Food for the Hungry
This ministry collects nonperishable food at all of the Masses to donate to the Crisis Ministry of Trenton and Princeton, which is an organization that gives short-term and financial assistance to families and individuals in crisis. The need for food is ongoing, not seasonal, so members of the ministry use the parish bulletin and the website to request additional food donations before Thanksgiving, Easter and when unexpected needs like floods or other natural disasters occur.

Contact: Therese Lachance at drpal@aol.com.

Loaves and Fishes
The Loaves and Fishes Community of the Diocese of Trenton serves meals on the last two Saturdays of every month all year long at St. Mary's Cathedral in Trenton. Volunteers are needed from 10:30 am - 1:30 pm. Generally, those wishing to help can walk in any time. Advance notice is only required for those coming in groups of 10 or more. Call Barbara at 844-0766 if you wish to bring a large group.

In addition, St. Paul’s Parish is responsible for providing the entire meal, once a year, usually on a Saturday in June. Contact Deacon Joe Lynch through this website (stpauls@pcyber.net) if you wish to help with the parish's annual Loaves and Fishes effort.

(Please note that the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen is a separate organization that serves meals during the week. TASK is described below.)

Respect for Life
The Respect for Life Committee provides programs and materials aimed at raising consciousness about the loss of respect for the sanctity of human life from abortion, assisted suicide and euthanasia. Prayer is also part of the pro-life activity, which prays a Rosary for Life every Monday following the 8:15 am Mass, sponsors peaceful, prayerful protests at local facilities that perform abortions, and offers pro-life programs to schools and religious education programs. The group also participates in the pro-life efforts of the Trenton Diocese Family Life/Respect Life Office, works with Princeton Council 636 of the Knights of Columbus on their pro-life projects, and coordinates pro-life activities with New Jersey Right to Life.

Contact: Sue Rohrbach at suerohrbac@aol.com.

Read about the church's official stand on Roe v. Wade.

Social Concerns
In their document, A Place at the Table, the US Bishops rely on words from the Gospel of Matthew: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” (Matthew 25:35-36). This and other documents of Catholic social teaching remind us of our obligation, as members of a single Body of Christ, to stand in solidarity with the poor and vulnerable, wherever they happen to reside. The mission of the Social Concerns Ministry is to help individuals fulfill this obligation by providing information about Catholic social teaching, providing educational opportunities linking this teaching to contemporary local, national, and international issues, and facilitating actions by parish members to work toward justice and peace in our world. This ministry does this through educational campaigns involving bulletin announcements and speakers on Catholic social teaching and issues of justice; through prayers of the faithful and prayer services that will help us pray in solidarity with the poor and vulnerable; and through facilitation of advocacy by our parish members on issues promoting justice and respect for all human life. The ministry also serves as a resource for individuals or groups interested in holding events or starting ministries on particular issues that promote social justice.

Contact: Suzanne Richer at smricher@aol.com

Trenton Area Soup Kitchen
The Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) serves over 2500 meals a week to needy men, women and children in the Trenton area. Volunteers from St. Paul's parish help serve these meals on the first Tuesday of each month from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm at Task's building at 72-1/2 Escher Street in Trenton. Contact Vicki Coonan at jvc15@rcn.com if you wish to join a group from St. Paul's.

However, TASK serves food from Monday through Friday throughout the year at their Escher St. location. Those wishing to volunteer to help on other days can arrange to volunteer directly through TASK whose website is http://www.trentonsoupkitchen.org.