Old St. Mary’s parishioners invite and welcome returning Catholics to the parish family. Groups form 
quarterly, or more frequently when needed. Rev. Robert Cary, CSP – Rcary@oldstmarys.com

Lectors proclaim the word of God at weekend liturgies and special prayer services.
Maryann Cushing, Pastoral Associate – Maryann@oldstmarys.com

This process prepares adults who have the desire to join the Catholic Church or complete their initiation into the Church through the reception of the Eucharist and Confirmation. Maryann Cushing, Pastoral Associate – Maryann@oldstmarys.com

This committee sponsors the annual Filipino Sambang Gabi Festival in December and works with the Archdiocesan Office in its many programs of inviting and welcoming Asian Catholics to the Archdiocese of Chicago. Cleofe Garcia

These parishioners organize the direction and progress of our developing Catholic parish school. Rev. Michael Kallock, CSP, Pastor – Kallock@oldstmarys.com

Parishioners welcome and assist all who come to worship, and take up collections. Rev. Michael Kallock, CSP, Pastor – Kallock@oldstmarys.com

Tom Pick – tomwpick@gmail.com

These parishioners help the parish relate to the poor and needy by promoting involvement in a number of social service organizations and attention to issues of peace and justice.

Since moving to Michigan Avenue, our parish has grown. Many of us have served at our previous parishes as St. Vincent de Paul volunteers, lectors, finance committee members, visitors to the homebound, etc. We now have a NEW SPIRITUAL HOME at Old St. Mary’s. The Social Justice Committee is open to new ideas to touch our friends and neighbors in need. We invite “old time” parishioners and new ones to share your wisdom. Join us! Become part of the team! One of our primary goals is to inform parishioners of the numerous volunteer programs available in our area. Knowing the hectic and busy schedules of many of our fellow parishioners, we want to involve as many as we can in committing to one activity per year, whether it is serving food at Catholic Charities, separating peppers at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, providing legal assistance at Visitation Law Clinic, attending an Aid for Women luncheon, donating toiletries to our Just One Item Campaign, helping with a SRO dinner—whatever. In short, we want to live Matthew’s gospel:
“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew, 25, 40

COMMITTEE MEETINGS:
Second Tuesday of each month at 7 PM, 2nd floor church conference room.
Vill Harmon, chair: msvillofca@aol.com
Mary Ann Marsh, secretary/treasurer:miricorporation@ameritech.net

Social Justice Committee Regular Activities

Aid forWomen is a volunteer organization established to support women in their pregnancy decisions and assist them in accessing personal and community resources. It is the only life-affirming pregnancy center in downtown Chicago. Located at 8 South Michigan Ave, Suite 100, Chicago, IL 60603—Telephone 312-621-1100, Aid for Women provides numerous volunteer opportunities, e.g. answering phones, mentoring. Training is provided. Some OSM parishioners are active volunteers. Also, the Auxiliary hosts an annual spring luncheon and sponsors a historic church tour each fall. More information will appear in our bulletin.

The Blind Service Association is a multi-faceted organization with many programs and services for the over 1,500 clients in the Chicago Metropolitan area. If you are interested in “helping people create their own future,” contact BSA at 312-236-0808. For more specific information, talk with parishioner Pat Maderic, a weekly volunteer.

On the first Tuesday of every month, the Social Justice Committee serves the disadvantaged at the St. Vincent Center at 721 N. LaSalle. We “redline” to the Center at 3:47 PM, serve food, and return around 6:17. Catholic Charities provides the dinner; we serve the food and offer encouragement to the disadvantaged. If you would like to help, email or call Barb and Herb Hrebic, barbherb@sbcglobal.net or 312-341-0948. Dorey Kuhn, the director of programs for Catholic Charities, 312-655-7322, also needs volunteers for a variety of Catholic Charities’ programs.

