Christian Service & Responsibility

In witnessing to Christ’s message of love and compassion, the Christian Service and Responsibility Committee of Stella Maris Parish is called on to engage our parish community in works of charity, pastoral care and social justice.  Our goal is to plan, motivate and facilitate a parish response to serve those in need of service and advocacy.

                                                       **********

How We Make a Difference

The committee provides funds and financial support to individuals in the area who are in need of assistance with the necessities of life, as well as to several Door County Service Organizations and Charities such as:

•             Boys and Girls Club
•             Nor Door Adult Day Services
•             Neighbor-to-Neighbor
•             Altrusa  (“Back to School” Program)
•             The Northern Door Children’s Center
•             JAK’s Place
•             Hispanic Resource Center
•             HELP of Door County
•             Scandia Village
•             Community Clinic
•             Loaves and Fishes Dinner
•             Feed my People:  Power of One and Backpack Buddies
•             Habitat for Humanity
              Diocese Aid Programs

The Respect Life Activities Group addresses Pro-Life issues, promoting the value of life from conception to death through education, care and service, advocacy for public laws and prayer; and will be developing a Respect Life resource guide for parish.

We have also moved forward and established the Health & Wellness Ministry, a sub-committee of CSR, whose goal, in collaboration with other Northern Door churches,  is to recognize and respectfully address the health and wellness needs of our community members – body, mind and spirit. See the “Health & Wellness Ministry” Tab under "Parish Ministries" for further information. 

We even reach out to the world!  Through the generosity of our parishioners, our donations were instrumental in completing two projects in Benin, Africa:

            1.)  To provide the nuns and young girls at an orphanage with the funds necessary to build a water tower and install a pump, thereby enabling them to plant their land, sell the surplus crops and sell water for additional income, which will help the orphanage become self-sufficient; and

            2.)  To support The LaCoquille Education Program, which will have a life-changing affect on the lives of children by providing an education and life lessons, thereby allowing them to become self-sufficient, responsible and educated adults. 

In the future, we will continue these activities and explore other ways of continuing our Christian mission of helping others and expanding our parish’s role in social justice issues.  

Words of Thanks

JANUARY, 2012:

Dear Christian Service and Responsibility Committee:

I want to gratefully acknowledge the very generous donation that we received from Stella Maris Parish. We count ourselves especially lucky to have connected with frineds like you who are able to assist us in carrying out our mission. Your on-going support has been invaluable to us. We will be certain to designate your donation to support our operation in Sister Bay. I cannot help but count the many blessings we have received over the years . . . not just in terms of charitable donations, but perhaps more importantly, the ways in which we have been able to provide quality health care to those in our community who need it the most. Thank you.

Most Sincerely,

Laura Moeller, PhD, MA
Executive Director
Community Clinic of Door County

* * * *

Stella Maris Parish,

We truly appreciate your gift to the Dental Clinic.  Many of our children come from Sevastopol School -- there is a great need at this school.  Each child has a cleaning, xrays, flouride treatment and an exam, and whatever restorative needs that they have are completed.  Our goal is to have no child with dental pain.  Every dollar counts and we are truly blessed by your gift.

Mary Ann Ziala
Dental Coordinator
Ministry Door County Medical Center/Dental Clinic

* * * *

DECEMBER, 2011:

To Our Friends at Stella Maris Parish:

Thank you so much for your recent donation to Northern Door Children’s Center.  Thanks so much for your concern for the children and young families in our community.  The work that we do with them is so very important and with donations such as yours, we are able to continue to do it!

You are appreciated!

                                                                              Cindy Trinkner-Peat
                                                                              Northern Door Children’s Center

* * * *

Stella Maris Parish:

Feed My People received two gifts from you for for $400 and $500 in November.  These gifts are very much appreciated and will go a long way to help our neighbors "in need" during this Christmas season and beyond.

As you well know, we are experiencing some difficult times and the need for help continues to grow.  We are fortunate that, because of folks like you, we are able to meet these needs.  We are grateful for your continued support year after year.

Richard Shappell, Corresponding Secretary
Board of Directors, Feed and Clothe My People

* * * *

Dear Members of the Stella Maris Parish:

On behalf of families in Northern Door, I thank you so much for your generous donation.  During the holiday season and beyond, there is a great need for many of our families and I am so grateful to be able to help them.  Thank you!

                                                                            Patty McCain
                                                                            Gibraltar School Counselor

* * * *

Dear Stella Maris Parish:

The Boys & Girls Club of Door County expresses our gratitude for your $500 donation made to our organization.  We will be using it to support our efforts to be a positive place for the Northern Door County youth. 

