Our Faith in Action
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Putting our faith into action!
St. Thomas Becket parishioners are privileged to live our parish mission to love, to serve and to be hope by working to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of people in our commuity and by advocating for the vulnerable or oppressed through our in-house programs and our partnerships with local organizations.
We welcome those interested in working hand-in-hand with us. Check out some of our programs and find out how to put your Faith in Action!
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Need a jolt?Support the coffee bean farmers of San Lucas Tolimán.
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OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
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St. Thomas Becket partners with Friends of Dorothy Day to help serve nutritious meals to residents of Higher Ground in St. Paul.
No advance training is needed, no long-term commitment is required, volunteer shifts last about 2 hours, no cooking is required and free downtown parking is provided. Each evening has an experienced meal coordinator to provide direction so all volunteers can enjoy the evening, no matter if it's their first or 100th evening. There is also a Higher Ground Running Club (Mile in my Shoes) that welcomes runners or aspiring runners of all skill sets to exercise with residents. ( Note: The Higher Ground Running Club is on hold due to COVID-19 restrictions.)
Getting interested? Check out the What to Expect video or subscribe to the Friends of Dorothy Day Newsletter.
To participate, sign-up on the Friends of Dorothy Day website.
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Every week, St. Thomas Becket volunteers are busy answering phones, meeting and listening to clients, and welcoming them to The Open Door. The Open Door has volunteer opportunities for everyone. St. Thomas Becket volunteers stock shelves, shop with clients, stock and drive the Mobile Pantry, keep the Pantry in tip-top shape and work in the community at various pop-up pantry events. Garden to Table volunteers weed plots, shovel mulch and share their garden know-how. Volunteer on a regular schedule, a single date or as time permits or organize a group of co-workers, teammates or friends to volunteer together!
Check out the organized chaos at a pop-up drive-thru pantry event!
To be hope by volunteering at The Open Door Pantry, find out more and set your schedule by contacting The Open Door Pantry.
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Our Giving Garden will allow us to serve our community by providing fresh and healthy produce to The Open Door food pantry, which serves the food-insecure in our midst.
The garden is located behind our building, adjacent to the playground, and consists of eight raised bed boxes. We utilize a modified Square Foot Gardening (SFG) technique that promises five times as much produce as a traditional raised bed plot, with the growing season extended from April planting to November shut down.
We are also working to transform the area between the garden and the building into a community gathering site with seating for hospitality: envisioning an environment where we can have after-Mass coffee and donuts as the weather permits, and where people can gather to watch children on the playground, while enjoying the green garden.
Volunteers do not need gardening knowledge as we have an experienced consultant to guide us and a team of parishioner leaders to direct the day-to-day work.
If you are interested in helping, please contact staff member Dez Sobiech or parishioner Roy Hosek.
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St. Thomas Becket provides hope by partnering with Hearts and Hammers each August to serve a local family by completing routine exterior home maintenance tasks. This is a 1 day event where parishioners and our friends paint, complete minor repairs and do yard renewal.
To participate in the event, listen to Mass announcements, watch for a sign-up announcement in the bulletin or check the website in late July or early August.
To help organize the St. Thomas Becket work crew, enter your contact information in the form below and a member of the Faith in Action Council will connect with you to learn more about your interests and discuss specific opportunities to love, to serve and to be hope.
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St. Thomas Becket supports the work of several local non-profits focused on providing short- and long-term support for those at risk of or experiencing homelessness:
St. Thomas Becket provides volunteers at local emergency shelters organized by Matrix. In addition, we organize donation drives for critical items; provide meals; help set-up, staff and move emergency shelters; and provide laundry services.For youth at risk of or experiencing homelessness, C.O.R.E. provides help with basic needs (food, clothes, shower, laundry, etc.) and connections to case management and longer term services such as housing. At various times during the year, St. Thomas Becket organizes donation drives for critical items: clothing, personal hygiene and food.Lincoln Place is a supportive housing development for young adults (ages 18-24 years). At various times during the year, St. Thomas Becket organizes donation drives for critical items for residents as they move into or out of Lincoln Place or experience hardships during their residency.
