A Fox Valley tradition, the Barn Sale has been hosted by Catholic parishes for more than 30 years. Parishes have traditionally run the sale for 10 years at a time. This marks St. Peter’s fifth year (in our second turn at a decade) of hosting the event. This two-day gigantic “garage sale” will be held at the Kane County Fairgrounds in September. Beginning in December 2010, through the sale weekend, volunteers are needed to collect, sort and box merchandise donated from the community. The Harvest Moon Auction & Dinner kicks off the Barn Sale on the Friday of the sale weekend.
The mission of the Barn Sale is three-fold. 1) Charity - many members of the Tri-Cities and surrounding areas rely on the sale each year to provide items for their homes that they would otherwise not be able to acquire. The Barn Sale is a chance to recycle usable items that are no longer needed by current owners. In addition, items remaining after the sale are donated to local charities to help in their mission. 2) Debt reduction - proceeds from the sale will help pay down the parish debt.
3) Community Building - the Barn Sale is a chance for parishioners to meet one another and work side-by-side toward a common goal. Speak to anyone in the parish who has participated in past Barn Sales, and they will tell you how wonderful it is to finally put names to the faces of all those people at Sunday Mass. The sale requires over 1,000 volunteers and serves thousands of people in our community and beyond!To get more information about the Barn Sale, please call the Parish Center at (630) 232-0124, or visit the parish web site at www.stpeterchurch.com.
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.
St. Peter Church sponsors its Blood Drive in support of the Heartland Blood Centers to insure the availability of blood to meet the needs of the hospitals in Illinois and Northwest Indiana areas. This support provides hospitals in the area with a safe and adequate supply of blood and blood products. Our next blood drive is Monday, January 31, 2011. For additional information, contact Mary Kay Brown (630) 232-7255.
We have several (short-duration) 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.
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, through the parish center, (630) 232-0124.
The St. Peter employment ministry provides assistance with resume preparation, practice interviewing, recommendations to expand your professional network, and hands-on computer instruction to help you expand your skills. This is a joint ministry with the Holy Cross Catholic Church. We are available to meet face-to-face or through an on-line networking group. Participation is open to all.
To join our web-based networking group go to www.Linkedin.com. At the Linkedin home page, fill out the information to join and follow the instructions. After you complete all the steps to join and are accepted, you can access the Holy Cross/St. Peter group by clicking the Group tab and typing in the group name, which is HOLY CROSS/ST. PETER CATHOLIC EMPLOYMENT MINISTRY - Batavia, IL. On the Linkedin website, you can connect with people in your field, build your network, post and view job openings, chat with other job seekers, find career related events, join other networking groups and more.
For more information about the Employment Ministry please contact John Easton (john.easton@live.com or (630) 715-9663), or Laura Pogwizd (lapog@sbcglobal.net or (630)-761-3655).
Our Food Pantry is open the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. 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 (630)-232-0124 x444.
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:
The pantry serves 275 families twice a month and the number climbs to 300-plus families during the holidays. Two bags containing about 25 lbs of food, cleaning products and personal hygiene items are distributed twice a month to each family. The families include about 350 children under 18, 300 elderly over 65, and 70 disabled persons.
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 Barb De Rouin (630) 262-1339, Mary Discher (630) 845-9336, or Barb Kralovic (630) 232-2951.
At the start of Advent, the leaders of these ministries and their volunteers prepare tags with the name of a gift and place the tags on our Christmas Giving Tree in the church narthex. Parishioners take the tags, purchase the gifts and place them under the tree. Shortly before Christmas, volunteers sort the gifts so they can be delivered to several area helping organizations: Elgin Mental Health Center, Fox Valley Pregnancy Center, Catholic Charities and Hesed House Homeless Shelter. Project Angel Tree provides Christmas gifts for the families of two Kane County Jail prisoners. Contact Lisa Cooper (630) 262-9764, Paula Nagel (630) 208-1866, or Rosemary Zaccanti (630) 208-7530.
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 Lisa Lynch (630-262-1993) 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 Fr. Michael Chernetzki (630) 232-0124 x125.
