Service Ministries
All Saints meal program and Food Pantry
“Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then, your light will shine out from the darkness and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.” Is 58:10
St. Monica’s has partnered with All Saints Catholic Church since 2010 to support each other’s ministries feeding the hungry and to share our faith. The St. Monica Human Concerns commission oversees this partnership.
All Saint’s Catholic Church is located near 25th and Capitol Drive and serves over 600 families from all over greater Milwaukee. All Saint’s has a wonderful reputation for vibrant liturgies and commitment to serving the surrounding neighborhood.
The volunteer contact for St. Monica is Juliet Kersten. Juliet.kersten@gmail.com.
Here are Three Ways You Can Help
1. Volunteer to serve at the Hot Meal Program
Nutritious hot meals from scratch are served every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:00pm to 6:00pm. St. Monica financially sponsors the Taco Tuesday meal served the 2nd Tuesday of every month. Volunteers are needed to help serve meals that day and every Tuesday and Thursday. Sign up here. Children under high school age must be supervised by a parent. Volunteers are encouraged to complete the Safe Environment Training program – Here is the link to the training.
2. Donate additional food for the 2nd Tuesday St. Monica sponsored meal
Bring to St. Monica parking lot entrance on the designated Sunday and place in bins marked for All Saints. Donation requests and dates will be communicated in parish communications.
-Bottled water
-Bread/Rolls- any kind
-Baked desserts not requiring refrigeration
3. Donate items to the Food Pantry
All Saints provides food and essential personal items to over 1000 people every month. Items may be brought to the St. Monica parking lot entrance and placed in the All Saints bins at any time. Click here for a list of needed items.
Sign up here to join the All Saints Bakers group. By joining this group you will be notified when and what baked goods are needed for the St. Monica sponsored meals, and the opportunity to bake them.
All Saints Sister Parish Relationship
In 2010, St. Monica’s and All Saints Parishes joined to support each other’s ministries and to share our faith.
All Saints Catholic Church, located near 26th and Capitol Drive, was formed in 1994 from the merger of nine north side Catholic parishes. All Saints has approximately 600 families from all over greater Milwaukee. It has a reputation for vibrant liturgies and vital outreach ministries that serve its neighborhood.
The All Saints Director of Ministry is Rosemary Murphy 414-444-5610 Ext. 0532 rosemary.allsaints.mke@gmail.com
Funeral Ministry
The St. Monica’s Funeral Ministry provides comfort and hospitality in Donovan Hall to families as they remember and celebrate the life of their loved one. Approximately 6 to 8 times a year, we serve a meal (ordered in by the family) and provide beverages and desserts, usually serving from 50 to 80 people, though occasionally receptions are larger.
Volunteers Needed Now: We presently are in great need of kitchen helpers who are available on one-to-two day notice to help set up, serve a meal, and clean up. Any time available for serving is welcome.
Contact: John Bonlender, ellenjohn.bonlender@gmail.com
Knights of Columbus council #4706
We are a charitable and fraternal group of adult Catholic men who are committed to our parish and the wider community. Among our activities are the “Tootsie Roll Drive,” which one year provided $8,000 to children with special needs.
Join our fellowship! In addition to our fundraising and fraternal activities we enjoy helping with parish events – we are the famous grillers at the parish picnic. We also are available to provide moving and lifting help.
Contact: Louis Baureis LBaureis@glr-law.com, 414-331-5422
Prayer quilt Ministry
The idea behind prayer quilts is simple, yet powerful: A group of parishioners creates a lap-size quilt. Then a heavy thread is used to take stitches through the quilt layers and the ends are left free to be tied with a square knot to finish the quilt. As each knot is tied by members of our parish community, a silent prayer is offered for someone who has asked us to pray for them. When all the knots are tied the finished quilt is blessed and then given to that person. What makes each quilt so special is not the pattern, color or workmanship, but the fact that a prayer is symbolically tied into each knot. These quilts are a statement of faith, comfort in knowing that the community is praying, and a testimony in our belief in God and the power of prayer.
The St. Monica and St. Eugene Prayer Quilt Ministry meets every Friday at 1pm in the St. Monica Ministry Center quilting room. The quilts go to those in our Parish or community who is in need of some extra support. To request a prayer quilt, click here. To join the Prayer Quilt Ministry, email Norma at normaherbers@gmail.com, or attend a Prayer Quilt Ministry Meeting.
