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“Whenever you did this for one of the least important of these brothers of
mine, you did it for me” Matthew 25:40
Outreach Ministries has various projects that assist our poor. The committee supports
Catholic Charities with collection drives as well as emergency support when the need
arises. Outreach Ministries is responsible for the Christmas Giving Tree and participates
in the annual Lenten project Operation Rice Bowl.
Outreach Ministries is also responsible for educating the parish on social teachings of
the Catholic Church as well as reminding parishioners of their duties as a Catholic to
participate in outreach programs. Educational seminars are offered by the committee on
various Social Justice issues.
Committee meetings are held the 1st Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM. For more information
contact Lynn Andreas or call at 282-304.
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Baptism Instruction Program
English baptism classes are held the first Tuesday of every month at
7:00 PM for parishioners to receive instructions on receiving Baptism for their
child(ren) newborn to age 7. The only rason baptism class would not be held
would be because of a holy day or a holiday.
The instructors are responsible for taking attendance, showing a
video, leading discussion and describing a Baptism at St. Gabriel’s Church.
Registration and materials are gathered by the Baptism Formation Coordinator,
who also helps to arrange the teaching schedule.
Another aspect of Baptism Formation is serving as a Sacristan for the
weekends of Baptisms. The responsibility of this person is to set up, assist
with, and clean up after the Baptism.
These responsibilities are also coordinated through the Baptism
Formation Coordinator.
If you are interested in either of the above please call
282-2753 or e-mail: Annette Zook
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Sacramental Preparation Program
(First Eucharist and First Reconciliation)
This program is a family taught program with support provided by the
Sacramental Preparation Team. We believe that parents are the child’s first
and best teachers when it comes to their religious educations. Our hope is
that parents will learn along with their child through guiding him/her in their
studies and through their own reflection on the Sacraments their children are
receiving.
We meet as a group just 7 times during the year. These meetings are mandatory
as trying to disseminate information to 50+ families individually is a completely
daunting task and defeats the directives of the Diocese. The Sacraments are
a community celebration. We draw strength and knowledge and blessings from
our parish community.
Guidelines for receiving the Sacraments:
» Child must be Baptized
» Child must be 7 years old at the time
of receipt of the Sacrament
» Child must have been enrolled in a Catholic
Religious education program one year prior
to receiving the Sacraments.
» Child must be concurrently enrolled in
another religious education program.
» Parent/parents of the child must be an active,
participating member of their Parish.
Our program starts in the Fall of each year and continues till April/May of the
following year.
For further information or questions please call
592-1362 or e-mail: Gretchen Dunnam
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Confirmation Team
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Marriage Ministry
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Childrin's Catechumenate (RCIC)
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Rite of Christian Initiation (RCIA)
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a restoration of
the ancient practice of initiation in the Church. Focused on conversion,
candidates and catechumens enter an extended period of formation. The community
ritually celebrates the conversion at various points on the journey, culminating
with the celebration of baptism, confirmation and eucharist.
Christian initiation is concerned with the fundamental values of the
Christian way of life. That is why it is not a program but a sacramental process.
RCIA reflects a sacramental attitude that is at the heart of all Christian
living: conversion. From this experience of conversion (and conversion means a
“turning” of the whole person, not just the intellect), the Spirit empowers the
believer to proclaim the gift received: liberation and redemption in and through the
person of Jesus, the Christ.(The RCIA – Transforming the Church)
Who is RCIA for? RCIA is for anyone over the age of 18 who:
» Is not baptized
» Is baptized in another faith
» Is baptized Catholic, but has received no
further catechesis
After a time of Inquiry, all wishing to proceed enter a time of
Pre-Catechumenate. At that time there are informative sessions held on
Wednesday evenings 7pm – 9pm and a time of “Breaking Open the Word” or Dismissal
at 9:30 am Mass on Sunday.
Anyone wanting more information about RCIA – the process or wanting to
volunteer to accompany someone on the journey as a sponsor, please call
534-9437 or e-mail: Nancy Belanger
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Family Intergenerational R.E.
Family Intergenerational Religious Education (FIRE) teaches
fundamental Catholic beliefs in a relaxed home environment. Meeting
in homes offers the nonverbal message that home is an important place for
learning about God. It is designed to be fun while it is innovative. FIRE
brings together 3 to 5 families of all ages to interact with each other while
exploring their Catholic faith. Form the youngest person in the group to
the oldest it is the desire for everyone to learn from each other. FIRE is
designed to help you take the fundamental Catholic beliefs and put them to use
in everyday life. Topics that are discussed are relative to living in today’s
world.
