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"Charity will never be true
charity unless it takes justice into account."
Parishioners value the
relationship between charity and justice. Direct service to the poor and
marginalized brings us into contact with persons who give us new insights
and deeper sensitivity.
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Advent Giving Tree
Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of this parish, our four
charities benefited
greatly!
Midwest
Special Services
Listening House of St. Paul
The Women’s Advocates
Domestic Violence Shelter
St. Thomas More's
Swap Shop
Food Shelf Collection
Food and monetary donations taken
from this collection benefit two neighborhood food shelves in our area, both
of which serve people within our parish boundaries.
A
Community Caring for Life
An Archdiocesan program supporting women
and families in their pregnancies and 1st year of life. As a faith
community, we celebrate the gift of each new life from the moment of
conception. Just to the left of the ambo in sanctuary of St. Thomas More Church is
a Family Tree. On it we hope to put the names of all women who are expecting
a baby, including adoption. Then our whole parish can pray for her as she
nurtures new life.
When we are notified that the baby is born, we
will add the baby’s name-as all of us await the child’s baptism. To add a
name to the tree call: 651/227-7669, ext. 312.
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ACTION FOR JUSTICE
Working for justice means working for changes in the systems,
structures, institutions, and public policies that are at the root
causes of poverty. The goal is to transform the existing structures to
be more responsive to the poor and marginalized in our community.
The Churches of
Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Thomas More is committed to action and
education for justice.
The Social Justice Committee organizes,
initiates and participates in projects and programs that facilitate change in
social, economic, and ecclesial systems so that the life and dignity of the
human person are protected and promoted. The organizations we work with to take
action for change in our community are:
ISAIAH
A regional ecumenical faith-based
community organization. Isaiah's goals are to strengthen congregations,
develop stronger leaders through training, and address issues of justice
in our community, both locally and regionally.
Sowers of Justice
An archdiocesan organization committed
to changing structures and hearts on behalf of justice. It provides an
opportunity for legislative advocacy on behalf of the poor through
action alerts during the legislative session, skills training, and
educational opportunities.
The
Catholic Campaign for Human Development
and its local counterpart, the Christian
Sharing Fund are collections taken up to financially support
organizations addressing the root causes of poverty.
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Domestic Violence Task Force
In its research over the past several
months, St. Thomas More’s Domestic Violence (DV) task force has learned that
domestic violence is ever-present in our society and can take many forms.
The task force also learned that the justice system has not been successful
in keeping domestic violence victims safe or in holding perpetrators of such
violence accountable.
To tackle this social justice issue, the DV task
believes that a response from our faith-based communities is appropriate and
necessary. Such a response involves developing a coalition of faith
communities to work on ways to address DV (similar to the work Isaiah has
done and continues to do on the issue of affordable housing).
Our vision is grounded in the need to bring
about a justice system change.
Obviously, the first step in implementing such a
change is an understanding of the system as it presently operates:
e.g., what are the civil and criminal penalties for perpetrators; what does
the system do to protect victims and families; what community “safety net”
support systems are in place or are lacking?
To understand how victims and families are
presently protected and perpetrators are controlled, we propose that there
be conducted a system analysis (or safety and accountability audit) of the
St. Paul justice system’s response to domestic violence. This process
for analyzing a city’s systemic response to DV has been conducted in
Houston, Duluth and many other cities. The analysis or audit process
intimately involves persons who actually work within the system as well as
persons who are experienced in the analysis process.
We believe that persons working within the
system will be motivated to participate in the process if they understand
that the outcome of this analysis/audit process will reduce the incidence of
domestic violence. To initiate this analysis, endorsement will be
needed from city officials, community leaders and church leaders.
Our work will include visiting with these
officials and leaders to learn their perspective on DV, and their experience
with it, and to obtain their support for the analysis. We will engage
other volunteers, including those from other faith communities, to
participate in the work of the DV task force and add their voices to those
in support of a system study.
Ultimately, we envision a community, encouraged,
leavened, prodded and led by members of faith communities, including
pastoral staff, which:
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understands that domestic violence is wrong;
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supports a justice system which keeps victims
safe, perpetrators accountable;
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provides resources to assist victims and
families leaving violence;
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and demonstrates zero tolerance for abuse.
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Attending 2-4 events per year
