SERVE ONE ANOTHER THROUGH LOVE. – Galatians 5:13b

Ministries of Christian Service

We welcome and encourage all our members to serve and participate in ministry; every member of our parish has something unique to offer towards the Mission of the Church. Together we can best live out our call as Catholic disciples. Together we are Christ’s hands and feet to a world in need. Together we worship, praise and glorify God.

Volunteers Needed

We are always looking for adult volunteers for Saint Vincent De Paul Food Pantry, Gardening Angels, PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter), and Social Sunday Hospitality.

Learn More About Ministries of Christian Service

Simply click on the plus sign by the Ministry you would like to expand to learn more about.

These volunteers work May through October to maintain the gardens around the Church and School. This group assists in the following areas:

  • Planting and watering the entry pots and the Mary Grotto with annuals.
  • Weeding and pruning the perennial plants at the entrances to the Church and School.
  • Separating and planting perennials around the grounds to maintain the gardens in bloom spring through fall.
  • Working with the Parish staff on an as needed basis on other projects to maintain the beauty of our community grounds.

For more information, please call the Parish Office at (630) 969-1063.

St. Mary’s has a long history of providing help to those less fortunate in our community.  We were the first congregation in DuPage County to host a PADS interim housing site (shelter) in 1985, and continued in that ministry for 30+ years.  Since the COVID-19 pandemic, congregate sites such as those at St. Mary’s have been discontinued.  DuPage PADS has moved to a “static” model, in which clients stay at a central location.  The permanent Interim Housing Center (IHC) is located in Downers Grove.

Since purchasing the new IHC in 2022, PADS reports an 80% decrease in mental health incidents, a 75% decrease in health incidents, and 136 children registered for school.

A third of the guests at the IHC are children, most under the age of 5. Another 1/3 are seniors who are over 60.  All of them need our help on their journey to end their homelessness. All of them wish for a home of their own.

Although St. Mary’s no longer hosts a shelter site, our partnership with DuPage PADS continues.  Our monthly gift card drive is one initiative.  These cards help to provide food and other necessities for clients in the IHC and in permanent supportive housing.  These are held the third Friday of every month, from 5:00pm to 6:00pm in the St. Mary’s parking lot.

We also partner with Divine Savior Catholic Church in Downers Grove to provide and deliver dinner to the IHC. Once a month we provide a meal for approximately 300 people each night, about 100 of whom are children. Other volunteer opportunities at the IHC can be viewed at www.DuPagePads.org, under the “be part of the solution” tab at the top of the page.

A new partnership with our St. Vincent DePaul Society organizes teams of volunteers to work at the SVDP store in Addison and the SVDP warehouse in Glendale Heights.

We welcome both new and long-time volunteers to join us in this ministry.

If you would like to volunteer, please email stmaryspads@gmail.com.  We can also add you to our email list, so you have the latest updates and reminders.

Our Parish hosts a Social Sundays generally once a month September through June. These socials give Parishioners as well as visitors to our Masses a time to spend in fellowship in our Gathering Place below the Church after the 8:00 and 10:00 morning Masses. Coffee and donuts are served. The dates for these Social Sundays appear in our bulletin the week before and are announced that day at the Mass. All are welcome to join us.

The Mission of our St Mary of Gostyn Conference is to minister to those in need. In a confidential manner, all members of our parish community who require assistance are provided food, rent and utility assistance through home visits which assess how we can help. The main activities of our conference are: Stocking and Operating a Food Pantry, Home Assistance Visits, Clothing Drives benefiting the local St Vincent de Paul Thrift Stores and Adopt a Family at Christmas.

St Mary of Gostyn Food Pantry hours are from 8:00am until 11:00am every Wednesday. We serve all people within our parish community: Catholic and non-Catholic, parishioner, and non-parishioner. The pantry is located on the church campus. Entry is from the parking lot side of the church.

Home Assistance Visits lend friendly support to members of our parish community. Our volunteers make home visits to offer rent and utility assistance when needed. Volunteers are also able to refer those we assist to other local resources as needed. Those needing support can call (630) 969-1068. Your message will be returned by one of our helpful SVDP volunteers.

We conduct 2 Clothing Drives annually. These take place in the church parking lot. Spring and Fall drives are typically held in April and October.

The SVDP Adopt-A-Family program sponsors close to 100 families annually thanks to the generosity of donor families. Donor family sign up is typically in early November and details can be found in the online bulletin. Local families as well as those families in our sister parish, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Joliet, are sincerely grateful for the generosity of parish members.

St. Vincent DePaul members enjoy spending time together and helping those in need. Please consider attending one of our meetings held every other Saturday at 9:00 am in the Parish Center. You can help as much or as little as your schedule allows. Come join us, we are excited to meet you!

A History of Many Parts, But One Body

With over 2,700 families at St. Mary of Gostyn Parish, we continue towards a bright future enriching faith life, educating on Catholicism, serving those in need, and enjoying our close community.