Each meeting consists of an icebreaker, prayer, a review of previous meetings, small
group exercises, discussion, and social time.
For further information or questions please call
282-7852 or e-mail: Michelle Qazi
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Children's Liturgy Of The Word
St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church is offering Children's
Liturgy Of the Word (CLOW) during the 10:30 a.m. mass for three through
five-year-old children. Children's Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) will cover
the readings from the Mass on a child's level. The children will learn
prayers, sing songs, and there will be activities to reinforce the learning of
"The Word of the Lord." The children will be escorted back to their parents
during the offertory.
Parents are asked to bring their children to either the St. Raphael
or St. Michael meeting room five to ten minutes prior to Mass. A bathroom
stop on the way would be greatly appreciated.
In order to better meet the needs of the children and to reach our
goals during the allotted time, we will be scheduling parents to help at least
twice during the year. We are also always in need of new aids and catechists,
as our program continues to grow.
We look forward to working with your children in St. Gabriel's Children's
Liturgy of the Word.
If you have any questions regarding this program, please call
531-7434 or e-mail: Pam Shick
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K-8 Catholic Education
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High School Bible Study
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Little Rock Scripture Study
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Adult Religious Education Program
2007-2008 Bible Study On the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Luke, & Mark)
Experience thought provoking discussion, prayer, faith sharing, and fellowship.
Learn about:
» How people lived in Jesus’ time.
» What the prophets said about Jesus.
» What Jesus said and did.
» What he meant by his words and actions.
» How it relates to the Catholic Church today.
» What it means to us individually.
When:
First & third Saturday of every month, at 3:00 PM
Where:
St. Michael room at the church.
If you have any questions regarding this program, please call
268-2589 or e-mail: Gene Schwarz
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Parish Library
The mission of St. Gabriel's Library is to clearly promote knowledge of our
Catholic faith, its history and values among our patrons, the members of St. Gabriel's
parish, and to provide appropriate materials for parishioners of all ages and maturity
in the Catholic faith.
St. Gabriel's Library has books, music CD's, audio CD's, audio cassettes,
DVD's, VHS, and several games for all ages: children, teens/young adults, and adults. We
also have resources for our Spanish speaking community. The library is accessible
whenever the church is open and parishioners can check out items themselves by following
the instructions posted on the bulletin board. We accept appropriate donations to
the collection and have a suggestion form available for anyone who would like to add to
our "wish list" of items we want to purchase.
If you have any questions regarding the Library,
please call 590-7724 or e-mail: Gail Sohns
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Extraordinary Ministers of Communion
Extraordinary Ministers of Communion (EMoC) are parishioners who
have attended a Diocesan Training Program, been appointed by the Bishop and
have been formally commissioned as a Minister of the Eucharist. Their
special service is to aid the priest in distributing the Eucharist at Mass,
as well as to sick and shut-in parishioners.
Anyone 18 years or over interested in this ministry please call
282-3406 or e-mail: Diane Littleton
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altar Servers
This ministry is open to boys and girls who are at least 10 years old and
have received the sacrament of Holy Eucharist. After attending a training session, servers
are paired with more experienced servers for the first few months, so as to provide
hands-on training.
For further information or questions please call
282-8247 or e-mail: Beth Gaudlip
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Lectors
Lectors are adult men and women of the parish who are willing,
about once a month, to prepare carefully and proclaim the Word at weekend
Masses. Lectors also read at special celebrations during the year. A
schedule of assignments is published quarterly, and each person has an opportunity
over that period of time to read at any assigned date.
The purpose of the Lector is to proclaim the Word of God
effectively. This does not demand professional training, more important
is the willingness to attend Mass reliably and prepare for the readings
conscientiously. Training is available for those who seek to become lectors.
For further information or questions please call
264-0221 or e-mail: Carmela Mondragon
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Ministry of Music
Music plays an important part of the life of every Christian. At
Saint Gabriel, the ministry of music is undertaken to praise God through two
choirs assisting the congregation in song.
Adult and Youth Choir
Many opportunities exist for you to become involved in music. The
main requirement is a desire to sing the praises of God and help others do the same.
Song leaders, cantors, choir members and instrumentalists of all kinds are
needed for all weekend liturgies.
