Social Outreach

For more information on any of our outreach ministries and programs, or to volunteer, please feel free to contact the representative listed.

Bereavement Support Group
Contact: Anne Tunney (703.221.4312)
For those who have recently experienced the loss of a loved one or who have ever mourned the loss of someone close to them, this group offers support in dealing with issues regarding death and dying. The group is offered quarterly and meets one evening/week for five weeks. It provides an opportunity to understand the grieving process and honor deceased loved ones. As a special service, volunteers provide food for funeral receptions, as needed.

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Come Home
Contact: Florence & John Mittino (540.659.9910)
Come Home extends a welcome to inactive and alienated Catholics. A three-session program incorporates open-ended dialogue in a confidential setting as well as on-going education and support.

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Ecumenical/Inter-Religious Ministry
Contact: Mary Lou Coffman (703.221.1846) or Fr. Bob Menard, OFM (703.221.4044)
This group acts as (1) a resource to the parish for ecumenical and inter-religious affairs and (2) a liaison with the diocesan Commission on Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs. There are periodic meetings at St. Francis as well as in designated places around the diocese. Specifically, this group at St. Francis has participated in Lutheran/Catholic/ Anglican Dialogue, in Unity & Community in Prince William County, and in other ecumenical and inter-religious events in the diocese and county.

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Emergency Transportation
Contact: Anne Tunney (703.221.4312)
The parish's Office of Social Outreach coordinates volunteers to provide emergency transportation for parishioners unable to drive.

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English as a Second Language/Immigration Outreach
Contact: Fr. Bob Menard, OFM (703.221.4044)
Each day, the faces and speech of our neighborhoods take on a more diverse tone. Volunteers and staff explore ways to ensure that our hospitality, ministry, and services respond to the needs of immigrants.

Este programa nuevo viene de muchos esfuerzos para asistir y lograr el gran cambio que vemos en nuestra comunidad estan tomando un tono "hispano." Los voluntaries de habla hispana y el personal de la iglesia estan trabajando unidos para lograr que nuestra bienvenida sea conyugadora. El ministerio de programs y servicios se unen para corresponder y ayudar a la gran cariencia que la comunidad hisbana necesita. Para mas informacion llame al Padre Roberto (703.221.4044).

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Francis House
Contact: Eileen Bolen (703.221.6344) or Claire Hoagland (703.221.4044)
Francis House, a local townhouse staffed and sponsored by St. Francis of Assisi Parish, is a community-based service ministry established to be a source of hope and empowerment to all residents of Prince William County. Volunteers are needed to help with the food pantry (sorting, transporting, and distributing food donated by parishioners), computer classes, children's programs (arts and crafts, storytelling, etc..)

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Hospital & Homebound Visitation
Contact: Anne Tunney (703.221.4312)
A group has been formed to offer spiritual comfort and support to the hospitalized and homebound. Team members visit the hospital as well as parishioners’ homes, bringing the Eucharist if requested.

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Hospitality Ministry
Contact: Karen Keeven (540.657.9638)
Hospitality (usually edible) is provided in conjunction with the celebration of special faith events in our parish family. The result is the building of community through social interaction. Some examples of hospitality events are: New Parishioner Welcome, Coffee Calls, assisting with the bereavement ministry, and providing special treats following First Communion, Confirmation, and the Easter Vigil.

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Many Members, One Body
Contact: Anne Tunney (703.221.4312)
Shaped by Church teaching and pastoral practice, this ministry to gay and lesbian Catholics and their families offers support and spiritual enrichment.

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Meals & Blankets for the Homeless
Contact: Honey Scott (703.680.2330)
Parishioners provide meals 2-3 weeks annually and on an as- needed basis at the Homeless Prevention Center in Woodbridge. The commitment involves preparing hot meals/dishes, making sandwiches, and serving the dinners.

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New Hope
Contact: Kathy McCool (540.659.4036)
This group offers emotional and spiritual support to those who have been recently separated or divorced. Monthly meetings promote educational and social activity with confidential personal and spiritual discussion.

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Nursery Co-Op During Mass
Contact: Dawn Lopez (703.878.9142)
A nursery has been organized to provide babysitting for children ages 1-4 during weekend liturgies. In order to operate this "cooperative," parents are required to volunteer in the nursery once/month.

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Parish Legislative Advocacy Network (PLAN)
Contact: Anne Tunney (703.221.4312)
The Parish Legislative Advocacy Network is a parish-based network of persons who bring the social and economic justice teaching of the Church to bear on public policy and legislation, especially at local and state levels. The PLAN network influences public policy by researching legislative issues and selecting priority issues for action; by advocating for these issues by telephoning, writing, and testifying; by building relationships and rapport with legislators; by educating and raising awareness within the parish; and by training others to participate. It is non-partisan. By working together and with other advocates, including the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, we can generate sufficient activity to have an impact. At St. Francis, we need an identified network of persons who will respond to occasional requests for a letter or phone call to our legislators.

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Parish Based Nursing
Contact: Irene Sullivan (703.670.6858)
Parishioners who are nurses offer education programs and health screenings at the church. These programs are aimed at illness prevention and health maintenance.

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Pastoral Counseling
Contact: Diane Bayne (703.221.4044 x230)
The Counseling Service at St. Francis of Assisi provides affordable counseling within the context of Christian values, respect, and empathy to individuals, couples, and families experiencing a variety of life issues. We calculate fees on a sliding scale according to individual financial situations, and we provide initial or single sessions at no charge.

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Pax Christi
Contact: Jeanne Mitcho (703.670.8039)
Pax Christi USA is a national Catholic peace movement that strives to create a world that reflects the Peace of Christ by exploring, articulating, and witnessing to the call of Christian nonviolence. St. Francis Pax Christi is a local group that explores ways to bring the message of non-violence to the parish and larger community. Pax Christi meets the fourth Monday of the month at 7:30 in the Br. Juniper Room. All are welcome to participate. Pax Christi also sponsors a short prayer vigil on the first Friday of every month, at 7:30 p.m. in the Church. We gather around the Baptismal font and pray for those to be executed in Virginia during the coming month, their victims, and the families of both.

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Prison Ministry
Contact: Isabella Buckley (703.670.4902) or Paula Boyd (571.594.2442)
This ministry offers friendship and spiritual enrichment to young people in the County's Juvenile Detention Center. The monthly visits include recreational activities and support.

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Respect for Life Committee
Contact: Ann Smith (540.720.3653)
This committee helps coordinate parish events/activities which enhance the church's message regarding the sacredness of life from conception through natural death. Individuals are invited to join and/or assist with the Life Chain (in October), March for Life (January), and the Mother's Day Shower for Birthright (May).

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Senior Brown Bag Lunches
Contact: Anne Tunney (703.221.4312)
This twice monthly meeting offers an opportunity for parish "seniors" of all ages to meet for prayer, education, and fellowship.

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Sister Parish
Contact: Anne Tunney, Outreach Minister (703) 221-4312
St. Francis of Assisi Parish has entered into an active relationship with a sister parish -- Nuestra Senora de Lourdes in Lima, Peru. The relationship celebrates a covenant of solidarity binding the two parishes. To sponsor Peruvian students in their educational/professional programs, St. Francis designates an annual collection for the Lima parish. Volunteers also support this project by planning periodic celebrations, by contributing to a newsletter, by visiting Nuestra Senora de Lourdes in Lima, and by speaking about issues as they impact life in Latin America.

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Just Faith
Contact: Anne Tunney (703) 221-4312
An intense 30-week formation program, Just Faith educates adults in the social tradition of the Catholic faith and empowers people of faith to develop a passion and thirst for justice.

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