Service & Outreach
There are numerous opportunities for our parishioners to serve the people of our parish and greater community. If you would like to participate in or volunteer for one of our Service & Outreach Ministries, we encourage you to contact the chairperson of that ministry so that they can follow up with you and share information about that ministry.
Please click on the following ministries, which will take you to their description below.
Catholic Charities Volunteers
Food Shuttle Drivers
Hospitality Committee
Ladies of Charity
New Parishioner Welcome/Orientation Committee
Parish Advocates for Persons with Disabilities
People of Acts
Respect Life
SS. Anne and Joachim Ministry
Service/Outreach Ministries
Spirit & Life Newsletter
St. Vincent de Paul
Jr. St. Vincent de Paul
The Catholic Charities volunteers organize the annual drive to collect funds within St. Gregory’s parish for the Diocesan Appeal - through mailings, phon-a-thons, and personal/professional contacts. Catholic Charities serves the needs of people within the Diocese of Buffalo.
Ministry Contact: Parish Office, 688-5678
The Food Shuttle is a Western New York all-volunteer organization started at St. Gregory’s, that transports surplus food from restaurants, super markets and other providers to soup kitchens and shelters. Three branches in the Metro Buffalo area transport over two tons of food daily. Anyone (retirees, working people, students, at-home parents, professionals) in the Erie or Niagara County region can be a Food Shuttle volunteer driver. Shuttle runs fit into any schedule - weekdays or weekends. Drivers are always needed. Volunteer by signing up with one of Food Shuttle’s three branches: Amherst, Ken-Ton, or Southtowns.
Ministry Contacts:
Food Shuttle Hotline, 688-2527
Rita Eichenger, 632-0803
The Hospitality Committee hosts receptions for a variety of parish functions. The committee is made up of several dedicated parishioners. Major responsibilities include purchasing goods, set-up, serving, and clean-up for parish social events. The Holy Thursday Shared Supper is one of the Committee’s major annual events. Volunteers are always needed and welcome!
Ministry Contact: Rosemary Spano, 689-6224, roespano@aol.com
Ladies of Charity is a group of women who volunteer their time and talent to assist the poor. Each year, our LOC collect donated household goods for delivery to the center, and collect and donate Easter and Thanksgiving food baskets to area food pantries and parishes. LOC make and distribute stoles for newborns, wheelchair/walker bags for the elderly and Rosaries for our First Communicants. LOC straighten the prayer books and remove debris and lost items from the Church, as well as care for the altar linens. The group meets the fourth Monday of each month at 7:00 pm.
Ministry Contact: Judy Huber, 688-8170, judyhuber62@yahoo.com
New Parishioner Welcome/Orientation Committee
The Welcome/Orientation ministry’s purpose is to welcome new members into the parish family of St. Gregory the Great, and assist them in registering in the parish. All new parishioners are encouraged to attend the monthly get-acquainted gatherings to familiarize themselves with the many ministries, programs and activities within the parish, and to see how the St. Gregory’s community is here to serve you.
Ministry Contacts:
Angela & Tom Vacanti, 741-4145, vcaatt@aol.com
Laraine Leardon, 688-5678, Ext. 331
To sign up for a New Parishioner Orientation, please click here!
2012-2013 New Parishioner Orientation Schedule
August 12 after 9:30 am Mass
August 26 after 9:30 am Mass
September 9 after 4:30 pm Mass
September 30 after 9:30 am Mass
October 21 after 9:30 am Mass
November 4 after 9:30 am Mass
November 24 after 9:30 am Mass
2013
January 6 after 4:30 pm Mass
February 10 after 9:30 am
February 24 after 9:30 am Mass
March 10 after 11:00 am Mass
March 24 after 9:30 am Mass
April 14 after 4:30 pm Mass
April 28 after 9:30 am Mass
May 19 after 4:30 pm Mass
June 9 after 9:30 am Mass
July 14 after 9:30 am
Parish Advocate for Persons with Disabilities (PADP)
PADP is a ministry that is represented on the Diocesan level and provides assistance to people with various needs, including church seating concerns and hearing assistance. Promoting awareness and acceptance of all persons with disabilities and recognizing and using the many gifts of persons with disabilities are important parts of this ministry. Presently, we are making the liturgy more “user-friendly” to all, particularly for the hearing impaired and mobility impaired. We seek a greater parish awareness and sensitivity to persons with disabilities.
