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Justice & Peace Ministries

We are a parish that seeks to live the gospel of charity, life, justice, and peace in our wider world. Outreach Ministries provides opportunities that help us live out the corporal works of mercy, go on missions in solidarity and service, and be an advocate for the most vulnerable.

Panera Pickup Ministry

As part of our ongoing effort here at St. Francis of Assisi to feed with dignity those in need in our community and beyond, and to do our part to be good stewards of God’s resources here on earth, we participate in Panera Bread’s Day-End Dough Nation Program.

Each Monday evening at the Brier Creek Panera Bread we go and pick up the leftover breads and pastries at the end of the day. We then deliver these beautiful treats the following morning to one of 2 locations. Our Lady of the Rosary Food Pantry OR Durham Center for Senior Life

This gift of food that supplements their monthly intake is very much appreciated by all these communities.

Contact:

Emma Dempsey

emakdemp@gmail.com

Service Opportunities

Pray around the Peace Pole

All are welcome to stop and pray around the peace pole (located between Clare hall and the parking lot) each Sunday after 9am Mass, rain or shine.  Prayers for peace in our world and community are offered each week concluding with the Pray for Peace attributed to St. Francis of Assisi.

Contact:

Gladys Whitehouse

Racial Awareness and Religious Exchange (RARE)

Join a dedicated group who meets to promote interracial and interfaith dialogue, seeking understanding through prayer and discussion with members of Baptist Grove Church.

Contact:

Tom Zimmerman

919- 848-7546

Refugee Resettlement Support Circles

Create community as part of a circle of 6+/- adults helping usher a refugee family relocating to the USA. Share insights, connections and assistance in a myriad of ways at the intersection of the family’s needs and your interests but always aim to teach rather than simply to do. Potential tasks: welcoming the family at the airport; helping with transportation including driving some but more importantly practicing use of the public bus system even if you are learning alongside; navigating through shopping trips to grocery and other stores; accompanying them for food pantry registration, selection and pick up as needed; assisting with technology use; aiding with financial literacy, mail sorting, bill paying and job search;  practicing English, etc. Flexible time commitment of several hours monthly for 3-6 months or beyond if you continue the friendship. 90 minute training plus background check required; ample support from group leaders, social workers and St. Francis staff provided.

Contact:

Mary Hall
Heather Scanlon

Refugee Resettlement Welcome Home

In partnership with the resettlement organization, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), come share time, talent and/or treasure setting up homes for refugees arriving in our area. Assist with St. Francis led full home set ups, partner organization set ups in need of additional help (with Welcome House Raleigh & Lutheran Services of the Carolinas), and Furniture Bank donations as you work with others to identify, collect & deliver household goods, or several times annually for St. Francis’ household donations drives. Tasks Needed: cleaning; setting up areas of a home with decor and supplies; collecting/delivering donated furnishings and household goods; moving furnishings into and out of storage and homes; cooking a Welcome Home meal; grocery shopping to stock the pantry; donating household goods; supplying toiletry and cleaning supplies, etc. We care for our resources by reusing and repurposing many items as we welcome and ease the transition for our new neighbors.

Contact:

JaVon Hansknecht

javon.hansknecht@stfrancisraleigh.org

Service Opportunities

Ronald McDonald House

Our ministry provides approximately 60 home-cooked meals for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House of Durham on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. We collect donations and then a few volunteers meet at RMH to prepare and serve the meal. Please join us in helping provide “a little piece of home” for these families who are going through a very difficult time in their lives.

Contact:

Michelle Harris | 919-656-4477 | michelle.harris95@gmail.com

Julie Brown | 703-362-5680 | julz4vt@gmail.com

or stfrancisrmhministry@gmail.com (not monitored on a daily basis)

Service Opportunities

Sister Parish Guatemala

This ministry nurtures a relationship with a small, rural village in Guatemala called Las Margaritas II. We exchange visits and deepen our bonds of shared life and friendship. We invite parishioners to join us on pilgrimage for an experience of a life time or host villagers when they visit us every few years.

Contact:

Liz Mosler

919-594-4882

St. Francis Community Support Agriculture Program (CSA)

Contact:

Elizabeth Kearse

St. Francis Inn

Week-long mission trips to urban Philadelphia where SFA volunteers prepare and serve hot meals to the hungry and homeless in a Franciscan setting. Several trips are scheduled each year.

