Outreach Ministries

St. Joseph Meal Site

Open your heart to the Lord and receive His compassion. Open your hand to give help to others (RBC Ministries November 2014)

Coordinator for SMG:  Cheryl Alleruzzo .  Cheryl can be reached at (309) 799-7910 or via email: ralleruzzo@mchsi.com

Purpose:  To provide, prepare, and serve a hot meal accommodating approximately 60-65 people one night per month.  St Maria Goretti Parish designated night is the second Tuesday of each month. 

Who:  You and additional volunteers who wish to be of service to others. You and your family, your parish related communities, your co-workers, your friends, and organizations you belong to.  Cheryl Alleruzzo will help coordinate getting a group together; give her a call or email.

Where:  Rock Island Township Hall, located at 2827 7th Ave. Rock Island, IL  61201

When:  2nd Tuesday of each month.   Enter through the back door of building at 5:00 P.M. and serve the meal promptly at 5:30 P.M.

How: This ministry is coordinated by an Evening Meal Committee of St. Mary Monastery and St. Pius X parish members.  There is on site supervisor at the meal site each night that coordinates and is responsible for the dining area and those who receive a hot meal.  This supervisor will work with your group and answer any questions you may have on the flow of the meal you are offering. 

The meal must be prepared before arriving on site at 5:00 P.M.  A kitchen area is available with a small oven, refrigerators, sinks/cupboards, limited pots/pans and utensils, and serving area. Your food can be warmed or chilled until serving time, dished out onto a plate, served as the first offering followed by second helpings if available. Kitchen area and utensils used are to be cleaned up before departing. 

Give it a try – in your giving you will also receive. 
Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead (James 2:17).

Coal Valley Food Pantry

The Coal Valley Food Pantry served 1931 individuals and 579 households in 2014. The Food Pantry is located at the First Presbyterian Church of Coal Valley, 2431 First Street, Coal Valley, IL.  It is one of 24 Churches United Food Pantries.

Four Coal Valley churches help to support the food pantry with volunteers, food and money.  Each church provides a representative to represent their church on an advisory committee.  The advisory committee meets quarterly.

The Coal Valley Food Pantry is open on Tuesday and Friday mornings from 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. The Coal Valley Pantry also provides food baskets and gifts for Christmas.

Saint Maria Goretti is responsible for providing three volunteers on the second Tuesday and Friday of each month.

Two volunteers from St. Maria Goretti pick up supplies at the River Bend Food Bank on the second Tuesday of each month.
There are approximately thirty people who volunteer at the Coal Valley Food Pantry from St. Maria Goretti.
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.

Social Concerns

The Social Concerns Committee has two major directions:

* To educate the parish regarding Catholic social teaching as it relates to current concerns in our society
* To provide encouragement and opportunities for active engagement with these concerns

The committee meets the second Tuesday of each month, September through May at 6:00 P.M.

The members are Maureen Bennett (Committee Chair), Sr. J.T. McNulty, Cheryl Alleruzzo, Mark and Ann Fennell, Dean Martens, Rita Pearson, Carolyn Slavish, Pat Turner, Pam Wilks and Marolyn Tope.

Pope Francis calls us "to become 'islands of mercy', transforming parishes into places where God's mercy becomes visible."  On a parish level, Pope Francis calls every community to go outside of itself and engage in the life of the greater society of which it is a part, paying special attention to the poor and those who are far away.

Minutes: 09/2019 - 10/2019 - 11/2019

Prayer Shawl

This group meets on the second Monday and fourth Saturday of each month at 10 A. M.  Their care for others and the love of knitting/crocheting are combined into a prayerful ministry that reaches out to those in need of comfort and solace.  The shawls are intended to comfort anyone in need of a reminder of the caring Saint Maria Gorretti parish community and God's unconditional love.  Many blessings are knitted/crocheted into every shawl.  They begin each shawl with prayers for the recipient.  Intentions are continued throughout the creation of the shawl.  When the shawl is completed, a final blessing is offered before the shawl is sent along its way.  All new and experienced knitters and crocheters are welcome to be a part of the prayer shawl ministry.  Those interested in joining this ministry can contact Maureen Bennett (309) 269-6565.