Parish Social Ministry

Community & Parish Partnerships

Empowering Parishes to Live Out Gospel Values in Partnership Catholic Charities

 

Contacts: Elizabeth Lilly, (408) 325-5262,
elilly@catholiccharitiesscc.org

Rubén Solorio, (408) 325-5129,
rsolorio@catholiccharitiesscc.org

Address:
2625 Zanker Road, San Jose, CA 95134

Description and Services:
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County supports parishes to fulfill the Church’s mission to live out gospel values and Catholic Social Justice Teaching in collaboration with others in our community.  Parish Social Ministry empowers parishioners to respond to needs in a communal, organized, and sustainable way. Services include:

  • Education: forums, workshops, presentations, JustFaith®, JustMatters®,and Step Up Silicon Valley Poverty Simulations
  • Leadership Development: JustSkills®, parish consultation
  • Organizational Development: consultation for parish human concerns outreach teams and parish staff
  • Direct Service: we link parishioners (including teens and children) with service opportunities with Catholic Charities clients
  • Advocacy: skill building and opportunities for advocacy on issues in the areas of housing, education, health care, immigration and budgets to reduce poverty

Most education programs are sponsored by parishes. Leadership and Organizational Development are on-call for mutually agreeable times.  Service and advocacy events are on-going and sometimes seasonal.


Parishes are encouraged to become partners with Step Up Silicon Valley – Campaign to Cut Poverty to strengthen their outreach and advocacy related to the local issues of food, health, housing, education and income.