Outreach Ministries

The focus of the Team is to foster an “evangelical leaven” in the parish by facilitating various activities where parishioners can more deeply encounter the living Jesus. We strive to help those in our community who have fallen away from their Catholic faith and to connect with those living in our surrounding community, Catholic and non-Catholic. Lastly, we plan to greet these people in their homes by going door-to-door to let them know of God’s love for them through His Church. We hope to do these things and much more. If you feel called to help others encounter the Lord more deeply, then the Evangelization Team maybe the place for you.

St. John Paul the Great Vocations Society of St.John Neumann Church seeks (1) to encourage and support those discerning, preparing for, or living out their vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life through prayer and practical action and (2) to raise awareness of vocations among parishioners, especially youth and their parents, to create a “culture of vocations” here at St. John Neumann.

Some of our projects have included:

• sending birthday cards to Archdiocesan seminarians
• supporting the Run for Vocations in the fall with our annual bake sale
• setting up the “Vocations Tree” each Lent
• gathering women to pray after Mass for vocations
• organizing vocations activities for middle and high school youth

We generally meet monthly on the second Sunday of the month for a potluck dinner with the whole family, followed by a meeting.

We welcome new members!

For information on priest vocations for the Archdiocese of Washington, please visit DCpriests.org.

Legion of Mary is an association of Catholic lay people who through the intercession of the Blessed Mother reach out to others so that they may know the love of Jesus Christ. Members achieve this through prayer and service. Works include door to door evangelization, and visitation of the sick or aged. Activities are usually done in groups of two. English Legion of Mary meetings are held every Sunday at 9:15 A. M in the Blue Room of the Catechetical Center of the Church. Spanish Legion of Mary meetings are held every Thursday at 6:30 P.M. at the Neumann House.

Prayer for Priests is a ministry where we unite in Prayer and sacrifice every Saturday from 8 to 8:30 A.M. to intercede for the Catholic Priesthood of Jesus Christ. Our priests sacrifice a lot for us and sometimes theirs is not an easy life. As a way of supporting them, this ministry prays for an outpouring of grace upon the priests in SJN and in the Archdiocese. We wish to express our love for our priests and provide them with the support and encouragement they deserve. Please come and join us!

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion to Sunrise Senior Living, Montgomery Village Health Care Center (MVHCC), and Shady Grove Hospital. Once a month attend Mass and distribute Holy Communion at a Communion Service and/or in the rooms of residents at one of these three locations and days:

1. Sunrise Senior Living on Sundays
2. Tuesdays
3. Montgomery Village Health Care Center on Wednesdays
4. Shady Grove Hospital on Wednesdays

Required EMHC training is provided by the archdiocese, and by pairing with another EMHC.

 The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic Lay organization, was founded in 1833 by Frederic Ozanam and a group of young students of the Sorbonne University in Paris. With the mentoring of Blessed Rosalie Rendu, the Society spread throughout Europe and arrived here in the United States in the 1850’s. Today we are present in 149 countries throughout the world with our Headquarters located in Paris, France. Members include men and women, young and old, of every race.

 Today, Vincentians work out of parishes in groups called Conferences. We gather together to grow spiritually, develop fellowship within our Conferences and, inspired by Gospel values, reach out to those living in poverty by bringing the hope of the Gospel to them by quietly and discreetly aiding individual/families by personal visits to those being served while advocating for social justice and always growing spiritually through the gift of self to others.  

 We meet the first and third Tuesday of the month at 7:00 P. M in the basement of the Rectory. We discuss our current cases and evaluate ongoing cases. As new cases arrive, two members, in imitation of Jesus sending forth His disciples, make a home visit to report back to the Conference for reflection and guidance. All meetings begin and end with prayer asking for God’s spiritual guidance during which a secret collection is made following the tradition established by our Founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam.  

 The SVDP is easy to join. The only qualification needed is a desire to join with others to help those in need. If in doubt, read Luke 10:25 – 37.….And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

The Gabriel Project is part of a grass-roots, faith-based non-profit support network that provides practical, emotional, and spiritual assistance to women and families facing crisis pregnancies in a spirit of Christian solidarity. Calls for assistance may come from our local headquarters or directly from the parish. The church coordinator then does the initial screening to determine what assistance is needed.    Angel friends (parish volunteers) then takeover in assisting the moms/families with whatever may be necessary such as providing transportation to medical appointments, baby care items and mentoring. Provision of the baby care items may be requested of the parishioners. SJN Parish may serve from one to several moms/families per year.

St. John Neumann Legislative Network members participate in public policy advocacy roles on many levels. They can opt to receive and respond to emails concerning legislation on social justice, pro-life, family and education issues. They are also encouraged to attend “Lobby Night” in Annapolis, a coordinated effort of the entire Archdiocese conducted in February to meet with Maryland legislators. Representatives of SJN Legislative Network may also volunteer to serve on the Justice and Advocacy Council which lobbies the Montgomery County Council. The Legislative Network is an outreach of the Archdiocese of Washington and the Maryland Catholic Conference.

This Fair Trade program is part of a network of local churches seeking to provide an ongoing outlet for the sale of coffee produced by Haitian farming co-operatives. Your purchase is directly in line with the Church’s social teaching on global solidarity with the poor. All profits from the sale of coffee go directly to the growers. The growers are then able to support their families through their own labor. New volunteers are always welcome to join our small sales and awareness team! For more information about the program visit: www.justhaiti.org