Perpetual Eucharistic
Adoration
Our
chapel is open to the public from 6:30am until 10:00pm Monday through
Friday and from 7am until 6:30pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Come be an honor guard and take part in keeping Jesus company at all
hours of the day and night. To
be an honor guard, it is required that you give one hour a week at a
specific time on a specific day. Contact St. Helen's office.
Adult Formation/Catechesis
One of the primary
concerns at St. Helen's is the ongoing formation of adults. This includes
faith development as well as psycho-social growth and personal well-being.
We are able to meet these needs through a program of guest speakers,
various courses and periodic adult studies offered throughout the year.
Altar
Servers
Altar Servers help
lead the people in their prayer responses, light the way for the word
of God, and most of all, assist the priest in preparing the greatest
sacrament of all ~ Eucharist.
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Art
& Environment
Preparing a Church
environment that adds richness and depth to our prayer is a constant
challenge. There are the special seasons of Advent and Christmas, Lent
and Easter, Pentecost and the Holydays. Many parishioners have helped
by sewing banners and altar drapes, cutting and arranging palms for
Palm Sunday, placing the Easter flowers and decorating the Christmas
trees.
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God's Special Clowns
God's Special Clowns
is a group of handicapped persons and families with young children.
The ages range from 3 to 68 years. This ministry began in February 1999,
and has among its goals to create confidence in each of its members,
to help them become comfortable with the community, and to be of service
to all. They visit care homes, hospitals, and do skits about the Bible.
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Random Actors
A ministry of entertainment,
the drama troupe enables parishioners to utilize their God-given talents.
They, in turn, provide family-oriented fun. The first play, A Christmas
Carol, was presented in 1994. A play has been presented every December
since then. Hopes are to have more.
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Eucharistic
Ministers
The Eucharistic
ministers assist the priests in the distribution of the consecrated
bread and wine, the body and blood of Christ. Each Eucharistic minister
is assigned to a team of eight members at the Sunday Liturgy of their
choice. Teams rotate and serve every other weekend.
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Finance
Committee
The St. Helen's
Parish Finance Committee is the organization that provides guidance
to the parish administration in the gathering and disposition of the
monetary funds of the parish in a manner consistent with rules and guidelines
as set forth by the diocese for the fiscal well-being of the parish.
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Gift
Shop
St. Helen's Gift
Shop is a special ministry of parishioners working together to enable
our parish to have a wide choice of Catholic reading, statues, crucifixes,
art and other religious items in their homes. Gifts and remembrances
for Baptism, First Reconciliation, Confirmation, O.C.I., as well as
wedding and anniversary gifts and cards are available. The varied selections
along with videos, musical CDs and cassettes, make St. Helen's Gift
Shop one of the finest Catholic gift stores in the Valley.
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Ministers of Hospitality
The ministers of
hospitality consist of both traditional ushers and our "greeters".
Ushers help seat parishioners as they arrive for worship, take up the
stewardship offerings, and assist people as they come forward for Communion.
They pay particular attention to the needs of the handicapped and elderly
and arrange for them to receive Communion at their seats. Our ushers
also assist whenever a medical emergency arises during the liturgy.
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Ministers of the
Word
The Lectors play
an important role in the liturgy by proclaiming the Word of God. Two
lectors are needed at each Mass: one to proclaim the First Reading (Hebrew
Scriptures) and the other to proclaim the Second Reading (Epistle).
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Ministry to the
Sick and Homebound
This ministry is
made up of volunteers. There are some who have been trained as Eucharistic
Ministers and have had additional training who take the Eucharist to
the sick, homebound or in the hospital. There are also volunteers who
desire only to visit with those who cannot come to Mass. In addition,
there are occasional requests to give someone a ride to Church or possibly
to pick up groceries for those unable to get out of their homes.
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New Members Welcoming
Committee
Gone are the days
when potential parishioners could become members of the community by
simply completing a registration form and not having the chance to be
personally greeted and welcomed by the Pastor and community. St. Helen's
Parish is now one of a growing number of parishes in our Diocese to
have a formal "welcome" process in place. Once each month
those interested in joining our community are invited to a New Members
Welcome. Here they are introduced to our Parish life, staff, programs
and spirit-filled opportunities that are unique to St. Helen's.
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Parish Office Volunteers
Our office volunteers
are quite often the first people that visitors or new parishioners meet.
They are our parish representatives when anyone visits or calls our
church office. Office volunteers greet visitors, answer phone calls,
assign Mass intentions, and perform various office jobs.
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Pastoral
Council
The goal of the
pastoral council is to collaborate with the Pastor, the staff and the
various ministries in discerning the spiritual needs of the Parish and
in setting the goals that seek to respond to those needs.
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Friends
of St. Helen's
This ministry helps
others in their time of need through several different services. Training
classes are provided for those who work in our parish ministry to the
sick and homebound. Members also reach out to the caregiver and the
family. They stay with the sick and provide the caregiver time to do
things outside the home. They will provide light lunches for families
after a funeral. They provide bereavement support for those who have
had a loss.
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Music
Ministry
Saturday 5:30 Music
Group
This group is led by Jay Soto and meets on Saturdays before Mass at 4:30pm
in the Adult Ed. Room for practice. Currently looking for new members.
7:30am Cantors
Lisa Sammut plays the piano while two cantors sing. The music for this
Mass is "low-key" stylistically.
9am Music Group
Lisa Sammut leads this group which meets in the Adult Ed. Room on Thursday
nights at 7pm for rehearsal. Contact Jay Soto for more information.
Adult Choir
This choir, led by Jay Soto, meets on Thursday nights at 6:30pm the
Church and meets Sundays. Contact Jay Soto for more information. Currently
looking for new members.
12:15pm Music
Group
This group is led by Terry Little.
5:30pm Teen Group
This spirited youthful group meets Sunday afternoons at 4:15pm for rehearsal
and is led by Jay Soto. Currently looking for new members.
For more information
contact Jay Soto at
jsoto@sthelenglendale.org or the
Parish Office 623-979-4202.
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