Community Outreach Ministry

St. Mark Church provides food donations to Our Daily Bread Employment Center, an organization that helps feed the poor in downtown Baltimore through an Archdiocesan-run soup kitchen/dining room facility founded by Catholic Charities in 1981.

St. Mark is scheduled for the 2nd Friday of every month. Please check the parish calendar or bulletin for updates.

Drop-off Instructions:

• Casserole pans with recipes and instructions are available in the vestibules of the Church and Chapel on the 1st weekend of every other month, before the Friday drop-off.
• Please ensure your casserole is completely frozen before drop off; Our Daily Bread cannot accept it otherwise.
• Contactless drop off is monthly on:
  • Designated Thursdays from 6-6:45 pm at Youth Room door, located on rear side of Parish Center, facing the gymnasium building.
  • Designated Fridays from 7:30-8:45AM in the Melvin Ave parking lot directly across from St. Mark School.
• Please do not bring your casserole(s) to the school or Parish Center.

The mission of Women’s Center West, a nonsectarian medical clinic, is to provide pregnancy testing, sonograms, parenting education, and material assistance to our clients. The center provides alternatives to abortion, assists women in crisis pregnancies, provides material assistance and works with other organizations to help pregnant women.

St. Mark has an annual fundraiser for Women’s Center West. At the Mother’s Day masses, volunteers distribute empty baby bottles to parishioners. Donations to Women’s Center West will be collected at the Father’s Day masses by means of loose change, bills or checks returned in the baby bottles.

There is an urgent need for food donations. CEA is running short of:

• Canned foods,
• Mixed dry foods,
• Personal care items.

Bins available every weekend in the Church vestibule; collecting nonperishable foods only (check dates!). Specific hampers for toiletries are marked.

My Brother’s Keeper is a comprehensive community-based resource center in West Baltimore. The food pantry is in need of the following items to include in their take-away lunch bags:

• Individual size bags of Sun Chips and pretzels,
• Individual size packages of cookies or other dessert items.

Those items may be dropped off 9 a.m. –3 p.m. on weekdays OR purchased and shipped directly to:

My Brother’s Keeper
Attn: Mr. Kevin Mason

Thank you for supporting our neighbors in need!

Share the Word!

This ministry collects religious reading material for the Archdiocese’s Prison Ministry!

Please place donations in the hamper in the vestibule labeled “Prison Ministry.”

Curious about the Archdiocesan Prison Ministry? Click here for more information.

Engage in public/political life. The Maryland Catholic Conference is the public policy voice for the Catholic Church in Maryland.

YOUR Catholic impact:

1 MILLION Catholics live in the State of Maryland;

There are 290 parishes and missions

46,500 students are educated in Catholic schools

300k Maryland Residents are served by CATHOLIC CHARITIES each year!

Get involved. Visit mdcatholic.org to get updates about results, legislation and the general election. Use their resources—and review responses to candidate surveys—before you vote.

Giving Tree: A Beloved St. Mark Christmas Tradition

The Outreach ministry volunteers assess the needs of local homeless shelters and other community organizations, prepare gift tags, set up the tree, and collect the gifts donated by our parishioners. Email the Community Outreach Ministry if you have questions or would like to volunteer.

Many families use the experience of Giving Tree shopping to teach their children the importance of providing for others during the holidays.

St. Mark Giving Tree 2024

Local community programs are truly grateful for the generous support of St. Mark parishioners’ Giving Tree donations. The donations benefit:

• Catonsville Emergency Assistance (CEA)
• The Children’s Home
• Mosaic of Catonsville
• St. Veronica’s Parish in Cherry Hill
• Spring Grove Hospital
• Westside Men’s Shelter

Tag Selection – Begins the weekend of November 16th, 2024

Please select a tag and purchase the suggested gift. Pay close attention to the instructions on the tag. Note that some agencies request that the gifts not be gift-wrapped to assist them in the sorting and distribution to their clients.

Gift Collection – Begins the weekend of November 30th, 2024

Santa’s Helpers collect the gifts from donors in the Church vestibule before all Masses. Christmas trees are in the vestibule of the Church and in the Sanctuary of the Chapel. The trees are decorated with gift tag ornaments by the donors.

Gift Donation Deadline – December 15th at Noon

PLEASE remember to attach the tag securely to the gift so the elves deliver it to the correct organization.

Spring 2025 – April 5th

Donate your new/gently used clothing to benefit almost 400 men and women in need.

There is a need for the following adult clothing items:

• Jeans/slacks/sweatpants without drawstrings,
• Summer clothing,
• Sweaters/sweatshirts,
• Jackets, coats, knit caps, gloves
• Shoes without shoestrings.

An acknowledgement letter will be provided to use for income tax purposes.

In June 2015, Pope Francis published the Encyclical Laudato Si, on our stewardship for God’s creation. There are many resources for those interested in being a Catholic caretaker for our planet.

Catholic Climate Covenant inspires and equips people and institutions to care for creation and care for the poor. The website for this nonprofit is www.catholiccovenant.org.

• The Catholic Climate Covenant has online programs for individuals and families.
• Are you interested in reading and learning more about Laudato Si? You can read a copy of the Encyclical online.
  • An online study guide for Laudato Si is available. This link also includes a special Way of the Cross with particular focus on the suffering caused by climate change.
  • Here is an online resource page for Laudato Si.
• Online and in-person educational and volunteer opportunities are available locally through the Patapsco Heritage Greenway.