Outreach
RESOURCES FOR THOSE IN NEED
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Esperanza Mission Treks
We've been blessed to work with the amazing community development organization, Esperanza, Int., since 1992, building homes with the families, as well as several schools and 2 rehab centers. We live in a community of Christians who believe in living the Gospel. More information can be found at esperanzaint.org
For more information about any of our Treks, please contact Susan Weaver at sweaver@sjvkirkland.org.
High School Trek
Our next High School Trek to Tijuana is scheduled for June 22 - July 3, 2025. Sign up for sophomores to seniors is taking place now. Meetings, fundraisers, and service opportunities throughout the school year are required elements of participation, building team unity and earning our way together. Please contact Susan, sweaver@sjvkirkland.org for more information.
We are extremely grateful for the generous support of our parishioners and friends in making these treks possible. If you would like to support our trekkers on their journey to Tijuana, please click the Donate link below.
Monetary donations are accepted by check or online through Pushpay using the donate button below. Please select "Mission Trekkers" in the Fund menu.
You may be able to double your donation to Esperanza Mission Trek through a matching gift program. Many employers match dollar for dollar the charitable gifts their employees make. Even if you’re retired, you may still be eligible to participate in your former employer’s program.
Requesting a matching gift must be initiated by the donor. You can do this by filling out and submitting a match form provided by your employer. Please take advantage of these programs to support your favorite charitable causes!
Adult Trek
All are welcome to participate with this group of adults. Our 2025 Adult Trek is scheduled for May 17-24, 2025. Approximate cost is $800, excluding airfare. Join us for an informational meeting, Sunday, January 19, 12noon, in the SJV Social Hall. For more information Susan Weaver at sweaver@sjvkirkland.org
Young Adult/College Trek
College students and young adults are invited to participate in this Trek, which generally takes place the third week of June.
St Vincent de Paul
For Help:
If you are in need of food, or help with rent or utilities, if you live within our parish boundaries, north Kirkland and Kenmore, please call the parish office, 425-823-0787, and clearly leave a message with your name, address, phone number, and type of assistance you need. If you live outside north Kirkland or Kenmore, please call the SVDP Helpline, 206-767-6449.
To Donate or Volunteer:
Your donations to St. Vincent through monthly envelopes and food help us to live out our Christian call to serve the vulnerable among us. Those that call for help “live simply" within our parish boundaries.
Special thanks to those who volunteer for this ministry. If you are interested in volunteering with our St Vincent de Paul Chapter, please contact Susan at sweaver@sjvkirkland.org.
Food donations, including unexpired, non-perishable items, may be dropped off in the food donation box in the Narthex. No pet food, food that is open, or close to expiring please. Most needed items are: Canned Fruit, 5lb Flour, 4lb sugar, 1-5 lb rice, ketchup, assorted Chef Boyardee, pancake mix, pancake syrup, canned veggies (no green beans or corn) and frosting.
To make a monetary donation, are accepted by check or online through Pushpay using the donate button below. Please select "St. Vincent de Paul" in the Fund menu.
You may be able to double your donation to St. Vincent de Paul through a matching gift program. Many employers match dollar for dollar the charitable gifts their employees make, which is a terrific way to maximize your ability to contribute to a cause or organization you value. Even if you’re retired, you may still be eligible to participate in your former employer’s program.
Requesting a matching gift is normally a five minute process which must be initiated by the donor. You can do this by filling out and submitting a match form provided by your employer. Please take advantage of these programs to support your favorite charitable causes!
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CHRISTMAS BASKET COLLECTIONS ARE UNDERWAY!
The SJV St. Vincent de Paul society will be assembling and distributing food baskets again this year for families in great need. Last year we helped 83 families, distributing over 230 boxes of food! We would not be able to do this without your help. Over the next several months, we will be collecting non-perishable food items. When you do your own shopping, please consider purchasing some of the items on the food drive schedule below. Please click here on on the flyer below for details. We are so grateful for your support!
Each basket will also contain gift cards to be used for purchasing perishable food and gifts for their family. Please also consider purchasing gift cards at any of the stores listed below and turning them in to the St John Vianney Church office. Please click the flyer or here for more information. Your support of our local families in need is sincerely appreciated!
Bridge Ministry
Thank you to all who supported our annual Bridge Ministries Christmas dinner. What a joy-filled celebration for all!
