The Justice & Peace committee and its ministries brings the Gospel Catholic social teaching into our daily lives through education and community action. Ongoing initiatives include:

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• Dorcas Collection: Dorcas comes from the Greek translation of “Tabitha." The book of Acts (9:36-42), describes "Dorcas" as a woman known for being “completely occupied with good deeds and almsgiving." St. Bernadette’s Parish continues the spirt of Dorcas’ good deeds and acts of charity through the Dorcas Collection (second collection held of the first Sunday of each month). The Dorcas collection also includes non-perishable food collected in the Gallery throughout the month. $1,350 of the Dorcas collection monies is shared with the Anne Arundel County Community Action Agency, the Christian Assistance Program, and HOPE for All. A portion of the Dorcas Collection is retained at the parish to be used throughout the month for individuals and families in need. The balance of the monthly Dorcas collection is split between My Brother’s Keeper and St. Gregory’s Parish Food Pantry in Baltimore.

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• Sharing Fund: Whereas the Dorcas Collection is dispersed between the same group of local charities each month, the Sharing Fund (the second collection of the fourth weekend of each month) is distributed to various local, national, or global charities. Sharing fund charities receive the money collected only once during the year. The Justice and Peace Committee ensures the missions of the Dorcas and Sharing Fund beneficiaries are consistent with our Christian values.  The Justice and Peace Committee reviews financial statements and considers the amount(percentage) of donations that goes towards the charity’s administration and overhead costs. On a quarterly basis, the Justice and Peace Committee will discuss and agree upon which charities will receive the next several Sharing Fund collections.  Not locking Sharing Fund monies into specific charity months in advance allows us to be responsive to emerging needs, such as disaster relief following floods or hurricanes. We maintain the flexibility of inserting a new or different collection as the need develops. Details of the services that charities receiving Sharing Fund monies is provided in the bulletin the week prior to that month’s collection.

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• Casseroles Project: Collects casseroles the third Sunday of each month for hungry families.

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• Adopt-A-Family: Christmas-time sharing project with St. Gregory the Great Parish in Baltimore City, Women at the Jessup Correctional Institution, Mariner Nursing Home and local residents. 

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• St. Vincent de Paul: The non-perishable food collected in the Gallery is donated to the St Vincent de Paul food pantry at Christ the King in Glen Burnie.

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• Helping Neighbors Ministry: The Helping Neighbors Ministry serves individuals within our community who are experiencing financial or other difficulties in maintaining their homes.
   

• Sister Parish - Our Lady of the Visitation Parish, Gonaives, Haiti: Provides financial support to our sister parish, Our Lady of the Visitation in Gonaives.  Our main focus is providing a daily lunch for the students so that they are not only fed one main healthy meal each day, but also educated in hopes of one day improving their lives. For more information on our Haiti meal program, please click here. The parish has begun an endowment fund to help support the children of Haiti as well as the World's poor through the Catholic Community Foundation of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. For more information about this endowment, or to contribute, please click here.

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• School Supply Drive for Sarah's House: A collection during August that provides school supplies, shoes and monies to cover other school expenses for children at the shelter. The Sharing Fund Collection in July goes to Sarah's House to help cover the cost of school related items during the school year.​

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• Arundel House of Hope Winter Homeless Shelter: The pandemic has made it all but impossible for Arundel House of Hope to safely pull off the Winter Relief Program. For the first time in 28 years,  Arundel House of Hope needed to change the way local houses of worship work together to support the area’s homeless population. This year, AHOH is partnering with other Homeless Coalition partners to staff an emergency shelter at the Red Roof Inn in Annapolis. Unlike previous years which provided shelter during the cold weather months, the goal of this year’s program is to provide services to help individuals experiencing homelessness transition to more permeant housing solutions.  While much of the program is being funded through various grants, there is always a financial need.  Parishioners are encouraged to continue to support AHOH’s missions through the Shelter Assistance collections.  The parish will continue to seek support to meet unique needs as they arise. Thank you for your continued support, prayers, and generosity.

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For more information about the Justice & Peace Committee and its ministries, contact chairperson Mike DaPonte.