“As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)
Food Ministry
Our food ministry serves our grieving families by offering a luncheon following the funeral of a loved one, and food for various events and ministry meetings here at St. Philomena. We also share active meal trains for new moms and families for anyone interested in helping with a meal. In addition to providing food, we also have the need for parishioners to volunteer at funeral luncheons and other events with set up, food service and clean up.
What They Do
The mission of our food ministry is to serve the family and friends of the deceased members of our parish family by providing a luncheon following a funeral. As well as to provide food and service for a variety of parish functions and ministries.
Teams
- Food Donations: Volunteers are asked to prepare a a dish or make a food donation. If you do not bring a disposable serving dish, please mark your dish clearly on the bottom. Food donations may be dropped off to the parish center kitchen as early as 7:00 a.m.
- Servers: This includes set up, serving during the luncheon and clean up. The time commitment is anywhere from 4-4 1/2 hours depending on the funeral. We need three to four servers per funeral luncheon.
How to volunteer
Fill out the form below to be put on our volunteer list. We use the website, Sign Up Genius (www.signupgenius.com), for food donations. Volunteers will be emailed a link to sign up as soon as possible when food is requested.
St. Vincent de Paul
St. Vincent de Paul Society is dedicated to aiding the poor in our parish and area. They are active year round and depend on donations from our parishioners.
What They Do
The St. Philomena Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) coordinates needy family coverage with other Peoria parish SVdP conferences. We use a central phone helpline for families to request assistance. Our conference covers about ten square miles in the heart of Peoria. The surrounding nearly 50 miles of Peoria is served by five other conferences. We collaborate with other local agencies so the funds are collectively used in the most effective and efficient manner. Our home visit teams ascertain the needs of each family. We keep records on every family visited, their needs, and assistance provided.
Time Commitment
Serves the community year-round, which requires monthly meetings, plus home visits to those who need assistance.
For More Information
If you have a few hours a month available to help with our ministry to needy families in our community, fill out the form below or call Rhonda Parker in the parish office, 309-682-8642, ext. 2112. Rhonda will contact us, and one of our members will call to answer questions and provide more details.
For more information on how all parish-based SVdP Conferences in central Illinois help the poor, please go to the web site https://svdpsocietypeoria.org, or St.Vincent dePaul Society – Peoria, IL on Facebook.
Church Cleaning
There are several volunteer teams that clean our church on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Saturdays. Pick a day that works best with your schedule and join us once-a-month to clean our beautiful church.
What They Do
We dust and clean the statues, altar, pews and windows to keep the church looking its best. No vacuuming or cleaning bathrooms, no heavy lifting.
Time Commitment
Takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours, typically once-a-month.
Men’s Club
The primary goal of the Men’s Club is to promote service, fellowship and fun among the men of our parish. Membership is open to all men from the parish ages 18 and older. For details about the club or to read the most recent newsletter, click on View More to the right.
Click here for the most recent newsletter.
Who They Are
Officers 2024-25: stphilsmensclub@gmail.com
Mike Higgins, President: 630-330-7557
Jim Akers, Vice President: 309-208-2359
Albert Tony, Treasurer: 309-412-6518
What They Do
The Men’s Club plans numerous social events throughout the year, assists other parish organizations with fundraisers, helps with general maintenance and repair of parish properties and raises money for the parish.
They also raise money to fund parish needs, offering grants to the church and to the school. The Men’s Club fundraisers are their annual Smoker in February, Golf Outing in May and annual memberships.
When They Meet
Typically, monthly meetings take place from September through May in the parish center banquet room at 6:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted. The club hosts beginning and end-of-year social events. Meetings will be announced in the bulletin, after Mass, here on the website, via email and social media channels.
Meeting schedule for 2024-25:
- Thursday, September 5: Opening steak fry dinner (Please RSVP!)
- Thursday, October 3: Wild Game Feed dinner
- Thursday, November 7: Bring a Friend!
- Monday, December 16: Decorate the church
- Thursday, January 6: Smoker Preparations
- Sunday, February 16: Smoker in school gym
- Wednesday, March 12: St. Paddy’s Day warm-up (off site)
- Monday, April 7: NCAA viewing/Chili Cook Off
- Friday, May 2: Golf Outing & dinner
- Wednesday, May 21: Closing steak fry dinner
Membership
Membership is open to any man from a registered St. Philomena family ages 18+ and out of high school. We also accept men from neighboring parishes that do not have an active Men’s Club. Dues are $10/year or $125 for a lifetime/one-time membership. If you have questions, fill out the contact form below, contact the parish office or any of the officers listed above. To join and pay online, click here.