Respect Life Committee
Belief in the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of all Catholic social teaching and the focus of the Respect Life Committee’s work. The Committee focuses on prayer programs, education, counseling and fund raising for various pro-life organizations, including the Women’s Care Center and Pro-Life Wisconsin. There are opportunities for parishioners of all ages, from teens to retirees. The Respect Life Committee participates in Life Chain, 40 Days for Life, the Mother’s Day Rose Sale and Respect Life Awareness Month in January. Our Committee is a member of Catholics 4 Life, a consortium of parishes within the Milwaukee Archdiocese.
Contact: Mary Maug, mmaug@wi.rr.com
Ladies of Charity
Ladies of Charity is an international association of women whose goal is to provide service to the poor in the spirit of our founder, St. Vincent De Paul. The special mission of the Milwaukee chapter is our Children’s Clothing Center, located at 1936 N. 4th Street, Milwaukee, at St. Francis Parish. The center is open most Thursdays during the school year from 9 a.m. to noon, and the second Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. to noon.
Families in need, referred by their school social worker or principal, receive a free, modest wardrobe for each school-aged child. Generally this includes a winter jacket, hat, mittens, scarf, 7 pairs of new socks and underwear, 3 pairs of pants, 4 to 6 shirts, a sweater or sweatshirt, and when available, pajamas and school uniform items. Last year, we clothed approximately 1,100 children and we expect that number to grow this year. Each family is allowed to come once a year, and we serve children ages 4 to 18.
Volunteer Needs:
Collect Gently Used Clothes from friends or have a collection at work or school. Occasionally, we need pickups from collections or rummage sales.
Wash and Repair Clothes – we will drop them off at your house.
Work at the Store – weekly or monthly, one hour or three. You can help clients choose clothing or sort clothing brought in. Help is especially needed in early fall, but always welcome.
Cash donations – we need money to purchase new socks and underwear.
Contact: Mary Roets, maryroets@gmail.com
Christ Child Society
The Milwaukee Chapter of the Christ Child Society, Inc. is a non-profit Catholic organization of volunteers. The chapter embraces members of all faiths, dedicated to expressing their love of the Christ Child by service to all God’s children. Our interests focus primarily on nurturing the youth of the Greater Milwaukee Area through clothing the newborn, providing parental support, and providing tutorial and scholarship assistance.
We gather and disburse layettes (through some 20 agencies) to needy mothers and emergency care bags to children coming out of a crisis situation. We “follow the child” through our 2nd Saturday program, working directly with mothers and children. We provide tutorial assistance to Northwest Catholic and Blessed Savior South schools and staff the library at Blessed Savior South. We also raise scholarship monies for various needy students. These commitments, which enhance human dignity, reflect the goals and principles of Mary Virginia Merrick, founder of the National Christ Child Society, of which we are members.
Contact: 414-540-0489
website:www.christchildsociety.com.
eras senior network
Make a difference in the life of an older adult in our area by joining the Eras Senior Network Drive Volunteer Team and providing a ride to a medical appointment or the grocery store. Volunteers also help with friendly visits and occasional small chores like changing light bulbs. Volunteers schedule their own availability, and can always say no – most volunteers donate 3 to 4 hours each month. Let us know also if you or a family member needs our services. Drivers are always greatly needed, and greatly appreciated.
Contact: 414-488-6931 or email: ERASvolunteer@eras.org
St. Ben’s Meal Program
The St. Monica’s team for the St. Benedict the Moor meal program serves approximately 350 people a month at St. Ben’s at 1015 N. 9th Street in Milwaukee. We prepare our sloppy joe meal with buns, fruit jello, fresh vegetables and desserts on the 3rd Monday of each month. Food preparation is done in your home and dropped off locally; serving time is 5 to 6:30 p.m. Servers must be 10 years of age.
Contact: Nancy Kelley, ntk@sbcglobal.net
St. Vincent de Paul Meal Program
The St. Monica’s team serves 100 to 150 people on the 2nd Thursday of each month at the meal program location near North Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. Our menu includes spaghetti, bread, salad, dessert, fruit and milk. Prepare food at your home to drop off locally or serve from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Contact: Mary Feldbruegge, mfeldbrueg@gmail.com
St. Vincent de Paul Society
The St. Vincent de Paul members at St. Monica’s have a unique focus on one-to-one personal services through home visitation, aid, information/referral services and problem solving. We use the donations from the poor boxes to help those in need.
Immediate Volunteer Need: We need 4-5 new members who can join our team and volunteer 1-2 hours per month providing services to those in need in our parish.
Contact: The Parish Office 414-332-1576