Mark your calendars for next year's event, Saturday, December 7, 2024, 12:00 – 2:00pm. Volunteers needed! This wonderful event reminds us of the dignity of every human person. Please contact Susan, sweaver@sjvkirkland.org, to help or for more information, or visit bridgemin.org to learn more about Bridge Ministry.
Grief Ministry
Our Grief support group is open to everyone who is struggling with the loss of a loved one. Please join us the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00pm in Room 8. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, January 7th. For more information please contact Dana, 206-371-0803.
Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. - Psalm 31:9
Lunch Making for Homeless
Pastoral Care of the Sick
A most rewarding ministry in our church is bringing the Eucharist to the homebound. The visits are once a week for about 15 minutes. You will receive a short training and supplies for your visits. There is no greater gift to give and it is so appreciated by those you visit. If you are interested in visiting the homebound or are homebound and would like to receive communion, please contact the parish office or Gayle Kasen: 206-595-2020.
Prayer Chain
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds to Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) Do you or someone you know need a prayer? Call Kay Smith at 425-486-2528 and she will start the prayer chain going.
Prepares
PREPARES is a nurturing response of the Catholic community, open to all, to provide meaningful, local and sustainable support to vulnerable Washington mothers, fathers, and families as they nurture their children through pregnancy and early childhood. Our vision is that a vulnerable mom or family can come to any Catholic parish in the state and be served.
Every February and October we collect items for families in need who are expecting or have little ones. If you feel called during these months, please take a blue bag from the rack next to the St. Vincent de Paul bin. The bags are marked with a check list. Each bag has a target age and check list on it. Please put one or two of the items in each section in the bag to help support a family in need who has CHOSEN LIFE! Check off the items you have placed in the bag and return the bag to the St. Vincent de Paul bin when it is completed. The bags will be distributed to families in our neighborhood who call in need of financial support with rent, utilities, or food through our St. Vincent de Paul society. If they have a child from pregnancy through 5 years old, we will give them one of the Prepares Bags as an additional sign of love, gratitude and hope for their child or children.
Prayer for Racial Healing
In your wisdom you create all people in your image, without exception.
Through your goodness, open our eyes to see the dignity, beauty, and worth of every human being.
Open our minds to understand that all your children are brothers and sisters in the same human family.
Open our hearts to repent of racist attitudes, behaviors, and speech which demean others.
Open our ears to hear the cries of those wounded by racial discrimination, and their passionate appeals for change.
Strengthen our resolve to make amends for past injustices and to right the wrongs of history.
And fill us with courage that we might seek to heal wounds, build bridges, forgive and be forgiven, and establish peace and equality for all in our communities.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Sonshine Ministry
If you know someone in our parish who could use a little extra love (a card or meal), please contact the parish office. If you feel called to help in this ministry we are always looking for volunteers to help support those in need by cooking a meal. It is such a wonderful and flexible way to support one another.
Water Access Now
Since 2005, Water Access Now (and predecessor company W.A.T.E.R.) has raised over $2 million for Catholic Relief Services (CRS)-Ghana Program. This has enabled over 200 health facilities, schools, and communities to gain access to clean water in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions of Ghana through the construction of boreholes and rooftop rain water harvesting systems.
Water Access Now began at St. John Vianney. Our first year, Edith Godar, Marie Guillas, Julie Rusk, and Rita Sherrer, our very special "women for the well" were all a part of that first well in Savelugu. They have all left us physically but what a legacy. Women and families thrive because of clean water. Our faithful SJV members continue to support the effort to finance clean water sites.
For more information about how you can support this ministry, please go to www.wateraccessnow.org
Youth Migrant Project
Our SJV Middle and High School students, older siblings and parent chaperones support the Tri-Parish Food Bank staff at St Charles Catholic Church in preparing and distributing food for hundreds of families in the Skagit Valley on Saturday day trips throughout the year.
Our next Saturday Day Trip will be November 23, to help with their Thanksgiving food distribution. To sign up to join us or for more information, please contact Susan, sweaver@sjvkirkland.org
Social Justice
As Catholics we are called to recognize that all people are created in the image of God and redeemed by Jesus, and therefore worthy of mutual respect as our common family. Catholic Social Teaching calls us to:
“To all people of good will who are working for social justice: never tire of working for a more just world.” - Pope Francis
If you are interested in taking an active role working for Social Justice, please consider joining our Justice Initiative Committee. We meet the third Wednesday of each month at 7:00pm via Zoom. Please contact Susan, sweaver@sjvkirkland.org, for more information and our meeting link.