Outreach Ministries – The Linked Roman Catholic Communities of St. Patrick’s and St. Thomas Aquinas

Brief History-

St. Patrick’s parish has a long tradition and passion for service, particularly through the Faith In Action Committee, CHOW Pantry, bagged lunch distribution and the once monthly Trinity dinners. St. Thomas Aquinas parish groups have provided outreach and support to the local community and abroad through the efforts of the Holy Name Society, the Parish Life Committee and their Altar and Rosary Society.

Recently, St. Patrick’s & St. Thomas Aquinas, as linked parishes, leading up to 2016, having contemplated Pope Francis’s challenge for the Year of Mercy, committed to serving needs of the less fortunate, initiated Outreach Ministries of the Southern Tier and the Showers of Hope. An effort which began by offering hot soup and hot cocoa during cold months on Main Street, Binghamton every Monday. Volunteers began to make connections with folks on the street. From there a shower trailer was purchased to begin offering hot showers to the homeless and persons in need on St. Patrick’s Campus on Thursday’s. The hot soup was now being served at St. Patrick’s Parish Hall in conjunction with the Showers of Hope twice a week, Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. Eventually the sandwich ministry expanded and was now serviced out of the parish hall as well, Monday- Friday. The need for personal care items and clothing were evident and so distribution services started.

Then the pandemic hit. Many local pantries are now shut down. The Showers of Hope are shut down. Outreach Ministries continues as an essential service and begins to accept the Broome Bounty Food Truck daily, whereby items harvested from local grocery stores donate food near expiration for immediate consumption. Outreach Ministry Volunteers come Monday – Friday throughout the pandemic to accept, sort and distribute the food received. Forty to one hundred households are served on any given day. Outreach Ministries also expand the personal care items and clothing distribution and begins to provide furniture as it becomes available.

Outreach Ministries Update

Food and Clothing Distribution Program—that started during the Pandemic—will be moving its operation from the St. Patrick’s location to St. Cyril & Methodius on Clinton Street in Binghamton at their former Convent building, located behind the church, beginning in the first part of September. The McDevitt Committees of both parishes agreed to split the cost of renting this facility from St. Cyril’s.

This move will allow the Parish Hall to get back to regular parish use as well as serving the needs of the less fortunate as we have done in the past, prior to the pandemic, including bag lunches. We also plan to resume Showers of Hope, as this was not allowed during the Pandemic.

Many thanks to all those who support the ministry with time, talent and / or treasure! Without the thousands of hours volunteer time and effort, without the in-kind and monetary donations, these Outreach Ministries services and care of our brothers and sisters with need could not be. We are grateful for the privilege to serve.

For more information, open one of the pages below:

CHOW Pantry

CHOW: Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse

The CHOW Food Panty is a program run through the Broome County Council of Churches and is hosted at St. Patrick’s. The pantry is open: Mondays from 4pm-6pm & Wed/Fri from 11:30am-1:30pm. Please call the CHOW Office at 772-7898 for a referral.

If you are interested in volunteering at the CHOW Food Pantry, please call the St. Patrick’s Rectory at 607-722-1060.

Faith in Action

Back in 1997, when Msgr. Owens was Pastor, Faith in Action was founded after weeks of discussion, prayer and planning under the guidance of Amy Fleming from the Diocesan Office of Peace and Justice. Originally there were men and women and we met in the Rectory with Father Charles as our Spiritual Advisor.

Early on we engaged in Voter Registration led by Bob Quinn; Raised $1000 to purchase a heifer for Heifer International by selling ‘recipes in a jar’ which many parishioners helped to assemble in the hall. It was a lot of fun and great that we reached our goal. Another project we facilitated was WORK OF HUMAN HANDS at the Craft Fair to aid third world craftsmen earn a fair wage. By this time Sr. Ellen was our spiritual advisor. For many years we alternated between collecting for Mom’s House and Birthright. Now we donate to both of these organizations with the proceeds from our annual fund raiser. Samaritan House Drive was another successful launch with parishioners bringing their household donations to church during the month of September. Now we feel that people bring their items to the Samaritan House location throughout the year. Our members collected after Masses and on their own for CHOW Hunger Walk culminating in the actual walk which was originally held in Endicott from En-Joy Golf Course to North Street and back up Main Street. It changed to Otsiningo Park and then to Binghamton University. We often donated $800 – $900 when this took place in October, but it has now been moved to September and FIA members were reluctant to ask parishioners for monetary donations right after the School Supply Drive. So we also donate to this with money from our fund raiser.

