As members of a Christian community, Pastoral Home Care Visitors strive to be a compassionate presence to the sick and elderly. The Pastoral Home Care Volunteer is a person who, under the guidance of the Parish Coordinator, offers pastoral support to those who are sick and/or elderly and confined to their place of residence. The volunteer seeks to journey with the shut-in by being a spiritual companion to him/her. As such, the volunteer is often asked to pray with the shut-in, to offer Holy Communion, and to help nourish a relationship with God. They may also arrange for a priest to visit in order to administer the sacrament of the sick and/or confession. In this ministry, the Pastoral Home Care Volunteer represents the parish community of St. Thomas a Becket and serves to maintain a link between the person being visited and the parish community.

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a Pastoral Home Care Visitor through St. Thomas a Becket parish or if you know of somebody who would appreciate a visit please contact Ailsa Lee Loy 514-626-7265 or Susan Carroll 514-887-4365.

THE HELPING OTHERS COMMITTEE includes volunteer parishioners, one representative of the Fabrique, and the Pastor. Every other month there is a collection which is set aside for the Helping Others Fund. Together, the members study the various requests made to the parish and make proposals regarding the distribution of the funds. Each year, they seek the approval of the Fabrique for both the budget and the financial statement. In this way, on behalf of all parishioners, the Helping Others Committee can respond to the urgent needs of families in our area, and support both local and international charities and humanitarian organizations such as St. Raphael Palliative Care, NOVA West Island, Catholic Action Montreal, Nazareth House, and CNEWA Canada. In addition, a portion of the funds are set aside for our annual Christmas Giving Program.

LOCAL WEST ISLAND FOOD BANKS: If you would like to donate non-perishables we suggest the following locations:

Fonds d’Aide de l’Ouest-de-l’Île 21 rue Commercial, Roxboro H8Y 3K6         514-683-0456
West Island Mission 219 Labrosse, Pointe-Claire H9R 1A3                            514-912-6813
On Rock Ministries 9554 boul. Gouin O. Pierrefonds, QC H9H 0A3                514-696-1905
Mada West Island 15814 boul. Gouin, Sainte-Geneviève, QC H9H 1C4         514-342-4969

Contact the parish office at 514-626-4111 for more information.

Check the Knitpickers page for more details.

For 6 months of the year (Nov. to May) the ministry of the Angels of Mercy is to provide a healthy meal to over 100 homeless people who hang out in the park at the corner of Berri & St. Catherine streets as well as the corner of Atwater and Ste-Catherine. Every Sunday we head out with our boiling pot of soup. In the car on our way downtown, we put together 90 lunch bags consisting of a sandwich, a power bar and a juice box.

When we arrive downtown, the car doors & trunk fly open as we set out to serve a cup of soup from the trunk and distribute the lunch bags to the homeless who have lined up behind the car. A couple of volunteers walk the streets to find the homeless persons hidden from the cold & give them a lunch bag, inviting them back to the car for a hot cup of soup. Many of the homeless stay around to eat, chat & fill up on a second (or third) cup of soup. Other volunteers distribute gently used winter clothing, hygiene kits, gloves, hats, scarves, socks and underwear as we chat with our homeless brothers and sisters, hoping to brighten their day.

For more info, visit their website: www.helpfeedthehomeless.org or call Sarah Sajedi 514-827-6408.