table until next time.
Cedar Summit recap - Sr. Kerry encouraged us to do this again, because she felt there was sufficient interest. We talked about charging people less for admission next time (maybe in 2 years), since our purpose is to educate, not make a profit. We made $125 after the Times ad.
Recycling – report from half Marathon Again, a disappointing response. Greg R. attached empty water bottles on the top of the bins, which were placed next to trash containers. What to try next? Let’s not give up yet.
Fair trade coffee – do we want to sell? Yes, we would like to continue selling, perhaps at minimal to no profit. Mary will check into what the price would be. Let’s plan to bring this up at our next meeting to be sure enough people are interested to make a commitment. We would like to continue to educate people about what fair trade means.
Ministry Fair – or other ideas? Mary ran the idea by Fr. Kevin, who suggested trying something in church, instead of doing a lot of work trying to draw people to a different location. The welcoming committee came up with some ideas, like a Powerpoint or i-movie, after communion talks, newsletter-like inserts in the bulletin, interviewing people/families active in ministries – “Think outside the box!” We thought these sounded like ideas worth pursuing. Attached is the ministry list Mary came up with. Anything missing that you can tell? Mary H, Bill, Joan and Ann will finalize the list.
Dozinky Float - idea from the welcoming committee How about having St. Wenceslaus represented in the parade? We could come up with a theme that highlights active involvement.
We closed with prayer that the Holy Spirit would guide our efforts and open the hearts of those we serve.
St. Wenceslaus Social Action Group Meeting Report April 22, 2010
After opening with an Earth Day prayer, we discussed the first chapter of Lazarus at the Table. There was particular attention paid to the idea that those who have riches are bound to share with the poor.
Mary reported that the Ministry Fair will be held on Sept. 25/26. We discussed various ideas that might help draw people in, including inviting a caricature artist, having former SWS 8th graders share their social justice projects, offering a door prize, asking exhibitors for ideas and highlighting the paper drive/aluminum can collections. A small group will meet to finalize the list of parish ministries and to begin inviting participation. Ann, Bill, Mary and Joan had expressed interest in working on this.
Sally Rademacher and Judy Deutsch will be putting out plastic recycling bins in Memorial Park during the Half Marathon/Fin Run.
We discussed the Cedar Summit event on May 23. Mary has a flyer ready to go. Bill, Ann, Susan and Mary Zweber will contact Dave and Florence to see if they have any suggestions for menu items for the lunch, and Kathy, Andrea, Sal and Kathy will be working on children’s activities. We will contact everyone when we see how the registration number is shaping up.
Ann volunteered to have some of her junior high youth put environmental stewardship flyers in the bulletin, and Mary wrote up an article about care for creation as a principle of Catholic Social Teaching.
Our next gathering will be the Cedar Summit event and our next regular meeting will be May 27 at 7:00 in the parish house dining room. We will discuss Chapter 2 of the book.
For more information on the St. Wenceslaus Social Action group, please contact one of the following: Mary Higgins 758-0464 Ann Christy 758-3133
What are Catholic Social Teachings? They are understandings of what it means to live the Gospel in our relationships with one another in family, community and the world. They call us not only to be charitable, but also to recognize, challenge and change social structures that are unjust.
Where do they come from? They come from the teachings of the popes and bishops, but even more basically from scripture and from the evolving understanding of the Jewish and then Christian peoples of how we are called to live in community.
Can you name them? There is no one definitive list of teachings, like there is for the Ten Commandments. The Catholic Bishops of the United States have summarized them as follows:
1. The Life and Dignity of the Human Person – All life is sacred, from conception to natural death.
2. Call to Family, Community and Participation – We humans grow and thrive only by interacting with others in friendships, families, and community. This principle emphasizes peace among all peoples.
3. Rights and Responsibilities - All people have basic rights. All people have the basic responsibility to respect other’s rights and to work actively and live for the common good.
4. Option for the Poor and Vulnerable - We are called as Christians to respond to the needs of all our brothers and sisters, especially the poor, by practicing both acts of charity and acts of social justice that encourage society to meet all people’s basic needs.
5. The Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers - Every person has the right to work as a way of contributing with dignity to God’s creation. The economy exists to serve people, not the other way around.
6. Solidarity - We are one human family regardless of race, nationality, or religion. We are obligated to work for peace and justice globally.
7. Care for Creation - The goods of this world are meant to be shared by all. We are called to respect and take care of our Earth, including preserving the Earth for the future.
How important are they? The bishops tell us that they are as important as studying the scriptures, following Church rules, receiving the sacraments, and attending Mass. They are not optional for Catholics. They are a necessary part of living out our Catholic faith.
How can I learn more? We have a parish social action group, people who are working with parish staff and programs to highlight Catholic Social Teachings. They have worked hard to share the story of our parish involvement with Guatemalan missions this weekend (see the showcase and displays in the Parish activity Center!), and they have other projects in line. Watch for their presentations. Or join them!
When? Where? Who? Our parish social action group meets on the fourth Thursday of the month in the parish dining room at 7:00. Visitors and new members are always welcome.