2024 Schedule: Feb. 19 – 13; April 1 – 5; July 22 – 26 (SFA Youth Group); Oct. 14 – 18. All trips are Monday – Friday.

2025 Schedule: Feb. 17 – 21, April 28 – May 2, July 14 – 18 (SFA Youth Ministry), Oct. 20 – 24

http://stfrancisraleigh.galaxydigital.com/ministries/st-francis-inn/

Contact:

John Budway

305-205-5104

Service Opportunities

Justice & Peace Advocacy Issue Teams

Our teams are dedicated to providing formation and advocacy on a variety of social justice issues in light of Catholic Social Teaching.

Contact:

JaVon Hansknecht

javon.hansknecht@stfrancisraleigh.org | 919-847-8205 x270

International Mission

Join us as we travel with parishioners to other parts of the world to experience different cultures and expressions of faith, serving in solidarity with locals on projects that provide basic needs and hope. Our trips focus on transformational opportunities for participants to encounter God’s mercy in others.

Contact:

JaVon Hansknecht

javon.hansknecht@stfrancisraleigh.org | 919-847-8205 x270

Service Opportunities

Helen Wright Center for Women Dinner

Serves dinner on the first Saturday and third Wednesday of each month at this emergency shelter for women experiencing homelessness.

For Saturday Dinners contact:
Akash James
2akashjames@gmail.com

For Wednesday Dinners contact:
Lisa Demunyk
ldemuynck10@gmail.com

and

Kate Griffith

Contact:

Akash James (Saturday Dinners) – Lisa Demunyk and Kate Griffith (Wednesday Dinners)

Service Opportunities

Habitat for Humanity

Join us as we collaborate with Habitat for Humanity to work toward our vision by building strength, stability and self-reliance in partnership with families in need of decent and affordable housing. Volunteers work alongside soon-to-be homeowners in the construction of their new homes.

Contact : Will Connelly & Mike Stevens

Service Opportunities

Contact:

| willbconnelly@gmail.com

Mike Stevens | michaelstevenscpa@yahoo.com

Service Opportunities

Fair Trade and Alternative Gifts Market

Our annual Fair Trade and Alternative Gift Market is in November. This event provides an opportunity to purchase fair trade and alternative gifts from a variety of vendors that ensure fair wages and dignity for vulnerable people around the world. There is a parish leadership team tasked with planning, leading and promoting this event.

Contact : Javon Hansknecht (919) 847-8205 x 270

Contact:

Donation Drives

We coordinate a number of drives: food for local food pantries, supplies for migrant farm workers, and school supplies and backpacks for children. We also coordinate an Advent Giving Tree for local organizations, families, and ministries.

Contact : Ashley Watson 919-847-8205 x 489

Contact:

Curbside Care

Collects items and provides care packages for distribution among the poor

Contact:

Alyson Zwerneman, Margaret O’Brien

alysonzwerneman@gmail.com, emob1108@gmail.com

Service Opportunities

CROP Hunger Walk

The annual CROP Hunger Walk, taking place in October, raises awareness of issues of hunger and food insecurity in our local and international community. In addition to walking, optional fundraising goes to support local and international organizations addressing these very issues. Opportunities exist to walk, donate, or join the leadership team.

Contact : JaVon Hansknecht (919) 847-8205 x270

Contact:

Care for Creation

The Creation for Care Ministry strives to meet the challenges from scripture, from Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Sí, and from our Franciscan roots to respond to “The Cry of the Earth and the Poor”. We suggest changes in our individual daily lifestyles, encourage changes and improvements in the ways our parish impacts the environment, and participate in organizations that advocate on the local and state level. Ministry options include our parish Community Garden, a local CSA (Community Supported Agricultural) program, or regular collaborations with community organizations.

Care For Creation

Contact : Pam James

Contact:

Service Opportunities

 

Mass Schedule

Saturday Vigil | 5:30 pm

 

Sunday Masses | 7:15 am, 9:00 am, 11:45 am, 5:30 pm

 

Daily Mass | 9 am (Monday – Friday)
Daily Mass is held in the chapel  except on Wednesdays during the school year.

Sacrament of Reconciliation
Saturdays | 4 – 4:45 pm
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Contact Us
11401 Leesville RoadRaleigh, NC 27613
Office Hours

Monday – Friday
9am – 4pm

Assisi Café Hours

Monday – Friday Mornings
8:30 am – 10:30 am
(closed during the summer)

Monday – Friday 8:30am-10:30am
(closed during the summer)

 

Saturdays 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
(During Youth Basketball 

Nov-Feb)

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