April 14, 2016
 
PORTLAND---Parish Social Ministry, a Catholic Charities Maine program, has announced that six local parishes will receive Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) parish grants totaling $18,550.
 
The mission of Parish Social Ministry is to provide leadership, guidance, Catholic social teaching education, and training to empower parishioners to compassionately serve people of all faiths living in their communities. The CCHD parish grants support community-based initiatives that aim to solve community-wide problems, empowering those in need to make ongoing life changes and to become more self-sufficient while offering parishioners the opportunity to serve those less fortunate.
“The applications this year really show a growth in our Church’s ability to respond to not only the immediate needs of Mainers, such as food and clothing, but also to work on the education and transformative piece so that not everyone has to be in need in the future,” said Michael Smith, the director of mission for Catholic Charities Maine.
The parishes receiving grants in 2016 are:

• St. Brendan the Navigator Parish
  (Camden, Rockland, Belfast, Islesboro, Vinalhaven)

Awarded $4,000 to start a new educational ministry focused on increasing the self-sufficiency of people served at the parish’s soup kitchen. The parish will also offer financial assistance to help start or improve businesses that help people work toward self-sufficiency.

• St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish
  (Calais, Perry, Indian Township, Baileyville, Pembroke, Eastport)

Awarded $3,550 to offer six educational sessions for over 600 people covering a variety of topics including early childhood development, basic cooking skills and nutrition, and survival skills.

• St. Mary of the Visitation Parish
  (Houlton)

Awarded $4,000 to assist people who utilize the parish’s food pantry to work on budgeting, connecting with a financial mentor, and healthy eating.

• St. Michael Parish (Augusta, Gardiner, Hallowell, Winthrop, Whitefield)
  and St. Rose of Lima Parish (Jay)

Each awarded $2,500 to collaborate with the Kennebec Valley Organization (KVO) to work on systemic change in their communities through listening sessions, trainings, and convening statewide groups to collectively work on a common community issue. The mission of KVO is to bring people together to act on issues of shared concern including job saving and creation, affordable housing, and public services.

• St. Paul the Apostle Parish
  (Bangor, Brewer, Winterport, Hampden)

Awarded $2,000 to help with its plans to build a house for a low-income family. The family will be required to give at least 200 in hours to assist in the project and partake in homeownership, maintenance, and budgeting courses.
The mission of CCHD is made possible by the generous support of Catholics in the United States, especially through an annual collection taken up in most parishes the Sunday before Thanksgiving. From this collection, twenty-five percent of the proceeds remain in Maine to support local efforts with significant parish engagement. The remaining seventy-five percent is collected by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to distribute for larger national funding opportunities from which Maine agencies and organizations that address the systemic root of poverty can also apply.