Parish Ministries
The gift of Christ in our lives is a gift we are called to share. St John Neumann parishioners have created and nourished ministries and events that share our love of the faith both within and beyond our parish.
As a community of faith, we realize that this gift of knowing Christ in our life is something that must be shared. In the various organizations and ministries of our parish, we try to be of service to others so that they, too, can come closer to the Lord.
We welcome and invite you to join these vibrant aspects of our life at SJN!
Alcoholics Anonymous
AA District Office: 215-574-6900
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other so that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. At St. John Neumann, we meet Wednesday nights from 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. in the Rectory Meeting Room. The meeting room entrance is off the parking lot.
H.O.P.E. Ministry
Helping Other Parishioners in Emergency is the ministry of taking care of our parishioners in times of need. This includes taking trips to the doctor, therapy sessions, banking, or food shopping within the suburbs.
Family Promise
Our parish is part of the Family Promise of the Main Line volunteer organizations, rotating with other churches and synagogues, for a week at a time, to create a homelike setting for displaced families. Parish volunteers set up and take down separate cubicles for each family, with a common living room area, in the parish center. Acting as hosts, they provide company and Christian fellowship for the guests, dinner each night of the week, and transportation as needed. Parishioners volunteer on a regular basis, or whenever they are able. All are welcome to participate in this ministry.
Manna Program
The Archdiocese maintains food pantries throughout the six counties, and each year in May we are asked to contribute nonperishable foods to fill those cupboards for the summer months. Large carryall bags are provided at the church doors and are also sent home with the school children. Parishioners are encouraged to return the bags to the rear of the church, on a given Sunday, with their food contributions.
Caring For Friends
Our parish supplies our sister parish, Our Mother of Sorrows, with frozen dinners. Our parishioners make and assemble meals in individual aluminum trays with meat or fish, a starch and vegetable. The trays are covered, labeled, and put into plastic bags, frozen, and transported to the Caring for Friends meal distribution center. Approximately 400 meals are supplied to the homebound each week.
Operation Rice Bowl
During Lent, our parish participates in the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Operation Rice Bowl. Its goal is to alleviate hunger in the world. Each family, before Lent, is encouraged to take a small cardboard “rice bowl” which includes a donation envelope and a Lenten calendar which explains the needs that can be served by the family’s sacrifices. Parents and children keep the “bowl” in a prominent place in the dining room and are reminded by it to put in offerings that involve self-denial for love of God and of the hungering peoples throughout the world. At the end of Lent those offerings are brought to church or school, the totals counted, and checks sent to the CRS.
Red Cross Blood Drive
Throughout the year the parish sponsors an American Red Cross blood drive. The Parish Center is made available and a parish staff representative serves as liaison to facilitate the service. Parishioners are encouraged to donate blood.
Respect Life Committee
This Pro-life group is concerned with the preservation of life from conception to natural death. This committee leads an annual Respect Life Bake Sale to raise funds for five organizations that support the vulnerable, from conception to death. Our goal is to raise at least $1,000 per recipient organization. The Bake Sale takes place on Super Bowl weekend. For the three months leading up to the Bake Sale, parishioners learn about a baby’s development in the womb and about each recipient organization’s work to help the vulnerable.