For years we sent monthly birthday greetings, Valentines and Christmas cards to the residents of Renaissance Plaza on Front Street before it closed. We continue to send Valentines and Christmas cards to our parish shut-ins. The Prayer Chain originated in Faith in Action by our member, Pat Glazier, and has grown to more than 56 participants under her leadership and dedication.

Of course the School Supply Drive has been a huge endeavor since 2000 and is still going strong each August. We are so pleased to partner with St. Thomas.

Our largest effort takes place in December when we sell $5.00 chances for the opportunity to win $50 each day in January. There are 1,000 tickets, and would love to sell them all. All of the proceeds are donated to charities locally and internationally (Heifer International). We publish the listing of the recipients the last week of November as we kick off the new year’s campaign at Mass. These tickets have been sold at St. Patrick’s for years and are now also sold at St. Thomas Aquinas. Each of our members sells as many as possible to our contacts outside of our parishes. Shirley McCormack and Mary Normile are in charge of this project.

There are a few who say that FIA doesn’t do anything. However, at our July meeting I asked that question and was told that our members are putting their “faith into action” by volunteering at the Trinity monthly dinners, Showers of Hope, Funeral Luncheons, Lenten Fish Fry. We serve as Sanctuary Helpers, Choir Members, Gardening Angels and volunteers at Catholic Charities, etc. They feel very strongly about this aspect of FIA!

Currently our membership stands at 14 and we would welcome any new members from either parish. We meet on the second Tuesday of the month and have been meeting in the Library at St. Patrick’s School. We also enjoy three annual social events; a picnic in July , a Christmas dinner and a dinner in August at a restaurant.

Please know all are welcome! Call the St. Patrick’s Rectory with your interest. We thank everyone for your support and interest. god bless you all!

St. Patrick’s Sandwich Ministry

Each day the staff of the St. Patrick’s Rectory hand out bagged lunches to the hungry. Volunteers also come to prepare and distribute the lunches. In recent years, the need for this ministry has grown greatly, as many more come to our door for their meal. There are days where over 90 lunches are given out.

We appreciate the generosity of our parishioners who volunteer or donate for this program. For more information on volunteering, please call the rectory at 722-1060

Showers of Hope

A Project of the Outreach Ministries of the Southern Tier

Our parishes operate a mobile shower unit with provides safe facilities for the less-fortunate in our area. Those in need are given a shower, a fresh set of clothes, and a hot meal. We also offer such services a s podiatry, a mobile medical unit, case workers, hairstylists, and others.

Showers run every week throughout the year on Thursdays from 11:30am-1:30pm behind the St. Patrick’s Parish Hall

Let’s Restore Dignity and Self-Worth: Our Story

Pope Francis designed 2016 as the Year of Mercy. At a joint Parish Council meeting of St. Patrick’s and St. Thomas Aquinas during that Year of Mercy, the idea of showers for the homeless came about as a result of Pope Francis constructing a spot in St. Peter’s Square where the homeless were provided with a shower and a haircut. We began to research the idea and found that some cities were offering this service with a mobile unit. The idea of such a unit appealed to us as we could move it to the various locations where there was a need. We introduced the idea to the parishes, which supported it enthusiastically, and we received additional support from the local government agencies and churches of other denominations.

Southern Tier Tuesdays: Showers of Hope

Contact Us:

To learn more about Showers of Hope and how you can help, call 607-723-3239, please leave a message and phone number and someone will get back to you.