The Adult Choir sings for most Sunday Masses for holydays and special
celebrations throughout the year.
Rehearsals are held regularly on _______ evenings at ____pm in one of side
meeting rooms.
If you would like more information please call
260-8160 or e-mail: Michael Arsenault
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Children’s Choir
Children's Choir members range from pre-school to 8th grade. The
Children’s Choir will sing at the 10:30 AM Mass one Sunday a month, holydays, and
other special celebrations throughout the year.
Rehearsals are held regularly on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 PM to 7:00
PM in the main warship space.
If you would like more information please call
260-8160 or e-mail: Nan Gefreh
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Sound System
Open to adult men and women and young adults in the 9th grade and
above. Training is done on an annual basis, however, if you are interested
in joining the sound team immediately training can be done one on one. New
techs will be paired up with an experienced technician for a few masses until
they are comfortable running the mixer. The sound tech controls the volume
of everything that is heard from the speakers. This includes the priest,
deacon, ambo and announcement microphones. The choir vocal microphones and
instrument microphones are controlled at the mixer as well.
For the 5:00 p.m. Saturday mass there is a minimal amount of setup
required. This includes connecting microphones in the choir area as well
as replacing batteries in the wireless microphones that the priest and deacons
use. After the last mass on Sunday the choir microphones will be taken
down and put away.
As you can see the sound tech plays a very important part of the
mass. If this sounds like a ministry you'd like to help out with please
don't hesitate to let us know.
If you would like more information please call
310-7366 or e-mail: Michael Maloney
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Ushering
The members of the St. Gabriel usher staff are the first and last
people that parishioners and visitors interact with at Mass. He or she has
the opportunity and responsibility to represent the rest of the assembly in
offering hospitality. The people’s impression of a parish is significantly
shaped by the presence or absence of a welcoming atmosphere when they come to
worship.
In addition to providing a friendly greeting, the ushers assist in
finding seats, care for special-needs parishioners, perform a head count for the
sacristan, take the collection, guide communicants during Communion, and
distribute church bulletins at the end of Mass.
Ushers watch for personnel safety and ensure that all attendees have
the opportunity for quiet reflection. Ushers wear distinctive badges so
that parishioners and visitors know whom to depend upon for information and
assistance.
To find out more about how to become involved in this important
ministry please feel free to ask any active usher and they will be able to help
you or call
597-1664 or e-mail: Dick Wallner
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Men's Ministry
The Saint Gabriel's Men's Group was founded in 2005 to provide a casual
ministry for men who were already active in various parish activities and for those
men who have not been involved in any ministries, or even attending Mass on a
regular basis. We think we have something to offer all men!
Come join us every second Saturday on the monthe for a great "Home
Cooked" brakfast, meet some new friends, and see how Christ can put a new light
into your heart, your family, and influence your daily outlook on life.
Please RSVP to: Ken Williamson
or call 599-4495.
We want to make sure we have plenty of food available for famous "Heart attack Brakfast."
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Food Pantry
St. Gabriel’s has food pantry collections on the first weekend of each
month. The donations are given to Northern Churches Care for distribution.
Parishioners also participate in an annual Thanksgiving Basket donation drive.
Baskets are put together and donated to clients of NCC.
For more information contact Bill & Georgia Pinkal
or call 282-0211.
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Marian House Soup Kitchen
Volunteers from St. Gabriel’s work at the soup kitchen once a month
preparing and serving meals to our poor. Our designated time is the first Thursday
of the month from 7:30am until 1:30pm.
For more information contact Lynn Andreas
or call 282-3044.
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Respect Life Ministry
Within the parish we have a Respect Life committee to support life
issues and educate the parish. We participate in the annual Roses for Life fundraiser
to support local educational efforts. The group also puts together a team for the annual
Walk for Life.
For more information contact Lynn Andreas
or call 282-3044.
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BeFrienders Ministry
A listening ministry providing lay pastoral care to others who are
struggling with life’s challenges – loss of jobs, loss of a loved one or struggling
with family relationships. Counseling referrals are available.
For more information contact Ruth Boling
or call 209-2924.
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Tithing Ministry
St. Gabriel’s is a tithing parish. The ministry carefully chooses
the organizations that receive proceeds from our tithe. An annual calendar is
established to name one organization per week to receive our donations.
To view the Tithing Calendar Schedule please Click Here.
For more information contact Janet Hutchinson
or call 278-3443.
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