Council of Catholic Women (Altar Society): The Council of Catholic Women, established in 1859, serves the parish through its mission to provide for the temporal and spiritual needs of the parishioners. Some of the activities of the group include: two fundraisers a year to raise funds to purchase the items related to the Altar and any other items used to celebrate Holy Mass; coordination of funeral meals for parishioners (cooking and serving), financial support that provides Catholic education to high school and college students, the praying of the Holy Rosary for all deceased women of the parish and two public Holy Rosary events, maintaining a Catholic connection with our college students, and providing information on Catholic diocesan and national events. All women of the Parish are considered members, but are not required to attend the meetings. If you like to plan and make decisions, you will be a great help and will want to come to the meetings. Meetings are collaborative and held on the 1st Thursday of each month (Aug-May) at 6:30 p.m. in the Garden Level of the new church. Our business meetings include activities to inform, inspire, and educate members about their faith.
* Number of volunteers needed for this ministry: Unlimited Current active volunteers: 55
Contact: Maggie Burns/ jmburns@htc.net /281-6069
Discipleship Committee: The Discipleship Committee serves the parish through its efforts to build a spirit of gratitude and stewardship in the parish. This mission inspires members to learn how to be better disciples of Christ, and seek ways to teach that forward to our parishioners through the work of the committee. Our tasks include: organization of the annual stewardship of time, talent, and treasure commitment renewal; delivery of the 3 minutes more and drafting of the bulletin cover for stewardship commitment weekend; summary of the time and talent portion of the stewardship commitment forms, conveying volunteer contact information to parish ministry leaders; organization of the Ministry Fair every three years; hosting of the Ministry Leaders Appreciation Social every fall; distribution of the Lenten Prayer Cards, and writing of the Discipleship Corner for the weekly bulletin. The committee meets the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 7:00 in the Garden Level of the church.
*Number of volunteers needed for this ministry: Unlimited Current Volunteers:4
Contact: Marian Mathews/mmathews0404@gmail.com/314-267-2391
Bereavement: Offers comfort and healing presence to those experiencing the death of a loved one. This may extend from the time of death, through the wake service and Mass of Christian burial, and on through the first anniversary of the death. A Bereavement Committee member(s) may attend the wake service or funeral Mass to provide prayers and assistance to family and guests. A Memorial service for deceased family, friends, and veterans is held in the spring. An event for grieving children “Love Lives On” is planned in August, as necessary. A community “Remembrance Walk” is held in October for parents who are grieving from losses due to miscarriage, stillbirth, young infants, and lost adoptions. Family members and friends of the deceased are encouraged to attend a special ceremony at the annual All Soul’s Day Mass. A “We Remember” gathering is held for the family during the Christmas holidays in honor of the deceased. Family members are provided grief support through the “Journeying through Grief” book series during the first year. A Remembrance Table located in the Gathering Space is available to place loved one's pictures, poems, etc. A Grief Support Group will be established as needed.
Committee meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. (Meetings may be omitted as deemed necessary)
* Number of volunteers needed for this ministry: Unlimited
Current Volunteers: Seven
Contact: Patty Pulcher/pattypulcher@gmail.com/618-610-3477
Funeral Meals: Members of this Council of Catholic Women (CCW) sub-group provide a meal following a funeral Mass and/or cemetery service. Members prepare dishes for the meal and/or serve the meal to family and friends of deceased parishioners. Meals consist of the family’s choice of fried chicken or lunch meat, and side dishes donated by parishioners. Volunteers are needed to provide a side dish, set up, serve the meal and clean up afterward. Time commitment varies. Volunteers must be available to serve on a 2-3 day notice.
* Number of volunteers needed for this ministry: 200+ Current Volunteers: 175
Contact: Judy Kinane/jkinane@charter.net/281-4314
Meals from the Heart: Volunteers provide a homemade dinner to a parish family who might be experiencing a temporary disruption in the family routine. Examples would be a birth, a death, illness or surgery. Meals are delivered to the family by volunteers for the duration of the situation, from one to seven days per week. Volunteers prepare one meal, at their convenience, once or twice a year, depending on needs.