Thank you for supporting our efforts to help Door County youth reach their full potential!

With gratitude,

Heather Powell
Jim Larsen Boys & Girls Club of Door County

* * * *

A HEARTFELT THANKS 

The CSR Committee would like to say a huge thank you to each of you who were so generous in support of our CSR collection this Fall. Because of your generosity in this collection, our parish is able to expand our financial support to include the following additional efforts.

Deserving children at Gibraltar School who need assistance with school supplies and clothing will be helped by the teachers fund that received a donation from the parish.

Children in need at Sevastopol School will be provided financial assistance for care at Ministry Door County Dental Clinic in Sturgeon Bay.

We will be funding three projects for the Catholic Foundation of Green Bay. These projects are: providing kindergarten schooling to needy children in Erdnet, Mongolia; empowering women in rural Uganda, Africa, by providing them with a pig, which will provide sustenance in many ways to a family and help the mothers earn a living and send their children to schoo; and, finally, a project, also in Uganda, that will help to supply water to schools in this area that have no water supply for the children.

And, finall,y we will be able to send another contribution to the orphanage that we support in Benin, Africa, to continue to help them develop their self-sufficiency by providing irrigation and water for their gardens that feed the children. This additional support will provide each child with something during the Christmas season that will help to make their lives a little more joyous.
The CSR committee hopes that you will take great joy at this time from your efforts to help those less fortunate in the world. We feel so blessed to represent such a caring community!

FROM THE CSR COMMITTEE - JULY, 2011:

We continue to be thankful for the generous financial help of our parish. Without the support of each of you we would not be able to accomplish all that we do and to feel that we can continually look for additional ways to serve the needy in our community and the world. We welcome any of you who would like to share your time, talent and treasure in our efforts. If you want more information on what we are doing, please contact Ken Beutler, CSR Chair, at kenbeutler@hotmail.com.

JULY, 2011:

Dear Ken and CSR Committee;
 
I wanted to personally thank you as a Stella Maris member for responding so generously to my request for funding for Nor Door Adult Day Services this year.  Your gift will allow the program to continue to be offered at a reasonable cost, thus maintaining its affordability for Door County elders and persons with disabilities.  God bless you all for the generous work you do.
 
Julie Kudick
Nor Door Advisory Committee
Stella Maris Health & Wellness Committee

JUNE, 2011:

Hi All: 

Thanks to Hugh we have a VERY happy mom of three children who are going to be able to come to the Club two days a week this summer (Tuesdays and Thursdays) on the scholarship money being provided by Stella Maris. These are three great kids who will be an asset to our program!

Thanks Hugh and Stella Maris!

                                                                            Heather Powell, CPO
                                                                           Jim Larsen Boys and Girls Club of Door County
                                                                           Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

FEBRUARY, 2011:

UPDATE FROM BENIN:  What a difference a year makes!  In just over a year, the generous people of Stella Maris have provided food, education, mosquito nets, shoes, Christmas presents, and, of course, a water tower and pump to the nuns and the young girls at the orphanage in Ke’tou.   In this short time, the nuns have come FROM not knowing where they were going to get the money to buy the next meal for the girls TO farming and irrigating their own gardens and crops. They now have everything they need to plant their land, sell the surplus crops AND sell water to passers-by on the road, (resulting in an additional $5.00 per day...very exciting!).  They will be generating a steady income to invest back into the orphanage, and are well on their way to becoming self-sufficient!  Enjoy the pictures --- feel the joy in their hearts!  THANK YOU, AGAIN, STELLA MARIS!!!

SEPTEMBER, 2010:

(TRANSLATED FROM FRENCH)

To our Benefactors:

We are completely happy to write you. We, the Sisters of the Oblate Catechist - Little Servants of the Poor of the community of Ke’tou have the joy to thank you with all our hearts for your gesture of love that you have shown through your aid.  It has greatly helped us; and thanks to it, we have been able to survive, spending the funds on corn, beans, yams and rice.

We also thank you for your contribution to the current project which will enable us to take charge of ourselves, for to whom one gives a fish, one teaches him to fish for his autonomy.  Thank you, and may the Lord fill you with all his blessings.

Here are three of our hand-made items that we send you as a token of our appreciation.  Please receive them to have an idea of what we teach our girls. 

Please receive this expression of our deep thanks with the assurance of our humble prayers.  God bless you all!

                                                                      The Sisters OCLSP of Ke’tou
                                                                              in union with the girls in difficult situations

  VISIT OUR PAGE IN THE PHOTO GALLERY

FOR PICTURES OF

“YOUR DONATIONS AT WORK”

smp2331vc