This ministry provides support to the family at the time of the death and continues through the wake, funeral and burial. As needed, ongoing grief support can be provided for a period of time. An annual memorial service is held each year to celebrate the lives of those who have died and to remember them prayerfully. Kathy Jaeger (630) 208-8471, Vicky Julitz (630) 232-4382.
This is a program to insure the availability of blood to meet the needs of our parish community. The date of the drive is announced in the bulletin (usually in March). For additional information, contact Mary Kay Brown (630) 232-7255.
We have several ministries that reach out to provide temporary help and camaraderie to those in need.
For senior citizens 55 and older who are members of St. Peter Church. The counselor works with the individual or group to explore problems, identify options open to them for positive change and indicate available resources. There is no fee. Mary Jaeger, a semi-retired social worker and parishioner, volunteers her services. For the sake of confidentiality, please call Mary Jaeger, (630) 232-0544 for an appointment.
Crisis Pregnancy Center of the Fox Valley is located at 101 East State Street, South Elgin, IL 60177-2048. The Center offers women and young girls experiencing a crisis pregnancy a variety of services to help meet their needs. All services are free and confidential. There is always a need for trained volunteers and financial support. Call (847) 697-0200.
Deja Vu, located at 427 S. Fourth Street in Geneva, sells quality secondhand clothing, furniture, kitchen items, other houseware items, collectibles, toys and sporting goods. The shop also features new handmade religious items, jewelry and other products made by local artisans.
The shop is operated and staffed by St. Vincent DePaul volunteers. All net proceeds from the shop are given to the regional St. Vincent DePaul society that supports the needy in much of the Fox Valley area.
Deja Vu is open from Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Donations can be dropped off at the back door during business hours. Artists, crafters and those interested in consignments, please call (630) 232-6621 for an appointment.
Elizabeth Ministry is an international movement designed to support women and their families during the joys, challenges and sorrows of the childbearing years. Elizabeth Ministry follows the example of the Scripture story of the visitation of Mary and Elizabeth by bringing together women who share a similar story. It is an opportunity for like to like ministry in the form of personal visits, phone calls, cards, prayer, resources and other assistance. Elizabeth Ministers commit to daily prayer and represent the parish community, being a strong witness to the sacredness of all life. Contact Melinda Bernhard for more information (630) 208-6055.
Our Food Pantry is open the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month from 8:30 am to 11:00 am to distribute food and give information to those in need. Volunteers also help on other days to restock the pantry, and assist at food drives during the year. Contact Debbie Awe, Joe Cannizzaro, or Bob Smith for additional information (630) 232-0124, x.444).
Please Consider A Donation To the Food Pantry
Financial donations can be sent to St. Peter Community Food Pantry
1891 Kaneville Rd., Geneva IL 60134
We are operated totally by volunteers in space donated by St. Peter
Church. This pantry has been serving the Fox Valley for over 20 years.
Food and other non perishable items are obtained from:
An organic and very eco-friendly garden is planted, cared for, and harvested by St. Peter parishioners. The garden is a great place to work side-by-side strengthening or forming friendships. About 8 beds make up the garden. An estimated 600 pounds of food are harvested and donated annually. The produce is given to our St. Peter Community Food Pantry and other local helping organizations. Contact Ruth O'Brien (630) 845-1656.
This parish ministry provides a luncheon in Seton Hall following funerals of our parishioners. Arrangements are made with the funeral director. Availability of the hall is a prerequisite. Parish volunteers donate the side dishes and desserts and work at the luncheon. The meat and rolls cost is paid by the family, with the Women's Club and any donations covering the cost of supplies. Contact Peggy Gurbal (630) 232-8311 or Betse Malkowski (630) 845-1006.
St. Peter volunteers give of their time and love by delivering nutritionally-balanced noontime meals on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th , 5th Thursdays to shut-ins in the Geneva and St. Charles area. Not only do they bring the meal, but they also provide a "well-being" check. Meals are provided by the Salvation Army and picked up at 1710 S. 7th Ave., St. Charles. Contact Laurie Genslinger (630-208-9346) for additional information.
This group helps meet the needs of our homebound parishioners. Volunteers help by giving rides for doctor visits or to the grocery store. They set up times just for a cup of coffee and conversation or take them for a ride to enjoy the scenery. The possibilities are endless; the rewards are great! Contact Mary Stola, RN (630-232-0124 x. 109).
Hesed House is a homeless shelter and more. Homeless individuals and families are provided with a place to sleep and food to eat. Some need to stay only a short while and others are in need of the shelter for long periods of time. There are two sheltering programs on premise. The TLC (Transitional Living Center) is a group home for up to 57 residents (men, women and children) who are in the process of rebuilding their lives. For those that cannot be accommodated in the TLC, the PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter) program is an overnight shelter for the homeless. Each night 150 to 225 guests sleep on mattress pads in a large open rooms. For PADS guests an evening meal and breakfast is provided. A sack lunch is provided for those who work. A new program called LightHouse provides supportive individual or apartment rental units for the chronically homeless. In addition to providing shelter there are several programs available on the Hesed House premise to help rebuild lives: Waubonsee job readiness program; substance abuse counseling; mental health and social services case workers; and a day time drop-in program that offers various activities. St. Peter Church volunteers in several areas.
