Development and Peace

The primary mandate of Development & Peace is to educate Canadians about social justice issues in developing countries, work for positive change through letter-writing campaigns and obtain financial support for development projects around the world.

What kind of work is involved?
Development & Peace activities within Our Lady's have traditionally focused on the Fall Action Campaign and the Share Lent collection. These can be expanded if there are some more ministry members to commit more of their time and energy. Workshops and Council meetings are also held each year. During the campaign, information leaflets are attached to the church bulletin for dissemination, announcements made about the most pressing issues being addressed and a video presentation screened to heighten the awareness of parishioners. 

Is it fulfilling work?
Discussing and solving social justice problems provides one with a genuine sense of fulfillment and closeness with Christ. No matter how small or large one’s involvement, your actions give a renewed and deeper meaning to Christ’s teachings.

Coordinator: Deidre Webster 604-736-0714

Extreme Weather Team

When extreme weather hits Vancouver, the city issues an extreme weather alert which results in various churches and other facilities opening their doors to the homeless. This is a newly formed ministry at Our Lady’s. 

How does it work?
Volunteers from Our Lady’s join with those from Saint Augustine’s and Grace Vancouver Church to cook dinner for homeless men and women who are spending the night at Saint Mark’s Anglican Church in Kitsilano.

What do they do?
One team of volunteers cooks meals at home and delivers it to the shelter at 9 pm. Another team reheats the meals and serves dinner to a group of about 20 people and cleans up. They usually finish at about 10:30 pm.

How can I benefit from this?
Working with the homeless enables one to see a very different side of our community. One develops a greater understanding and compassion for the marginalized and the kind of problems that can lead them to difficult situations.

Also parishioners within this ministry generally work as a team so it’s a great way to meet new people from our own parish and elsewhere.

Coordinator: Jim Vercammen 604-733-8914

Food Bank Appeal 

The Food Bank supports over 100 meal-providing agencies and creates over 16,000 meals each week. Up to 9,000 individuals receive 3-4 day food supplements from the Food Bank’s distribution depots weekly. Many of the recipients are children and families.

FAQ:

What does the Food Bank Team do?
We purchase food items at wholesale prices from local food suppliers. We then sell these items at Our Lady’s during the monthly Food Bank Appeal. Parishioners donate the purchased items by placing them into the Food Bank collection box. We then deliver the donated food items to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.

What exactly do I have to do?
Some of the tasks include contacting retailers to get the best deal on non-perishable items. These items are then picked up and displayed for sale at the week-end Masses. After the appeal, the purchased and donated items are delivered to the Food Bank. 

How often do I have to do it?
The Food Bank Appeal is made once a month. How often you are involved will depend on which responsibilities you take on.

Coordinator: Mark Thompson 604-263-6008

Saint Vincent de Paul Society

The Saint Vincent de Paul Society responds to the needs of those who are not only poor financially but also lacking in spirit, self- esteem, employment and other resources. The SVdP is not a parish organization but it is parish-based, doing works as determined by the pastor, within and outside its boundaries and in collaboration with other churches. 

FAQ:

What kind of work is involved?
Every Wednesday evening, we do a coffee and clothing run to the downtown Eastside. We need volunteers to serve coffee, juice, sandwiches and dessert as well as offer clothing items, especially in the winter. 

To support this distribution, volunteers pick up donated bread and baked items everyday from IGA Dunbar and 2 nights a week from Cob’s in Deep Cove as well as other items from Liquidation World in Richmond. Our parishioners also bake and package desserts to supplement the coffee run.

If you prefer to be indoors, you can choose to sort donated items and help with the sale of merchandise at the SVdP thrift store. Sometimes clothes and other items need to be collected and dropped off.

What kind of time commitment does it involve?
It varies. For the IGA pick-ups, you commit to one afternoon a week which includes bread pick-up at noon and delivery to the store or depot after that. Cob’s pick-ups and delivery are one evening bi-weekly at 8pm. Hours at the store are negotiable.

Coordinator: Mary McGuire 604-224-1288

Social Justice Support 

Our Lady’s Parish partners with various Catholic churches and organizations that are involved in missionary work. A good example is the missionary work of Father Vatti, a Redemptorist in India who visited us in 2003. 

How can I support these activities?
You can support missionary works through prayer and donations. The Social Justice ministries also help parishioners pursue stewardship opportunities through external social justice organizations such as AGAPE, Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement, Catholic Charities Justice Services. 

How can I help?
If you would like to be involved in Social Justice issues on an ad-hoc basis either through organizational work or special projects, please let us know.

Coordinator: Mark Thompson 604-263-6008