Ministry Contact: Joan Rischmiller, 688-5760, jrischmiller@stgregs.org
Spirit-filled people of God fulfilling the mandate of Christ to serve the needs of the widow(er)s, single parents, elderly and disabled of our parish community by providing labor for one-day projects. Volunteers, working in teams, are assigned to perform a wide variety of tasks ranging from simple electrical, plumbing or carpentry work; painting; electronics issues; minor repairs; purchased item assembly; occasional transportation; or even assisting with laundry, cleaning, or grocery shopping. If you have a need, the People of Acts will try to help.
Ministry Contacts:
Roger Maddigan and Marty Jay, 688-5678, Ext. 425
The Respect Life ministry focuses on the value and dignity of life. This group is an educational resource for the parish on all life issues, and works in conjunction with other groups in the community to bring a message of hope and substantive assistance to women with crisis pregnancies. Our prime focus is peaceful opposition to abortion through legislative lobbying, commercial boycotts, educational outreach, and prayer. We also stress opposition to, and education on, other aspects of the Culture of Death: this includes assisted suicide, embryonic stem cell research and human cloning. Our ministry also offers an e-mail information service providing updates on various pro-life issues, including ‘action alerts’ on impending pro-life legislation in Congress and the State Legislature. For our meeting schedule or more resources please click here.
Ministry Contacts:
Mary Pesarchick, 633-2352, mikemaryp@yahoo.com
Barbara Pelosi, 634-7478, bpelosi@roadrunner.com
This ministry consists of parents of an adolescent or adult child with disabilities, who come to share their wisdom of parental and spiritual journey with those parents whose child was recently diagnosed with a disability. Responsibilities include being a prayer partner, offering the compassionate ear of Christ through listening to a parent’s joys and sufferings, and offering support. As saints, Anne and Joachim set the example that Mary followed to become the gentle, loving, faithful parent she was. They understood that Mary was a special child and they dedicated her to God.
Ministry Contact: Linda Amabile, 633-2530, lkamabile@verizon.net
Our parish coordinates various social justice ministries. Parish outreach includes annual clothing drives and Family-to-Family Christmas. We also actively support various ministries including Nicaragua Mission, Response to Love Center, Harvest House and St. Luke’s Mission.
Ministry Contact: Teri Donner, 632-1920, momdad71@aol.com
Spirit & Life Parish Newsletter
Through publication of a parish newsletter, Spirit & Life (S&L), newsletter staff seeks to increase parishioners’ awareness of opportunities at St. Gregory’s for worship, fellowship, education and stewardship. The committee also works to help parishioners learn more about each other, our parish, and the Catholic Faith. A copy is mailed to each registered parishioner, and the current issue can also be viewed by clicking here. The newsletter welcomes regular reporters as well as those who can accept occasional reporting assignments.
Ministry Contact: Suellen Brewster, 565-9321, JBrewster3@roadrunner.com
We are a Catholic lay organization whose members seek to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person assistance to the poor, the suffering and the forgotten in the compassionate tradition of the Society’s founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, and its patron, St. Vincent de Paul. The Society collaborates with other organizations and people of goodwill in fulfilling its mission, and makes no distinction among those who are in need.
The Society organizes food and clothing drives, maintains the magazine rack in the Church vestibule, and makes weekly visits to the sick and those in nursing homes. We maintain a food pantry at St. Gregory’s “White House” for assistance (on a confidential basis) to those in need in our parish and in the inner city. We have a furniture pick-up program through which we help stock our Diocesan warehouse on Main St. in Buffalo. We support & help maintain our Summer Camp in Angola. Please contact us if you need assistance or wish to make a donation. For our meeting schedule or more information please click here.
Ministry Contact: John Gnann, 688-5678, Ext. 423
Junior St. Vincent de Paul Society
This ministry is for boys and girls in grades 5-8. This group helps with the food and clothing drives, assists at the soup kitchen, and participates in other outreach projects.
Ministry Contacts:
John Herman, 634-5949
Sherry Gangloff, 741-2956