| We strive to be a welcoming, affirming and inclusive community of faith, inviting people to be full participants in the Church and in society. Our baptismal vocation compels us to a deep commitment to serve the needs of others in the church, in the community, and in the world. We encourage one another to live out our faith: in our everyday lives, at home, at work, and in the community. At St. Nicholas there are numerous opportunities to act upon the conviction that social justice and concern for others calls us to act in response to the Gospel message. Ministry that responds to the people who are economically poor, marginal, and fragile is ever conscious on the minds and the hearts of the people of St. Nicholas. These ministries meet regularly throughout the year to carry out God’s message of love for one another.
The parish has a free and confidential recovery resource, available to those who are struggling with an addiction, or for family members and others who love them.
This is a group of four mental health professionals who provide counseling services to the St. Nicholas community. Our intention is to reach out and respond to those who are experiencing challenges, transitions, losses, and burdens. Please telephone for an appointment.
The St. Nicholas Gay & Lesbian Ministry gathers in the community to explore spirituality and social issues of the day as they relate to the personal faith journey. The group includes friends and family of gay and lesbian people, as well as folks who are questioning, and people of all ages. Please join us. All are welcome. The group meets on the second Sunday of each month after the 9:00am mass in the music room of Oldershaw Hall. Click here to visit our Web Site.
The Inclusion/Accessibility Committee addresses both physical and attitudinal barriers that make it difficult for people with disabilities to participate fully in all aspects of parish life. The committee meets from 7:00-8:30pm on the third Thursday of the month in the handicap accessible Music Room on the second floor of Oldershaw Hall.
Bring personal presence and friendship, prayer and sacrament to those parishioners and their families who are not able to participate in parish communal activities. Ministers of care visit home bound parishioners, residents of nursing homes within the parish and those parishioners who are hospitalized. Special preparation for this ministry is required by the Archdiocese and provided by the parish.
We help mothers or women in all walks of life who are experiencing childbirth, child loss, illness or the ill health of another family member. A team of volunteers is scheduled to make a home-cooked meal and deliver it to the home.
The group meets the first Sunday of the month (with occasional exception for holidays and holy days) after the 9am Mass. The group hosts a monthly letter writing the last Sunday of each month at which parishioners write to legislators and government officials about various justice issues.
The Peace and Justice Committee at St. Nicholas serves to help parishioners link their faith to their lives as workers, consumer, global citizens, and stewards of the Earth.
It starts with Vern Shipley and moves on to many “pray-ers”. For prayer needs or to join this at home intercessory prayer ministry, please call Vern at the number listed above.
We gather in the rectory to knit together on the first and third Thursdays every month from 7:00 – 8:00pm. We begin and end our time together with prayer and, in the middle, we enjoy one another’s company. Come join us when you can.
The Parish community of St Nicholas values and cherishes her ethnic and racial diversity. The Race and Ethnic Unity committee serves to bring together the various ethnic and racial communities in a spirit of sharing and fellowship. The Committee also serves as a resource for the Parish and wider community to maintain a multicultural/multiracial sensitivity in her day to day decisions, functions, and activities.
The Sharing Committee builds regular connections with our sharing parishes in Haiti, Mexico, Nigeria, and Chicago. We meet regularly in the fall to plan the annual Sharing Fest. Through parish support and through a sponsorship program, we fund scholarships for students of all ages in Haiti and Nigeria, and we support churches now under construction in La Cruz and Ojo Seco, Mexico.
Sponsored by Interfaith Action of Evanston, the soup kitchen is a cooperative effort of the Evanston religious community to provide daily meals for the needs. As a member of IAC, St. Nicholas supports this effort. In addition, volunteers provide food and service for IAC’s soup kitchen approximately six times yearly. Volunteers are needed to help prepare the meal, usually on a Sunday afternoon and to serve the meal the following day.
Provides food, clothing, and emergency financial assistance to individuals and families, and food baskets at Holiday times. They also stock and Food Pantry at St. Nicholas and have regular Food Drives. They meet every second Tuesday in the rectory St. Germaine Room.
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