Social Justice
Social Justice encompasses a variety of projects and ongoing support to those less fortunate in our community and beyond. There are numerous ways to get involved that are highlighted in the photo slider below and by scrolling down the page.
Social Justice Committee members (l-r) Ron Grimm, Tim Boller (chair), Rita Grimm
For more information contact Tim Boller, chair of the Social Justice Committee, at 319-239-9758,
or call the Parish Office at 319-266-3523.
Advent Project
Each November, the parish purchases poinsettia plants, which volunteers then deliver to nursing home residents and homebound parishioners. This small yet powerful gesture lets them know they are thought of during this special season.
If you would like to volunteer to deliver poinsettias, please contact the church office to be added to the list. Additionally, cash donations specified for "Advent Project - Poinsettias" are a good way to support this ministry.
Contact: Deacon Al Weber at (319) 266-3523
Catholic Worker House
The St. Francis & St. Clare Catholic Worker House in Waterloo is part of the broader Catholic Worker Movement, founded by Dorothy Day in the 1930s. As a House of Hospitality, the Catholic Worker welcomes guests in need of a place to stay, a hearty meal, and community. It’s a warm and wonderful place!
St. Patrick’s parish volunteers sign up to prepare and serve one meal each month at the Catholic Worker House (CWH), located at 321 E 8th Street, Waterloo. We would love for you to sign up for one of these dates with family members or friends. If you sign up, you would prepare a meal for 30-35 guests, and then bring it to the Catholic Worker House by about 5:30 pm on your assigned date. The CWH live-in volunteers (Tony and Brian) will be there to welcome you and help you set out the food, and then you will serve the food to guests starting at 6:00 pm.
Click on the button below to sign up. Please feel free to contact Kristin Woods anytime with questions at kristin.michael.woods@gmail.com or 319-240-1948.
Community Meals
To help those in need, church volunteers in our area join together to provide a meal once a week at the First United Methodist Church at 8th and Washington Streets. The meals are offered every Tuesday (except for the first Tuesday of the month).
St. Patrick is responsible for donating, preparing, serving, and cleaning up on the second Tuesday each month. The participants look forward to the social evening, nourishing food, fun, and fellowship.
The link below will take you to our SignUp Genius site, where you can see what what we need for the next Community Meal.
Contact: Cathy Hartz at 319-231-5569
Crisis Response
- Everyone faces challenges and sometimes a little assistance is needed during times of accident, illness, or other losses. The loving response that we can provide may ease the trouble for another.
- Perhaps you could prepare and deliver a complete meal to a family, act as an emergency care giver or provide transportation to a doctor or dentist appointment.
Contact: If you could potentially help on "short term" notice, call Rita Grimm at 319-277-8489 for more information.
Homebound Communion Ministry
- We are always looking for more volunteers to be part of our homebound ministry.
- How does it work? Volunteers from the parish take Communion to elderly or homebound members of the parish who are in nursing homes or still in their homes. The volunteers are expected to visit at least once a week. In addition to receiving Communion, homebound members also enjoy visiting with the communion ministers.
- The visit provides a link between the individual and the parish, promotes Christian fellowship, and provides a much needed opportunity for socializing.
- If you have a family member who is homebound or in a care facility and would like to receive Communion, please call the parish office. We will work with you and the care facility to distribute Communion to your loved one.
Contact: Deacon Al Weber at 319-266-3523
Matthew 25 Food Pantry
- The Matthew 25 Food Pantry, which is part of our St. Patrick Church Outreach Office, provides healthy food, personal care items, and household items to those in need throughout our Cedar Falls/Waterloo community. We serve approximately 100-125 individuals each month; roughly a third of them are children.
- Staff and volunteers maintain our Matthew 25 emergency food pantry to help our neighbors during times of struggle and crisis. Our food pantry is open twice a week, year-round. We are always accepting donations of shelf-stable foods, personal care items, and household items to distribute when the need arises.
Sister Parish in Haiti
- The Social Concerns Committee oversees the support St. Patrick Church provides to our sister Parish, St. Jean Bosco, located in Cap Haitian, Haiti. St. Patrick Parish provides financial support from the World Responsibility Fund.
- We participate in the “Twinning” program, which matches up Catholic parishes in the United States with needy parishes in Haiti. Haiti is predominantly Catholic and is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
- Get involved by joining the committee, donating funds earmarked for teacher salaries, or donating funds/supplies for the medical clinic. Members of our parish have made visits to John Bosco. Check out the Haiti display in the link hallway and visit our Sister Parish page.
Contact: The Parish Office 266-3523
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
- Are you looking for ways to experience God in your life? Members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul invite you to share in their ministry of experiencing God in those we serve.
- St. Vincent de Paul is a Catholic non-profit organization, and our services include a food pantry, rent & utilities assistance, Community Meals, household supplies distribution, Christmas food boxes, toy giveaway, clothing distribution, and community engagement among other resources. We do this with an all-volunteer staff out of our Outreach Center at 320 Broadway, Waterloo.
