Our Faith in Action

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!

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.

FIND OUT MORE 

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:

• Matrix Housing Services

• C.O.R.E. Drop In Center 

• Lincoln Place 

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.

• 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.

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.

• 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.

The mission of the Sustainability Committee for St. Thomas Becket is to:

1. educate our parish community to be stewards of God’s creation,
2. enable our community to adopt responsible environmental practices and
3. 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.
 

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.

LEARN MORE ABOUT GUIDING STAR WAKOTA

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.

LEARN MORE ABOUT FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN

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.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FAITH IN ACTION COUNCIL