We empower our parishoners to be Christ-like servant leaders in Catholic social justice through prayer, advocacy, education, and support of those in need.
All of our Social Action organizations are listed below, sorted by clusters of similar spirit or emphasis.
Comboni Mission: We support a number of Comboni Mission events each year- Meet the Missionaries, a social justice evening, the Christmas Nativity and Taste of Mission.
Cultural Center of Batahola Norte, Managua: IHM has twinned with the Cultural Center of Batahola Norte (CCBN) since 2000. Through Project Education we provide scholarships for students at the educational center and for those in grade school, secondary school, and the university. We also hold the Mountains to the Sea Luncheon every year to raise funds for our twinning partners. Each year, to strengthen our connection CCBN staff visit Cincinnati and twinning representatives visit Managua.
Environmental Stewardship: We provide sustainable activities/education to protect our planetary home for future generations and encourage recycling. We also sponsor an event to recycle electronic devices.
Fair Trade: To assist famers in developing countries, we sell coffee, hot chocolate, olive oil and chocolate after Masses and online.
Glenmary Sisters: We support our twinning partner in Frenchburg, KY through fundraising and collections.
Living a Faith That Does Justice Dinner: We hold an annual dinner to honor an individual or couple for their life long work with justice.
Mission Sunday Multicultural Mass: We celebrate the diversity of our churches especially our Hispanic parishioners through song and prayer at a special Mass each October.
Operation Rice Bowl: During Lent we support Operation Rice Bowl, a special collection for Catholic Relief Services.
Our Lady of the Mountains Church: We have twinned with Our Lady of the Mountains (OLM) in Stanton, KY since 2010. We support OLM through monthly food collections for the OLM food pantry and through Giving Tree.
St. Vincent Mission: We assist a community of people in Appalachia through financial donations and week-long mission trips to provide labor to repair or remodel living spaces, create gardens, and support rummage sales.
Bethany House: Bethany House provides emergency shelter for homeless families and programs to assist them to find housing so a return to living in the community is possible. We prepare and serve meals to families who are staying in this shelter. Volunteers may choose from the day and time that best suits their schedule.
Peanut Butter Group and Cookie Ministry: Weekly volunteers make PB&J sandwiches and cookies that are donated to St. Francis Seraph weekly.
Inter-Parish Ministries: We collect and distribute food to families in eastern Hamilton, Clermont, Brown, and Adams Counties at IPM’s facility and through popup pantries.
Esther Marie Hatton: Each month volunteers serve and/or donate food each month for a meal.
Mobile Food Pantries: We work with InterParish Ministry Mobile Pantry in collecting food once a year.
Race Track Ministry: (Belterra Racetrack) We support race track workers through provision of regular meals, work clothing and boots. In conjunction with churches in other areas, grocery stores and food pantries, a popup food pantry is provided annually.
Queen City Soup Kitchen: Volunteers serve and/or donate food for a dinner each month.
Tender Mercies: Tender Mercies provides housing and other support services to adult men and women who have a history of mental illness and homelessness. Our ministry prepares and serves meals each month for residents of one of the housing units.
Anderson Churches for Racial Unity (“ACRU”): St. Gregory the Great is a member of ACRU. Greater Anderson Promotes Peace (GAPP) and Anderson Christian Churches for Racial Unity (ACRU) work together to provide community-building activities and programs that honor diversity, encourage understanding, and promote inclusion.
Angels on Call: We assist families with short term needs during a crisis such as meals, laundry, yard work, etc.
Anti-Racism Task Force: Works with ACRU to educate and offer opportunities to transform systemic racism through meaningful activities.
Day of Service: During one Spring Saturday we provide an opportunity for families to volunteer to pack macaroni and cheese dinners for food pantries and assemble personal care items, snack food items, and diapers for those in need.
Help Your Neighbor Day: Typically on the second Sunday in November, we volunteer to help our elderly and/or disabled parishioners and neighbors who can no longer safely care for their yards. Volunteers rake leaves and perform general clean-up.
