Christian Service Information

To find out more about the Ministries at STV Parish click below:

ADVENT GIVING TREE

Buyers, wrappers, sellers and delivery people are needed for this ministry. During the Advent season, parishioners make donations by purchasing Advent angels after each liturgy. Volunteer buyers then purchase specific gifts for persons affiliated with one of five inner-city, faith-based parishes, nursing homes or community centers. Costs are fully covered by the sale of tin angels at Mass during Advent. Gifts are wrapped during a scheduled time. Wrapping session is usually 2 1/2 hours long.

ALLELUIA MINISTRY

Serve as a hospitality minister to welcome parishioners and guests to Easter Liturgy. You need to arrive one hour before Mass and stay ½ hour after the Mass you plan to attend.

BLOODMOBILE

The American Red Cross holds a bi-annual bloodmobile event at the parish. Volunteers are needed to coordinate and assist with the event and make phone calls to possible donors

BREAD FOR THE WORLD

The parish is a member of Bread for the World, a nationwide Christian movement that seeks justice for the world’s hungry people by lobbying the nation’s decision makers. Parishioners participate in a letter-writing campaign in June. Teens and adults are needed to distribute packets and staff tables to encourage participation after weekend liturgies

BUTTERFLY BLESSING

Parishioners knit or crochet baby blankets, baby hats, and lap blankets (for wheelchairs) for children at local children’s hospitals. You make as many baby gifts as you can at home.

ST FRANCIS INN MINISTRY

Parishioners serve mid-day meals to several hundred impoverished families at St. Francis Inn in Kensington on the third Sunday of the month throughout the year. Volunteers leave from the Rosemont Chapel after the 9:00am Liturgy and return at approximately 2:00pm.

CASSEROLES FOR ST. JOHN’S HOSPICE

Volunteers prepare casseroles each month. Suggested recipes are available, and the casseroles can be dropped off at the Parish Auditorium. The casseroles are picked up by the staff of St. John’s Hospice, a shelter and meal center for transient men in Philadelphia

CRADLES TO CRAYONS

Parish volunteers (middle school age and older) go to the Cradles to Crayons warehouse in Conshohocken throughout the year to sort and process new or nearly new children’s items donated by the local community. Volunteers package items that are distributed to disadvantaged children in a five-county area through a collaborative network of social service agencies and school partners.

DAY OF SERVICE – ON MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY

On Martin Luther King Day, parishioners participate in a full or half day of service projects in the Parish Auditorium or in outreach events throughout the Philadelphia region. The service projects in the Parish Auditorium are geared toward our younger parishioners who work together with older volunteers on a variety of activities including crafts, sandwich making and assembling toiletry bags for the homeless. Full day outreach trips to a variety of service sites are available for middle school age students and teens

HELP AT HOME MINISTRY

Volunteers help parishioners who are unable to perform home repairs with general plumbing, electric, mechanical, structural and cosmetic repairs and assessments.

DINNERS TO THE DOORSTEP

Volunteers make dinners for fellow parishioners who have welcomed a new baby or who are in crisis. The volunteers then deliver the dinners to the families’ homes. Two parish coordinators call volunteers as needed

ESL

The ESL (English as a Second Language) program pairs volunteer tutors with adult immigrants seeking to gain English language skills to better prepare them for learning and job skills. The commitment includes a nine-hour training course and a bi-weekly, 1 ½ hour tutoring session with a client in a convenient location.

FEED THE HUNGRY

Volunteers serve dinner on the first Saturday of every other month from 6:00pm-9:00pm at the Life Center of Eastern Delaware County in Upper Darby. Volunteers also prepare food that will be taken to the Life Center, including meat, potatoes, dessert and pre-made, wrapped sandwiches

FOOD DRIVE COORDINATORS

Volunteers needed to organize and deliver large food collections in the parish. Canned food deliveries will be made to our sister parish in West Philadelphia

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Join our parish team (must be 16 years or older) and work at Habitat for Humanity new construction work sites in Philadelphia. Commitment from 8:30 – 3:30 pm on various Saturdays throughout the year. Volunteers depart from the Rosemont Chapel leaving at 7:30am.