Chicago Scores, the local affiliate of America Scores (www.americascores.org), works with over 200 children in the Lawndale and Little Village communities on the west side. Their mission is to provide a safe environment where kids can express themselves through creative writing and poetry and learn life lessons through being part of a soccer team. OSM parishioner Heather Walles (Theo Von Blyenburgh’s wife) directs the program in Chicago. In Heather’s current group, there are thirty 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders in need of school supplies. Before school starts in September, the Social Justice Team provides SHOES BOXES in the Commons for these young children that parishioners can fill with pencils, pens, crayons, small notebooks, rulers etc, so these Chicago Scores Poet-Athletes can participate in the joys of creative writing and poetry. Donations are accepted throughout the year.

The Greater Chicago Food Depository is Chicago’s food bank, a not-for-profit distribution center providing food for hungry people while striving to end hunger in our community. The Food Depository is located at 4100 W. Ann Lurie Place (near Pulaski Avenue). Old St. Mary’s volunteers provide “credit—dollars” for St. James’ Food Pantry, the only pantry in zip codes 60605 and 60616. We volunteer each month on a Saturday morning. Read the bulletin for specific dates and times. To volunteer, call Herb Hrebic at 312-341-0948 or email at barbherb@sbcglobal.net. Also, the Greater Chicago Food Depository is looking for volunteers during the week---Monday and Tuesday, 9 AM to noon; Wednesday and Thursday, 1 PM to 4 PM; Wednesday evenings, 6 PM – 9 PM. To volunteer, call Jim Callahan, the head of volunteer services, at 773-843-2600 at least one day in advance. At the sign-in, please indicate the “credit” should be given to St. James’ Food Pantry.

Three SRO’s are located within walking distance of Old St. Mary’s. These facilities provide single room housing for low-income individuals to “get back on their feet.” As a Christian gesture of friendship, our committee periodically serves Sunday dinner to our neighbors and friends. To help or donate, call or email Herb Hrebic.

CCHV is an organization composed of religious congregations in the general area of downtown Chicago.  Old St. Mary's is one of those congregations. CCHV's purpose is to preserve and expand affordable housing in central and near-central Chicago, and at the present time its primary focus is on the Studios, a Single Room Occupancy residence  at 18th and Wabash.  Old St. Mary's is represented on the Board of CCHV and works with the Studios and CCHV to provide support for residents of the Studios with social events, fundraising and collections for the food pantry at the Studios.

Located at 4051 South Wabash, St. Elizabeth School is a historically Black Catholic elementary school that evangelizes, educates and empowers children and families to grow and to develop as people committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. At Christmas the Social Justice Committee collects clothes for the children of the school, most of who live below the poverty level. We also help with a scholarship during our Black History Month celebration.

What some people consider to be commonplace and ordinary, others consider to be precious and golden. The Social Justice Committee collects toiletries for our neighbors at St. James Parish. These collections take place on the third weekend of each month--our Just One Item Campaign. For the business travelers in our parish, baskets are always available under our table in the Commons. Besides feeding hundreds of needy people each week through the food pantry, St. James also conducts a Senior Program, visiting nursing homes in the area whose residents are on Medicaid, receiving only $30.00 per month for personal needs. As a result, St. James Senior Program tries to provide personal items----body lotion, body wash, bar soap (especially Ivory), toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, razors, shaving cream, shampoo—so the residents can use their limited funds on other more pressing concerns. For more information, contact Sister Barbara at 312-842-1919 x 206 or Catherine Moore at 312-842-1919 x 211. They also deliver bags of groceries to homebound seniors. Even though some of these individuals are not on Medicaid, their meager Social Security check doesn’t go far. We can help!

The Visitation Law Clinic is operated at Visitation Church in Englewood in conjunction with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation. Volunteer attorneys, paralegals and law students provide free legal services to low-income clients on the third Saturday of each month. Volunteers, who are scheduled to come once every three months, spend about two hours interviewing and counseling clients, and providing needed follow-up services, including court representation. CVLS provides training, office support if needed, and malpractice insurance. Anyone interested in volunteering is welcome to observe the clinic. Call Mary Anne Smith 312-567-3034 (days) or 773-493-3418 (evenings) for more information.


Why volunteer? It’s a great experience working with fellow parishioners, young and old, representing all the diverse and wonderful cultures of our parish family. We work, laugh, and make new friends. WE ARE COMMUNITY!