Loaves and Fishes: We provide meals to fellow parishioners in need following surgery, a serious illness or accident, or any other challenging situation.
New Life Furniture: We donate gently used furniture and other household items to New Life Furniture of Southwest Ohio who provides them to neighbors living in extreme poverty in Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Dayton.
Prison/Jail Ministry: We have Men’s and Women’s Worship Teams who provide services to the imprisoned locally through visits and letter writing. We also collect eyeglasses and provide Christmas cookies in conjunction with other congregations.
Refugee Resettlement: Through mentoring and collections we work with Catholic Charities and other organizations to support refugees who have settled in our area.
Works of Kindness: Volunteers use their skills and talents to assist the elderly and those in need with simple projects and chores such as moving furniture, help with shopping, etc.
Child Protection: We advocate and educate to end child abuse and protect our children.
Coordination with Schools & Family Faith Formation: We work with school and parish staff in coordinating collections and other Social Action activities.
Justfaith: During Lent we offer courses from justfaith.org on topics related to our Catholic Social Teaching.
Non-Violence Pledge: We have a longstanding tradition where pledge of nonviolence is said at all the Masses along with copies which may be taken home.
Social Issues Forums: Throughout the year we host speakers on various social justice issues. These speaker events are open both to parishioners and members of the broader community.
Tutoring: We work with students at Wilson Elementary School as one-on-one tutors or classroom aides. No prior teaching experience is required, just an interest in children and a willingness to help. Assignments are done during the school day and usually at the same time/day each week. Completion of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati SafeParish Program is required through your church.
Cemetery of the Innocents: During the first two weeks of each October, we participate in the Cemetery of the Innocents effort at GA, IHM, and St. John Fisher by installing wooden crosses and information banners on church property to represent lives lost to abortion and how women can get support.
Lobby to End Assisted Suicide: We work with the Archdiocesan Respect Life Office to advocate for abolishing assisted suicide.
40 Days for Life: During Fall and Lent we pray at sidewalks in front of abortion clinics, praying for an end to abortion.
Heartbeats for Life Race/Family Fun Day: Each year we participate in and support the 5K race benefitting Cincinnati Right to Life.
Human Trafficking: We work with Ignite Peace and/or End Slavery Cincinnati in ending human trafficking.
Lobby to Abolish the Death Penalty: We work with Ignite Peace and/or the Archdiocesan Respect Life Office to advocate for the end of the death penalty.
ProLife Masses: We participate in a rosary procession to the front of Planned Parenthood following each week’s Saturday Mass at Holy Name Parish.
Angel Tree: Collection of Christmas gifts for the children of incarcerated parents.
Christmas in July: Take a tag and bring a gift for local charities and needy families.
Coat Collection: New or nearly new coats for the needy of St. Leo’s Parish.
Giving Trees: Take a tag and bring a gift for local charities and needy families.
Lamb Layettes: Donations for mothers in crisis; also students make and pray over baby blankets, and write supportive messages for first-time moms in crisis.
Loose Coins: All coins in weekly collection go to local charities. The charity is decided by the vote of junior high students after studying various charities.
Mother’s Day and Baby Items: Monetary donations in baby bottles and baby items for pregnancy agencies, serving parents in need.
School Supplies: School supplies for needy children at St. Leo’s Parish.
SEM Food: Non-perishable food items collected on the 3rd Sunday of each month for the SEM Food pantry.
Socks and Such: Collection of new underwear, undershirts, blankets and socks for OLM and local agencies.
Thanksgiving Day Mass: Mass collection for St. Gregory the Great twinning communities.
For Social Action Ministry questions, contact Barb Szucik at barbs@sggparish.org or 513-324-5029.
For all other Love in Action questions, contact Director of Health Ministries, Kendall Keiser, at kendallk@sggparish.org or call 513-388-4184.
Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.