A key component of the vision of the Parish of the Resurrection is outreach to those in need so that the Kingdom of God can be experienced by all. Members of the Parish of the Resurrection are called to help build the Kingdom of God on earth by entering into right relationships with all of God’s creation, especially the poor.
“Our parishes should be measured by our help for the hungry, the homeless, the troubled, and the alienated in our community and beyond… Catholic social teaching calls us to serve those in need and to change the structures which deny people their dignity and rights as children of God. Service and action, charity and justice are complementary components of parish social ministry.” Communities of Salt and Light: reflections in Parish Social Mission: U.S. Bishops’, 1993
Social Concerns of the Parish of the Resurrection exists to help integrate the social mission of the Church into the daily life of our parish in accordance with our Catholic social tradition and teaching so that as community we might stand up to these measures. As co-creators of the Kingdom, our call to stewardship challenges us to respond to the injustices of society through service, outreach, advocacy, community development and solidarity.
The foundation of these ministries and their actions are rooted in prayer, worship, and faith-sharing. In liturgy, we find the direction, initiative and strength for social ministry action. We recognize that we must listen to God’s call and enlist God’s help in order to act according to God’s will.
The Parish of the Resurrection implements its vision and mission through a variety of programs that serve to educate and to involve parishioners, to provide direct service to the needy, and to change systemic causes of social injustice.
Our social justice prayer and education includes:
praying an annual novena for justice
offering the Just Faith program, Just Matters topical modules and adult education
conducting periodic social concerns workshops within the parish
integrating social justice teaching into youth and adult education programs
Our direct service includes:
providing help to needy families through supporting the food closet at Table of Plenty
supporting service organizations through our charitable giving committee
supporting the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington in the annual collections for Catholic Relief Services and the Campaign for Human Development
serving meals at Emmanuel Dining Room, St. Andrew’s Place, and participating in the Meals-on-Wheels program
growing produce in our community garden for community food closets
providing support for poor farmers world-wide through our Fair Trade Coffee program
reaching out to the imprisoned, aged, sick, homebound, and bereaved through a variety of ministries that provide spiritual, social and mentoring support to these communities
reaching out to the poor of the world through financial support of specific projects
Our efforts to advocate for change in social justice, domestically and internationally include:
advocating for Right-to-Life legislation
advocating for hunger relief through the annual Bread-for-the-World campaign
advocating for Hispanics directly and through Voices Without Borders
advocating for human rights worldwide through support of anti-genocide legislation
advocating for current legislation through the Delaware Catholic Advocacy Network