Society of St. Vincent de Paul

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The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a universal Catholic lay organization that comes together to help those in need. St. Catherine of Siena is active year-round helping parishioners and those in our geographic area (as determined by local councils). The people we help do not have to be Catholic. We provide financial help for rent, electric, gas, fuel oil, and even medical visits and prescription. We also have a small food pantry stocked by parishioners and provide special dinners for Thanksgiving and Easter. We host the Jesse Tree which provides gifts and financial help at Christmas. All gifts/money come from our parishioners. We receive no money from the parish budget, but are generously supported by our parishioners. 

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A team of two members makes a home visit to assess the needs and meet the client. This gives us a better idea of the extent of their needs. We then decide what we can do to help them and also offer advice on state of county services that may be available to them.  

- To learn more about the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, visit their website: www.svdpwilm.org

- Contact our Pastoral Office at 302-633-4900 to learn how you can help

 

 

The Gulu Project

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Our ministry in Uganda began in 2012 after Fr. James Okello, from the Archdiocese of Gulu, visited our parish. His stories of the life and struggles of his people struck the hearts of our parishioners and they wanted to help. The Gulu Project, Inc. was developed in 2017 as a nonprofit to aid the poor in Northern Uganda. 

 

St. Catherine of Siena Nursery and Primary school was established and many children attend school through a sponsorship program. A Piggery Empowerment project also began as a means to lift up families to become self-reliant. We partnered with the Ruganga Lakica bead makers to sell their handcrafted paper beaded jewelry (Gulu Beads), as added income to support their families. 

 

The Gulu Project strives to bring hope and love to families in Northern Uganda and offers them a brighter future where they can become self-reliant leaders in their own communities. 

 

The ministry is centered on sharing God's love for the poor. 

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- To learn more about The Gulu Project, visit their website: www.theguluproject.us

- Follow The Gulu Project on Facebook and Instagram

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Emmanuel Dining Room​

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Every day of the year, guests of Emmanuel Dining Room are seated in a clean, cheerful dining room and served a nutritious meal in restaurant fashion. An average of 550 meals are served every day. All who come through its doors are warmly welcomed, and there are no questions asked. Due to the COVID pandemic, all meals are currently served in carry-out style.

 

Emmanual Dining Room helps alleviate the immediate needs of Delaware's hungry with nutritious meals served at no cost. Since the start of St. Catherine's parish, our parishioners have devoted themselves to preparing shepherd pies and donating other items to complete the meal on the 28th of each month. Due to the greater need to serve the poor during the pandemic, other items are included on this date. They are listed below:

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• ​20 shepherd pies, sandwiches of all kinds, individually wrapped snacks/fruit, water hot dogs, baked beans, rolls, wrapped plastic utensils, and three-section carry-out trays (can be purchased from Fulton Paper, ask for Henry (302) 594-0400). Note: please wash hands and wear gloves while preparing food. 

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• All items should be dropped off in front of the Church between 8:30-9:30am, where a volunteer will collect and deliver all items to the Emmanuel Dining Room. 

- Easy Shepherd's Pie Recipe

- To learn more about the Ministry of Caring's Emmanuel Dining Room, visit their website: www.ministryofcaring.org/services/emmanuel-dining-rooms

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Family Promise

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Family Promise's mission is to prevent and end homelessness for families by engaging volunteers, donors, and the faith community. They envision a community in which every family has a home, a livelihood, and the resources for lasting independence.

 

The Family Promise Hospitality Center provides needed temporary shelter to six families at a time (up to 20 individuals). Each day, volunteers from new partners – including congregations, civic associations, and corporations – provide meals and hospitality to families in the Hospitality Center.

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As members of the St. Catherine Family Promise Team, we provide dinner for the families a week at a time, 4 times per year. At 6pm each night of our service weeks, the families and volunteers convene at the on-site dining room (located at the Jesus House Retreat Center at 2501 Milltown Rd. in Wilmington) to share a meal together that St. Catherine volunteers have prepared. Volunteers give of their time making meals and sharing hospitality.

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There are many ways you can become involved in this program, ranging from volunteering your time shopping, donating food items and/or cash to the parish office for Family Promise, food preparation, serving food, and sleeping over on the weekends. Please note: serving food and sleeping over on the weekends are not current volunteer opportunities due to COVID.  

 

- To learn more about Family Promise, visit their website: www.familypromisede.org

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Brandywine Nursing Home​

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A team of parishioners visits Catholic patients weekly to hold a prayer service at Brandywine Nursing Home. Once a month, we celebrate Mass with them. The volunteers help bring the guests to the cafeteria from their rooms. If you are looking for a rewarding way to help, come join us. No experience necessary.  

- To learn more about Brandywine Nursing Home, visit their website: www.brandywinenursing.org/

 

- Contact Mary Beth Wroten at 302-633-4915 to sign up to help

 

- All visits are currently suspended due to COVID

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Eucharistic Ministry to the Sick and Homebound​

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We are ministers who regularly visit the sick or homebound. Our mission is to provide individuals not only the opportunity for prayer and to receive the eucharist, but to reassure them of God's love and that they have not been forgotten by their parish family. Our visits usually last around 20 minutes. We take time to pray as well as to listen and chat with each individual. Our ministers are blessed by experiencing other's faith and love for our Lord. We see Christ in each person that we visit.  

- To learn more about the Eucharistic Ministry, call Kathy Burnett at the Pastoral Office. 302-633-4900

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