The St. John’s Charitable Society meets every other Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in the St. Jude Room of the Msgr. Harris Center.
If you or someone you know needs assistance, or if you are interested in becoming a member, please call the Charitable Society at 240-577-5596.
The need continues to be great, and many requests for help come in to the Charitable Society phone each day. Three special collections per year (Thanksgiving, Ash Wednesday, and Holy Thursday), poor box donations, and contributions made through Faith Direct are the major sources of Charitable Society funds.
Have you noticed the church's poor boxes? They are white metal boxes and are located at the back of the church near the entrance to the vestibule (2) and outside the sacristy near the holy water fount (1).
St. John's Charitable Society
The parishioners of St. John’s, by virtue of their baptism, are instruments of the risen Jesus working in our world today. Throughout the gospels, Jesus told us of our responsibility to the poor and vulnerable (cf. Mt 5: 42, Mt 10: 8, Lk 3: 11). He also showed us by the example of his tireless care for all who asked for his help (cf. Mt 9: 5-8, Mk 7: 32-35, Lk 7: 2-10, Lk 8: 41-56, Jn 9: 1-7).
The Church has always mirrored this compassion for the poor. As a parish, we must be the face of Christ to those who come to us with needs. If St. John’s parish is to truly reflect Christ today, we must be seen as instruments of His love in our service to the needy. Further, Christ tells us that it is in serving the “least among us” that we serve him. Ultimately, on this we will be judged (cf. Mt 25: 31-46).
In fulfilling its mission, the Charitable Society:
- Provides financial help - to keep electricity and water on (or turn them back on), provide heating oil/gas, prevent eviction, and assist with prescriptions.
- Organizes the Christmas Angel Tree Program, which provides parishioners the opportunity to help make Christmas happier for poor children and elderly persons.
- Organizes the St. John’s WARM team, which participates as a helping church in the interfaith effort to provide meals and overnight shelter for overflow homeless of St. Mary’s County during the winter.
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- Organizes the SJCS Hope for the Hungry Food Drives each 3rd Sunday to benefit local food pantries.
- Remains open to additional needs of the community, as guided by the Holy Spirit.
All Christians must respond to the needs of the poor. How we do this at any point in time can be dictated by the responsibilities to family, work, and other endeavors (including other parish, ecumenical, and civic groups). There are several ways to participate in St. John’s parish efforts to serve the less fortunate:
- Become a member of St. John’s Charitable Society; be part of the group that is in direct contact with those who request help, or part of one of the other Charitable Society efforts. Call 240-577-5596 for more information.
- Donate to the Charitable Society through special collections and through the poor boxes and Faith Direct. All of our workers are volunteers and 100% of the money we receive goes to helping the poor in our local community.
- Be a part of St. John’s WARM team organization announced in the church bulletin.
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- Donate food items to the SJCS Hope for the Hungry Food Drives. To determine items needed and when/where collections occur, click here.
- Participate in the Christmas Angel Tree Program by taking a request off the tree and returning the gift by the indicated date.
- Pray for those administering to the needy and for those who ask for help.
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With your support, we will continue to answer the call of Christ in the requests of our neighbors, who are extremely grateful for St. John's parishioners. To find out more about the Charitable Society and how we operate, please call (240) 577-5596. New members are always needed and welcome; training is provided.