To participate in a donation drive for any of these local non-profits or volunteer at a permanent or temporary facility, listen to Mass announcements, watch the bulletin for details and check the website.
To help organize events supporting these local non-profits, enter your contact information in the form below and a member of the Faith in Action Council will connect with you to learn more about your interests and discuss specific opportunities to love, to serve and to be hope.
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JUSTICE ADVOCACY
In addition to serving our vulnerable, St. Thomas Becket provides hope by advocating for justice and change through partnerships with the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Office of Social Justice and other local coalitions. Initiatives include education and outreach campaigns to advocate for policies and laws that respect the dignity of all individuals.
If you are interested in participating in campaigns throughout the year, listen to Mass announcements, check the bulletin and watch for updates on the website.
If you would like to take a leadership role in an existing or new justice initiative, contact the staff representative to the Faith in Action Council, Dez Sobiech.
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To be hope, St. Thomas Becket partners with various prison ministry programs to meet the emotional and spiritual needs of the incarcerated. Partners include South Suburban Prison Ministry Coalition, Angel Tree, Affirming You, and Residents Encounter Christ (REC) retreats. We also advocate for legislation and policies that support the dignity of the person.
There are several ways to get involved in our prison ministry:- Join a session to write birthday cards to incarcerated -- monthly dates published in bulletins and on website, no long-term commitment needed, each session lasts about 2 hours.
- Join the Twin Cities Prison Ministry Steering Committee at St. Thomas Becket -- one year commitment requested, 40-60 hours per year.
- Join a REC Retreat -- initial background checks, 1.5 days of training, 3 days for retreat and follow-up.
We also welcome other activities that advocate for the incarcerated. Bring your ideas and passion to the cause by contacting our staff representative to the Faith in Action Council, Dez Sobiech.
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Our Spirit of Justice ministry members live our mission to love, to serve and to be hope by putting their voices, hands and feet in service of those in need. Members identify opportunities for parishioners to learn more about issues and support causes related to social justice by identifying areas for parish-wide education and advocacy.
Spirit of Justice members make a 1 year commitment to meet once a month and help plan & attend 3-4 events per year.
No prior knowledge or training is required. If you have a passion for learning more about social justice issues, such as affordable housing, human trafficking, or care for the environment, we have a place for you!
To get involved or obtain more information, contact our staff representative to the Faith in Action Council, Dez Sobiech.
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Join us on our annual San Lucas Mission trip as we walk in solidarity with the people of San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala and support our various free trade sales throughout the year.
Our 9-10 day mission trip continues the work started by Fr. Greg Schaefer and includes working side-by-side with residents on construction projects and education, and in support of the Women's Center. Get additional trip information HERE and learn more at the Friends of San Lucas website.
We also host and partner on a number of fair trade sales:- Buy San Lucas fair trade coffee to support local farmers -- BUY COFFEE TODAY
- Participate in our Free Trade Sale hosted in partnership with St. John Neumann (SJN) -- usually the first Saturday in November at SJN, purchase products/gifts at the sale, help organize the annual event, or volunteer to help the day of the event.
To get involved or learn more, fill out the form below and a member of our Faith in Action Council will contact you.
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The mission of the Sustainability Committee for St. Thomas Becket is to:
- educate our parish community to be stewards of God’s creation,
- enable our community to adopt responsible environmental practices and
- support the healing of our planet and facilitate a more environmentally sustainable future.
The Sustainability Committee meets once per month and helps organize and participate in 3-4 additional projects and events each year.
No prior knowledge, training or experience is required. If you have a passion for learning more about caring for our Earth and encouraging others to do so, we have a place for you!
Special projects recently initiated by the Sustainability Committee include moving our hospitality to 100% compostable materials, installing a rain garden in our north parking lot to filter out the oil, gas, salt, etc. from the parking lot and keep it from going into Hay Lake and adopting nearby Cliff Rd. as part of the County's adopt-a-highway program.
To start making a difference today, fill our the form below and a member of our Faith in Action Council will contact you or contact our staff representative to the Faith in Action Council, Dez Sobiech.
