Caritas Committee Mission Statement
The mission of the Caritas Committee is, “Sharing our compassion and treasure with our neighbors in need.” The Committee, a sub-committee of the parish Finance Council, was formed for the purpose of stewarding the distribution of funds gathered in a special collection taken on the fifth Sunday of months with five Sundays. These funds are to be shared with charitable nonprofit organizations whose policies are in line with Catholic principles and teaching.
Our Caritas Recipients
Each Caritas weekend we focus on one charity that will receive 25% of our collection. The balance of the collection is shared among several local organizations. On occasion, our Caritas collection may be sent to aid the immediate needs of victims of natural disasters. When that happens, the selected focus recipient will share in the proceeds of the next Caritas collection.
Our Ongoing Recipients
Dexter Family Services is a community service organization that provides emergency support for residents within the Dexter school district. Volunteers coordinate back to school backpacks, volunteer at the Dexter location of the Faith in Action food pantry, and organize Christmas sponsorship for families in need. They customarily receive one quarter of each Caritas collection.
St. Joseph Parish Christian Service Fund meets the urgent needs of assistance for those in financial straits when other resources have been exhausted. One fourth of each Caritas collection is usually directed to this fund.
Focus Recipient of the Caritas Committee, vetted to confirm the organization meets Catholic social and moral principles and is financially prudent, is chosen by the Committee six weeks prior to a Caritas Sunday. The selected organization, which may be local, national, or international, is profiled in the parish bulletin in the weeks before Caritas Sunday, and receives one quarter of the collection. Parishioners are invited to submit recommendations for the Committee’s consideration.
Water for Flint, in response to the water crisis in Flint, is coordinated through Catholic Social Services’ St. Luke N.E.W. Life Food Pantry. One eighth of each Caritas collection is currently shared with this initiative.
Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County receives one-eighth of each collection, beginning in June 2017. CSS provides counseling, adoption and foster care services, elder services, parenting, and family support, operates a food pantry, and in general, responds to the needs of the less fortunate.
Nominate a Recipient Organization
The Caritas Committee welcomes suggestions for charitable organizations to share our Caritas collections with. These funds are to be shared with charitable nonprofit organizations whose policies are in line with Catholic principles and teaching. Nominate a Charitable Organization by contacting Lisa Dobis.