Food and shift workers
Our parish provides the evening meal, breakfast and sack lunches the first Wednesday every other month (January, March, May, July, September, November). If you want to volunteer to A) prepare the food in your home or serve the food at Hesed House, call Michele Doherty (630) 208-8683 or B) supervise the sleeping room, call Michele Doherty (630-208-8683) or C) prepare breakfast, call Steve and Janet Weber (630) 208-1782.
PADS--Fun
On the first Wednesday of every other month, a group of St. Peter adults and teens brings games and/or crafts for the children. St. Peter adults host an evening of bingo or other games for homeless adults. Contact Jacki Doicmo (630) 934-4848 for children's fun ministry and Connie Montana (630) 406-9246 for Grown-Ups' fun ministry.
PADS--Working for Success
A group of St. Peter parishioners and others outside our parish work with the homeless in myriad ways to help them overcome barriers to living a better life and finding employment. Volunteer opportunities include: mentors, transportation, errands, computer room helpers, phone call helpers. Contact Rama Canney (630) 845-1682.Lazarus House is an overnight shelter at 214 Walnut Street, St. Charles, for those in need, who have connections to either St. Charles or Geneva. It is open 7 days per week, 52 weeks a year from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM. St. Peter Church provides (on the first and fifth Sunday of each month) a hot evening meal, breakfast and a sack lunch for those staying. One volunteer spends the night at the shelter to augment the staff person. Contact John Brucato (630) 208-1675 or Joan Zbinden (630) 208-0751.
Each week members of St. Peter Parish Family visit homebound parishioners to provide a visible link of love, caring and Eucharist to those confined to their homes. Training sessions and support meetings are provided. Priests visit the homebound on a monthly basis. Contact Mary Stola, R.N. (630) 232-0124.
Quilters gather to make quilts for our sick and homebound parishioners. Parishioners who visit the sick and homebound deliver the quilts. Call Jeanette Zawacki (630) 208-6315.
On Sunday morning following the 9:00 AM Mass, ministers bring Communion to patients at Delnor Community Hospital and a Communion Service is held at Provena Geneva Care Center and Arden Courts. Contact for Hosiptal Ministry is Deacon Mike Sullivan (630-232-0124 x. 311); for Nursing Home Ministry it is Mary Stola, R.N. (630) 232-0124 x 109
If you or a loved one, has been diagnosed with cancer; are a cancer survivor; are a caregiver; have lost a loved one to cancer, we have a spiritual support group here at St. Peter to help you over the bumps in the road. We are here to journey with you in faith. Contact Mary Stola (630-232-0124 x.109).
The volunteers in this Women's Club guild help individuals or families with short-term illness or emergency by preparing the evening meal. Contact Angela Pavelich (630) 262-8836 or Sandy Livingston (630) 845-8634.
Arden Courts
We have volunteers who visit the Catholic residents at the Alzheimers assisted living center. Short decades of the rosary are said, and on Sunday a Communion Service is held at 10:15 AM. Contact Fr. Bruce Ludeke (630) 232-0124 x126.
Provena Geneva Care Center
We have volunteers who visit the Catholic residents on an individual basis, monthly or more frequently, at Provena Geneva Care Center. Each Sunday a Communion service is held following our 9:00 AM Mass. People from the parish also volunteer to visit our parishioners in other nursing homes as well. Contact Msgr. Joseph Jarmoluk (630) 232-0124 x115.
Purchasing gift certificates through St. Peter PEACE* program is a great way to pay for your everyday shopping and help raise additional funds for the parish at the same time. PEACE certificates work the same as cash at more than 100 of your favorite local and national merchants. The program can only operate with the help of many volunteers. For information, see PEACE Program. Contact Sue Arnold (630) 443-7710 or Connie Montana (630) 406-9246. *PEACE stands for Parish Economic Alternative for Catholic Education.
The Rosebud Program helps our church identify and pray for those waiting for a child to be born (pink rose), those celebrating birth or adoption (red rose), wanting to become pregnant or adopt (yellow rose), or grieving miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion, infant or child death (white rose). The roses are kept near the painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe in church People are invited to remove a rosebud from the basket, fill in the attached tag and put the rose in the vase. Prayer cards for the various situations are displayed next to the vase. Those filling out the tags are invited to take a prayer card for their own personal meditation. Church members will pray daily for the families represented by the roses. Contact Melinda Bernhard for more information (630) 208-6055.