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Guiding Star Wakota provides any woman, any mother, any family compassionate, life-affirming care and support. St. Thomas Becket supports Wakota through monthly 'crib drives' to provide clothing and other necessities to pregnant mothers.
Members of this ministry help coordinate the monthly 'crib drives' to advertise the events in our bulletins and on the website and to transport donated goods to the Wakota facility.
No prior training or experience is required. If you have a passion for supporting vulnerable expectant mothers and good communication and planning skills, we have a place for you!
To start making a difference today, fill out the form below and a member of our Faith in Action Council will contact you or contact our staff representative to the Faith in Action Council, Dez Sobiech.
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Our EasterBasket project is a favorite for parishioners of all ages. Through this program, we help supply basic needs to our friends in Minneapolis and Dakota County through partnerships with the Visitation Sisters, Turning Point and the CAP Agency.
To participate in the event either by creating a wonderful 'Easter Basket' or by helping deliver baskets to our partner organizations, listen for a Mass announcement or check the bulletin just before the beginning of Lent.
If you'd like to help organize the event or to learn more about how to become involved, fill our the form below and a member of our Faith in Action Council will contact you or contact our staff representative to the Faith in Action Council, Dez Sobiech.
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Part of our Prison Ministry, our Angel Tree Christmas project provides hope to incarcerated parents and their families. Children receive personalized gifts on behalf of their incarcerated parent.
To participate in our Angel Tree Christmas project, look for an announcement in our bulletins and listen during Mass announcements in late November and early December.
To help organize the Angel Tree Christmas project or for more information, fill our the form below and a member of our Faith in Action Council will contact you or contact our staff representative to the Faith in Action Council, Dez Sobiech.
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Through our annual Christmas Giving Tree, St. Thomas Becket gathers and distributes basic necessities for the working poor and people with disabilities in Dakota and Ramsey Counties. This is great event for individuals or families and may be done as schedules allow. Simply take an 'ornament' from the Christmas tree on the wall at St. Thomas Becket listing a specific set of needs or sign-up online. Opportunities also exist to help deliver gifts to our partner organizations.
To participate, listen during Mass announcements, check the bulletin for a kickoff announcement or check the website in late November or early December for specific sign-up instructions.
If you are interested in helping to coordinate the Christmas Giving Tree, fill out the form below and a member of our Faith in Action Council will contact you or contact our staff representative to the Faith in Action Council, Dez Sobiech.
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Because hope starts with food, St. Thomas Becket supports and partners with Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) to feed hungry children worldwide. In addition to individual and group volunteers, St. Thomas Becket works with local area churches to plan and obtain volunteers for an annual South of the River mobile packing event.
To volunteer as an individual, family, or group (think co-workers, scouting, societies, teams & birthday parties) at the permanent FMSC location in Eagan, sign-up at the FMSC website.
To participate in or get more information about our annual South of the River Mobile Pack event, listen for Mass announcements, watch the bulletin or check the website in January.
To help plan the annual South of the River FMSC Mobile Pack event, fill out the form below and a member of our Faith in Action Council will contact you or contact our staff representative to the Faith in Action Council, Dez Sobiech.
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The Faith in Action Council explores real ways our community members and the Community can make a difference in Dakota County, Minnesota, the US, or the World. We make an extra effort to address structural injustices; but we do not shy away from forms of local outreach that address the immediate needs of food, shelter, or clothing.
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WANT THE SPECIFICS?
Interested is specific information about a particular volunteer role? Check out our Faith in Action Position Descriptions.
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"You have not lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you."
John Bunyan
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Contact Us about Faith in action
Staff Representative to Faith in Action Council:
Dez Sobiech
Email: dezs@stbeagan.org
Office: 651-683-9808 | Ext.109 -
just faith
Consider for a moment, the world, and your place in it. Your faith, alive, here in God's wide world. Live more simply. Love more compassionately. Make a difference in the world.
St. Thomas Becket hosts JustFaith Ministries programs throughout the year. Each program includes prayer, scripture, reading, dialogue, videos, retreats, relationship-building and direct engagement.
See ' Faith in Action What's New?' above for upcoming programs.