HOLIDAY HUGS FOR HEROES

Volunteers pack and mail a collection of personal items, CDs and phone cards to military personnel serving overseas and to veterans in the Philadelphia area. The drive begins in mid-January and ends in February

HONICKMAN MINISTRY

Parish volunteers tutor adults who are striving to reach personal goals such as obtaining a GED, learning to read or write or improving basic computer skills. Training and materials are provided. Volunteers assist on Wednesdays from 10:15 am-1:00 pm at the Honickman Center in North Philadelphia. Volunteers drive from the Parish Center and return by 1:30 pm.

INNKEEPERS MINISTRY

Serve as a hospitality minister to welcome parishioners and guests to Christmas Liturgy. You need to arrive one hour before Mass and stay for ½ hour after the Mass you plan to attend.

INTERFAITH HOSPITALITY NETWORK

Five times a year, the parish hosts homeless families for a one-week stay in the Parish Center. Overnight hosts, cooks, dinner hosts and furniture movers are needed. The families move in on a Sunday evening and leave the following Sunday morning. Movers are needed for light lifting and moving during these Sunday hours. Parishioners prepare meals each night for the families, and two parishioner’s staff evening and overnight to accommodate the families.

JOY OF SOX

The Joy of Sox, a non-profit, public charity based in Philadelphia, provides socks for the homeless. Parishioners are needed to help with office management; computer skills are helpful since this ministry can be done at home. Volunteers also assist with sorting and coordinating the delivery of donated socks.

IN GOD'S HANDS

Volunteers provide support to couples and families coping with the grief of miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant death. This new ministry plans to provide support through prayer, liturgies, couple-to-couple peer support, and practical information regarding loss.

MOTHERS AND NEW FAMILY SUPPORT MINISTRY

Parishioner and nurse practitioner volunteer offer support to new moms and their families who are navigating the complexities of motherhood and the addition of a new baby to the family

PARISH FOOD CUPBOARD

Parishioners help to maintain the food donations for the parish food cupboard in the Parish Auditorium. Volunteers help to sort and deliver canned food donations that are given to the parish throughout the year.

OPEN SPACE

Volunteers help parishioners who are unable to perform home repairs with general plumbing, electric, mechanical, structural and cosmetic repairs and assessments.

PARKING MINISTRY

A group of parishioners facilitate parking outside of the Rosemont Chapel during large Liturgical celebrations

PRAYER LINE

As part of a phone and/or email chain, volunteers are contacted to pray for special intentions and assist those in need of special prayers.

PROJECT H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People Everyday)

H.O.P.E. Volunteers drive parishioners weekly for medical appointments and food marketing. The hours are flexible, and volunteers assist once a month or more.

SENIORS LUNCH & LECTURE SERIES

The Lunch & Lecture series for senior parishioners is held monthly after the 12:05 pm liturgy in the Parish Center auditorium. Parishioners are needed to help organize and serve refreshments.

SHARE THE HARVEST

Parishioners are needed to grow or purchase fresh fruit and vegetables throughout July, August and September. Drivers are needed to deliver the produce to the food pantry at Eldernet in Bryn Mawr.

ST. FRANCES CABRINI MENTORS

Adults work as mentors with the children of this regional school in West Philadelphia, every Tuesday. Volunteers help students with a variety of school work. No experience is necessary. Volunteers leave together from the Parish Center at 1:00pm and return by 3:00pm.

ST. THOMAS OF VILLANOVA PEACE & JUSTICE COMMITTEE

Parishioners encourage the parish to act both in direct ministry and advocacy to bring about social justice. Committee members meet throughout the year to plan and implement peace and justice ministries including prayer, speakers and presentations.

TURKEYS TO THE TABLE

Parishioners purchase the ingredients for a complete turkey dinner and bring it to a liturgy on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Parishioners collect and transport numerous turkey dinner boxes to our sister parish in Philadelphia on the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

St. francis inn ministry