*Number of volunteers needed for this ministry: 0
Current Volunteers: 120
Families in need – Please contact: Beth Carrow/iccmealsfromtheheart@gmail.com / 618-980-3525
Just Faith: Just Faith is a national initiative that Russ Peterson introduced to our parish for people interested in working together to learn about the Catholic Church’s Social Teachings and to implement them. Our parish group meets irregularly but would like to pursue more of the topics discussed in the Just Faith Program: Life and Dignity of the Human Person, Call to Family, Community and Participation, Rights and Responsibilities, Options for and with the Poor and Vulnerable, The Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers, Solidarity, and Care for God’s Creation.
If interested in learning more about the Just Faith Program contact Carol Waide (618-281-4186), Marcie Ebers (618-281-4778), Faith Clark (618-420-3164) and Mike Ledbetter (618-972-0086).
Next Chapter: Immaculate Conception is working with the Belleville Diocesan Office to launch a support group close to home for members of our parish who have experienced divorce. Watch the parish bulletin for information on meeting times and topics.
Contact: Teresa Dorshorst / 314-303-5352 / tjdbusinessservices@yahoo.com
Picnic Committee: CELEBRATION IS OUR GOAL!! We are volunteers who work together to plan, organize and successfully accomplish a Labor Day full of family fun for our Parish Community. ALL are welcome!! Volunteers are needed to plan the day, run the events and welcome the community. Ideas and strong backs and muscles are needed – EVERYONE has a purpose! It’s big project and we invite you to join us in the process by sharing your time and talent!
Contact: Georgia Hutchinson 618-401-2626 / iccpicnicchairs@gmail.com
Quilters: The group creates quilts that are coveted prizes at the parish’s annual picnic. Anyone who can quilt, or would like to learn, is welcome to quilt in the quilting room, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on Tuesdays, and on Wednesdays from 4-9 p.m. Can’t quilt? Much help is also needed hemming, piecing, and marking the quilts. Volunteers are also needed to provide an 11:30 a.m. lunch once a month.
*Number of volunteers needed: Unlimited Current Volunteers: 30
Contact Carlene Kisro/kisro@htc.net/618-281-5877
Welcoming Committee: We invite new Parishioners to attend 9:00 a.m. Mass on the first Sunday of each month for introduction to the parish. After Mass we hold a reception in the garden level for all parishioners. All new families receive a welcome packet of information regarding the church and parish school. The main purpose of this committee is to encourage the fellowship of ALL parishioners and to make ALL parishioners feel welcome in our church family.
* Number of volunteers needed for this ministry: Unlimited Current Volunteers: 17
Contacts: Mary Olsson/maryo@htc.net/(618) 917-5839, Marty Colley/marty.colley@hotmail.com/281-4035
Sanctity of Life: This ministry is committed to the preservation of God’s gift of human life from conception to natural death in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church. This is achieved through education, participating in community pro-life events, religious study, service to others, and prayer. Some of our events include national Life Chain, local Life Walk, December giving tree, and October Pro-Life month events.
Number of volunteers needed for this ministry: 100 Current Volunteers: 15
Contact: Laura Feltz/ lsg@htc.net / or call the Parish office for more information
Pre-Cana: Married couples assist in preparing engaged couples for the Sacrament of Marriage. Our parish Pre-Cana day is held in the spring. *Number of volunteers needed for this ministry: 5-7 couples Current Volunteers: 4 couples
Contact: Jonathan & Amanda Sander/618-977-9100/jonathan.j.sander@gmail.com
Marriage Encounter: World-wide marriage encounter is the largest pro-marriage movement in the world. It promotes a weekend experience for couples who want to enhance their marital relationship. It is also to proclaim the value of Marriage and Holy Orders in the Church and in the world. “Love One Another As I Have Loved You.”
Contact: Pat or Walter 281-5620
Book Club: This group evolves as books to read and topics of discussion are selected, but the schedule loosely follows the seasons of the liturgical year and is often guided by current events and/or the writings of our church leaders. For more information, contact Lizanne.
Participants: Unlimited
Contact: Lizanne Young/lyoung@iccmail.org/618-281-5105 (ext. 354)