Service Ministry and Pastoral Care
Community Outreach
HESED HOUSE
Hesed House in Aurora is an ecumenical center for ministry which provides hospitality, food, clothing and shelter to thousands of poor and homeless persons each month. Parishioners may volunteer through the following programs:
P.A.D.S. (Public Action to Deliver Shelter)
PADS is an overnight homeless shelter operated by Hesed House. St. Raphael parishioners volunteer on the fourth Thursday of each month except May, August and September. Volunteers prepare and serve dinner, supervise throughout all shifts (4 - 11 p.m., 11 p.m. - 3 a.m., 3 - 7 a.m.), and prepare breakfast and lunch bags for the following day. Additional parishioners donate all menu needs.
Soup Kitchen
Hesed House also offers a daytime Soup Kitchen. Volunteers prepare, serve, and clean up from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. on assigned Mondays and Fridays. St. Raphael Church currently serves six times a year. Carpools leave St. Raphael after morning Mass on assigned dates.
Food Delivery
On assigned days, volunteers pick up food from designated sites (Pizza Hut, Dominick's and Wonder/Hostess Thrift Stores) and deliver it to Hesed House.
LOAVES AND FISHES COMMUNITY PANTRY
Originally located at St. Raphael Church to serve eight families, Loaves and Fishes (556 W. Fifth Ave, Naperville, 355-3663) now services over 500 Naperville individuals/families per month. St. Raphael collects non-perishable food items each Sunday and provides envelopes for monetary donations the second weekend of each month. Volunteers may help at the pantry by accepting food donations, packing grocery bags and assisting with food distribution. Distribution is on Tuesday, 1 - 3 p.m. and Saturdays, 9 - 11 a.m. Food donations may also be brought to the Pantry on Sundays Noon - 2 p.m. and weekdays, 9 a.m. - Noon. Closed Wednesdays. Contact: Loaves and Fishes 630-355-3663 or the Service Ministry and Pastoral Care Office.
PRISON MINISTRY
Ministers visit the teens at Illinois Youth Center in Warrenville and adults at the DuPage County Jail in Wheaton, leading communion services and Bible studies. Ministerial opportunities are also available to individuals or groups who are unable to visit a prison directly. These opportunities include assembling Mother's and Father's Day gift packs, addressing Christmas cards, providing stationery for letters or children's books and blank cassette tapes for Aunt Mary's Story Book project.
RESPECT LIFE
Members of this ministry work to preserve the dignity of every human life from conception to natural death. With the Diocesan Life Office, educational resources on life issues such as caring for the aged, the death penalty, opportunities for political action, pastoral care services for crisis pregnancies and post-abortion reconciliation are provided.
TRANSITIONAL HOUSING
Daybreak of St. Raphael meets the needs of homeless families who are committed to working their way out of homelessness by providing temporary, rent-free, transitional housing. Catholic Charities provides the necessary structure and legal framework to make a lease commitment, screens potential families, trains volunteer mentors to facilitate the family's return to self-sufficiency, and provides professional counseling as needed. Parishioners train to be mentors and raise funds to support Daybreak.