Social Justice Outreach

Social Justice Outreach

The Saint Cecilia Community in Action

Through the active leadership of members of our community, Saint Cecilia parishioners volunteer and donate to a number of hunger and nutrition-related programs locally and internationally.

Pine Street Inn \| Beacon Street, Brookline www.pinestreetinn.org This is a residence for formerly homeless men and women. On a regular basis, a group of parishioners prepares brunch and spends the morning interacting with the residents.	Catholic Charities www.ccab.org Our parish has committed to keeping the food pantry at Catholic Charities' Haitian Multi-Service Center in Dorchester stocked. We ask for donations of spaghetti, corn flakes or Cheerios, peanut butter, tuna fish (white), canned chicken breast, tomato sauce, and macaroni and cheese.	Pine Street Inn \| The Women’s Inn www.pinestreetinn.org This is a not-for-profit organization committed to men, women and children in need of shelter, sustenance, and the basic moral and material supports to lead a dignified and stable life. Saint Cecilia parishioners, including families connected to the religious education program, provide a dinner at the Women’s Inn in the South End on a monthly basis, typically on the 2nd Monday of the month from October through April.
Community Servings www.servings.org Eastern Massachusetts’ free, home-delivered meals program for people with life-threatening illnesses and their dependents and caregivers, Community Servings welcomes Saint Cecilia parishioners to work in their kitchens in Jamaica Plain four or five times a year. Parishioners also assist in the Pie in the Sky fundraiser at Thanksgiving.	The Women’s Lunch Place www.womenslunchplace.org For over 25 years, the Women’s Lunch Place on Newbury Street in the Back Bay has been a daytime community for poor and homeless women and their children. Our parish sponsors monthly ice cream sundae parties for the guests of the shelter and we support their Mother’s Day greeting card fundraiser.	Saint Joseph’s Family www.heartswithhaiti.org Comprised of three homes for poor and disabled children in Haiti, Saint Joseph’s Family is supported through an American non-profit known as “Hearts with Haiti.” Our parish is involved with Saint Joseph’s Family in many ways from hosting students on their trips to the United States to providing computer equipment and school tuitions. In the fall of 2008, Saint Joseph Family was able to restore its school lunch program through the generosity of Saint Cecilia Parish and our parishioners.
Young Neighbors in Action www.youngneighbors.org Our high school age service-learning experience where doing service in the name of the Gospel and Catholic Social Teaching comes alive for our teens. Projects have included working on a farm outside Washington, D.C. and at a food pantry in New Mexico.	Ecclesia Ministries’ Common Art www.ecclesia-ministries.org/ common_art.html Part of the Episcopal Church’s response to homelessness in the city of Boston, Ecclesia Ministries sponsors a weekly arts program for the homeless at Emmanuel Church in Back Bay. Saint Cecilia Parish provides nutritious lunches for the program’s participants through an arrangement with Community Servings.	Morville House www.episcopalcitymission.org/morville.html This Episcopal-sponsored, federally subsidized home for low-income elders is located in the Fenway area of Boston. Saint Cecilia parishioners provide a hearty Thanksgiving dinner each year.	Operation Rice Bowl www.orb.crs.org Operation Rice Bowl is the official Lenten Program of Catholic Relief Services. More than 13,500 faith communities across the U.S. participate as a way to respect human dignity and foster solidarity with the poor around the world. Our donations help increase food security in communities in over 40 countries and the U.S.