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 for the PADS guests the first Wednesday every other month (January, March, May, July, September, November). If you want to volunteer to: A) prepare food or serve the evening meal at Hesed - call Michele Doherty (630) 208-8683, B) supervise the sleeping room - call Michele Doherty (630) 208-8683 or C) prepare breakfast - call Steve and Janet Weber (630) 208-1782.
Fun for Grownups
St. Peter adults host an evening of bingo or other games for homeless adults. Prizes are something that would be useful to the homeless guests. Contact Connie Montana (630) 406-9246.
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 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Lazarus House has many programs to help homeless individuals get back on their feet. On the first Sunday of each month, St. Peter Church provides a hot evening meal. Several volunteers prepare the main dishes in their home and drop them off at the shelter. A few volunteers work at the shelter to serve the meal. A sack lunch, made by our volunteers is offered for the following day. One volunteer spends the night at the shelter to augment the staff person. Contact: Erik or Beth Peterson (630-262-1622).
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 Fr. Michael Chernetzki (630) 232-0124 x125.
Quilters gather to make quilts for our sick and homebound parishioners. Parishioners who visit the sick and homebound deliver the quilts. Contact Contact Irene D’Anna (630-208-7256) or Jeanette Zawacki (847-902-7314).
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 Hospital Ministry is Deacon Mike Sullivan (630) 232-0124 x311. For Nursing Home Ministry, call Contact Fr. Michael Chernetzki (630) 232-0124 x125.
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 Tina Trch (630) 232-0124 x102.
The St. Catherine Women's Club Guild provides loving meals on a short-term basis for parishioners and their families in need due to illness or emergency. For information, contact Sandy Livingston (630) 845-8634.
Arden Courts
We have volunteers who visit the Catholic residents at the Alzheimers assisted living center. A few decades of the rosary are said, and on Sunday a Communion Service is held at 10:15 AM. Contact Fr. Michael Chernetzki (630) 232-0124 x125.
Geneva Care and Rehabilitation Center
We have volunteers who visit the Catholic residents on an individual basis, monthly or more frequently, at Geneva Care and Rehabilitation 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 Fr. Michael Chernetzki (630) 232-0124 x125.
Purchasing gift certificates through St. Peter PEACE (Parish Economic Alternative for Catholic Education) 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. You buy the certificates at face value and the merchant donates a percentage back to the parish. By using the certificates to purchase your groceries, gas, clothing and even dining out, you can help promote businesses in our community and earn credits that can be used to reduce your school tuition or to benefit other parish programs -- it's your choice. The program can only operate with the help of many volunteers. For information, see PEACE Program, call Karen Hyde (630-443-0366) or Amanda Walz (630-262-8852) or email peace@stpetergeneva.org.
The love of knitting/crocheting, and a desire to help others, have been combined to form a prayerful ministry and spiritual practice that reaches out to those in need of comfort and solace as well as in celebration and joy. Many blessings are prayed into every shawl. The intentions continue throughout the creation of the garment. Upon completion a final blessing is offered before the shawl is sent on its way. All knitters and crocheters and invited to join. The group meets the first Thursday of the month in the Tekawitha Room. Contact Elaine Baxter (630-232-0224) or elbax27@aol.com.
The Fox Valley Pregnancy Center in South Elgin (847) 697-0200 (www.foxvalleypc.org) and Waterleaf Women's Center in Aurora (630) 701-6270 (www.waterleafwc.org) offer 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.
In addition, a nationwide referral service, National Life Center (800) 848-LOVE, can assist women in finding needed resources during and after pregnancy, including adoption help and essential material assistance.
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, through the parish center, (630) 232-0124.
Volunteers work with residents in the Hesed House LightHouse program (formerly homeless in need of extra support to stay housed) and with residents in a few Aurora Housing Authority apartment buildings. Helpers work in myriad ways to offer assistance in finding employment for those fit to work. In addition, volunteers offer practical help such as transportation, errands, advocacy, problem resolution support, referrals to services, finding needed household or personal items and more. Contact Rama Canney (630) 232-0124 x105.