Social Justice

“Christian love leads to denunciation, proposals and commitment to cultural and social projects; it prompts positive activity that inspires all who sincerely have the good of humanity at heart to make their contribution.” – No. 6 Compendium of Catholic Social Teaching

Founded in 2005, the Social Justice Commission is chaired by Sr. Mary Rita Grady.  Its tasks are threefold:

• The Commission serves as an umbrella for the many outreach projects that the parish performs. Information that is gathered and analyzed facilitates communication and coordination among the many parish projects. Compiling a list of, and describing, each of these projects also serves to acknowledge the many ways in which parishioners exercise compassionate love, both within and beyond the geographic boundaries of St. Julia Parish.
• The commission serves as a clearing house for new service opportunities as they present themselves for consideration. The commission helps the parish prioritize among the many local, regional and global needs that cry out for justice and provide a forum to help assess the talent and resources that are realistically available at any given time.
• The commission strives to provide opportunities for all members of the parish to live up to our call to be ‘salt of the earth’. The Roman Catholic Church has well-developed teachings on social justice, and we hope to reflect on the Gospels, social encyclicals and pastoral letters that challenge us, and to share these opportunities for information and growth with the parish at large.

Bristol Lodge Soup Kitchen

Bristol Lodge Soup Kitchen, located at Immanuel United Methodist Church in Waltham, serves supper for 40-80 people every evening at 5:00 p.m. The soup kitchen is administered by staff of the Middlesex Human Services Agency of Waltham. About half of those served are residents of the Bristol Lodge Shelters, one for men and one for women. A number of local community and church groups cook and serve the meals provided at the soup kitchen.

Members of St. Julia Parish provide a meal twice per month at Bristol Lodge Soup Kitchen: the first Thursday of each month (coordinated by Pat Dacey) and the third Sunday of each month (coordinated by Jackie Athas). The meals are brought over to the soup kitchen warm and ready to serve. Sunday evening Religious Education classes are often involved in cooking and serving the Sunday meals.

Volunteers from the parish provide any of the following: salad, fruit, casseroles, desserts. Casserole recipes are available, or you can prepare your own family favorite. Other volunteers come just to serve the meal. We arrive at Immanuel church with the food to set up from 4:45 PM to 5 PM.  The meal is served between 5 and 5:30 PM and we stay to clean up until 6 PM.

We would love to have you join us in this ministry of service. Please contact one of the individuals listed above if you can help provide a casserole or side dish, or if you would simply like to come help serve the meal.

St. Vincent de Paul Society

The St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVDP) assists poor or troubled parishioners who are in need of emergency assistance or advice about resources, regardless of religious affiliation.

Donations from parishioners have enabled the St. Joseph Conference of the SVDP Society to provide emergency help with rent, telephone and electricity payments, pharmacy and dental bills, automobile insurance and car repairs, clothing and food vouchers, and help with tuition for summer camp and after school programs. Non-perishable food, toiletries and cleaning supplies are collected and distributed on the last Wednesday of each month from the food pantry at St. Joseph Church in Lincoln.

Please consider helping with this ministry with your time or financial support. Contact Chairpersons, Christine Brandt or Ursula Nowack.

If you, or someone you know, would like to request assistance from the SVDP, please call the St. Julia rectory at 781.899.2611.

Friends in Need

Semima Karasch organizes volunteers to deliver meals to our own fellow parishioners in need through the parish’s Friends in Need group.  Please contact Semima if you would like to add your name to a list of those who can be called upon to prepare and drop off a meal at the home of a parishioner who may be ill or temporarily incapacitated.

Ongoing Food and Clothing Collections

There are many ways to help with providing food and clothing to those in need both locally and in neighboring communities.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES, LOWELL:  Each month there is both a food and a clothing delivery made to Catholic Charities in Lowell. This is coordinated by Kathy Lane, and is announced in the bulletin. Donations can be left in either of the churches for delivery by volunteers to Lowell.

WINTER CLOTHING DRIVES:  There is a special winter clothing collection for St. Patrick’s Parish in Lowell in November, and one in January for Bristol Lodge.

SVDP FOOD PANTRY:  On the last Wednesday each month there is a food distribution program in Lincoln coordinated by Nancy Cronin on behalf of the St. Vincent dePaul Society. Non-perishable food items are gratefully accepted. Please be sure that expiration dates are still good on all donated food.  Toiletries, paper goods and cleaning supplies are also collected.  Watch the bulletin for specific items needed each month.

Special Giving Projects

Throughout the year there are a number of organizations that need specific help or particular items that to which St. Julia parishioners generously respond.

The Religious Education Office coordinates the collection of items, assembly and delivery of Thanksgiving Baskets and Easter Baskets for the benefit of struggling families in Waltham

Marie O’Brien runs a Baby Shower , each February, Respect Life month, in support of mothers who are served through the various Pregnancy Help programs of the Archdiocese.

At Christmas there are two special donation programs. At St. Julia Church in Weston there is a Giving Tree which benefits the children of  St. Patrick/St. Kevin Parish in Boston.  The Giving Tree is coordinated by Pat Dacey.  In Lincoln, at St. Joseph Church, Kathy Lane organizes the Christmas Gift Giving program to benefit families of St. Patrick’s Parish in Lowell.

Monetary Donations

There are a number of specially designated Masses during the year in which collections for particular needs, both for the church and for the poor, are gratefully received. Donations for specific intentions are always welcome. Many donate additionally to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Boston, which serves needy families in the Boston area, and to Catholic Relief Services, which sends aid all over the world.

• Special Collections at selected Sunday liturgies
• Church in Latin America
• Holy Father – Peter’s Pence
• Catholic Relief Services
• Holy Land Shrines
• Clergy Benefit Trust
• Communications
• Seminaries
• Black and Native American churches
• Church in Central and Eastern Europe
• Home Missions
• Catholic University
• Overseas Missions
• Campaign for Human Development
• Retired Religious

• US Conference of Catholic Bishops
• USCCB Social Justice Issues
• Office for Social Justice of Archdiocese of St. Paul
• Social Justice and Peace
• Catholic Commission for Social Justice
• Catholic Relief Services
• Operation Rice Bowl
• CatalogChoice.org – Reduce your unwanted catalogs and help save the environment