Catholic Daughters of the Americas – Court Saint Anne #2575 – was chartered on October 21, 2006. We donate to charities, provide opportunities for our youth programs and strive to “be helping hands” in our parish and community. Our members mainly attend Holy Spirit, but not exclusively. We meet at 9:00 a.m. on the second Saturday of the month in the Parish Community Center. Our court is involved in many ministries in our parish and in the community. Our meetings and membership are open to all Catholic women 18 or older.

Founded in 1881, the Knights of Columbus is the largest Catholic Fraternal Organization in the world, with over 1.8 million members.  The order was founded by a Catholic priest, with several aims such as strengthening the faith of Catholic men, uniting them in service to the Church and community, and providing for the financial needs of families in the event that the father passed away.  Membership in the Knights is open to all Catholic men age 18 or older. 

 The main principles of the order are Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism.  The financial strength of the Knights rests with its insurance program.  Protecting Catholic families with insurance has been a central part of the Knights mission since its founding.

 The Knights supports all parts of parish activities. They provide financial support to Catholic educational institutions, members of the Clergy and Seminarians. They also serve the community through the Knights Community Hospital Equipment Lend Program (KC-HELP), which provides free in-home hospital equipment for anyone who needs the equipment if it is not covered by insurance.

 To learn more about our local council and its activities, visit the website at www.rc.net/washington/kofc10653

The Knotty Ladies & Gents is a group of women (and sometimes men) from Tri-Cities parishes who gather once per month to make beaded rosaries for distribution to Third World countries. The group raises money by selling rosaries in local parishes.

All women of our parish are members of the women’s group. There are no dues or meetings, and everyone is welcome to help out. Activities supported by the women’s group include:

Serve lunch at spring and fall church cleanups

Conduct the spring and fall rummage sales

Host the annual summer parish picnic

Bring food, set up tables, and handle cleanup for funeral meals provided for parish families

Sponsor & set up “Teddy Bear Tree” at Christmas

Put together items, set up and conduct the Christmas Raffle for fundraising efforts

Adopt a family at Christmas

Coordinate the annual parish Epiphany Party

Each year at Christmas we (as groups or individuals) adopt a family, providing them with food and a gift for each family member. Our Thanksgiving collection is given as gift certificates for use at an area grocery store to assist these adopted families. 

The Women’s Group gathers names from the community and matches Holy Spirit families/groups with them.

Children are a gift and a blessing from God.  It is the purpose of the nursery to care for and educate all children with the respect due to any of His creations. We will achieve this by having loving staff members.

The nursery has a paid part-time supervisor and volunteer staff. The nursery serves children 1½ to 3½ years of age and is open on Fridays for Wives in prayers, Sundays for morning Mass, and other parish activities.

The Christmas Raffle is organized by the Women’s Group to collect money for the Adopt-a-Family and other projects. 

In December after select Masses, raffle items are displayed and raffle tickets are sold. The Women’s Group needs help with donations of raffle items, the display of the items, and the selling of tickets.

The Cursillo has a goal to change the world, remake the world in Christ and restore all things to Christ. The Cursillo has a strategy of structuring and supporting Christian life in every environment. This program involves a weekend program, which is followed by small and large group meetings for prayer, sharing and teaching.            

The Women’s Group coordinates all the details of the annual Epiphany Party after Christmas to commemorate the adoration of the magi and to celebrate the manifestation of God to man. 

At Holy Spirit Parish, each family planning a funeral is provided with a meal following the service. There are two ways to help with this compassionate and caring ministry: Volunteer to provide food or help by serving the meal. Volunteers are placed on a list and you will be called in rotation as needed. This ministry can always use more hands.

Our mission is to provide resources to inspire, enlighten and enrich the members of our parish and the faith community.  Join our library ministry and share your special skills:

• Review new and donated materials for our collection.
• Help us develop our youth and children's collections.
• Maintain material checkout files.
• Shelve new and returned materials.
• Process new materials with labels, cards and pockets.
• Help order new items and library supplies.
• Volunteer before and after Mass to be in the library to help others find materials.
• Help us with overdue notices.
• Help us with data entry in maintaining and updating our library database.
• Use your communication skills to promote library materials and the use of our library.

Marriage Encounter is a positive and personal experience that offers couples techniques for loving communication, which they can use for the rest of their lives. It is an opportunity to look deeply into your relationship with each other and God.

Marriage Encounter weekends are held at various times throughout the Diocese. There are support groups and social activities held on a local level for encountered couples. Marriage Encounter enables you to make a good marriage better.

We hold an annual Parish Picnic each summer at Howard Amon Park in Richland.  The Women’s Group organizes this event. Many hands are needed for the picnic to be a successful, fun-filled event for our parishioners.

Volunteers are needed to go to the park early, post our permit, gather tables into the area for food service and stay at the park until the picnic is underway. Others are needed to help with preparing the food, coordinating and running the games for children and adults, and cleaning up.

Twice yearly, the Women’s Group holds a rummage sale (fall and spring). We need volunteers to set up and work at the sale. Donations of household items, clothing, and miscellaneous items are solicited for sale.

Each Wednesday evening during Lent, the parish hosts a soup supper. This ministry coordinates the supper with groups who prepare the soup, serve the meal, and clean up after the meal. Individuals bring bread to share at their table. A short program follows the meal.

Each Friday, a team of two to four people gathers to fold the weekly bulletin, add inserts, staple attachments as needed, and place the bulletins around the church in the assigned places.

Bulk mailings are done three to four times a year for the “Voice of the Spirit” newsletter and at the end of the summer when Religious Education registration packets are sent. Other special letters or information may be sent to all parishioners.

Plan to spend about one to two hours to put out a mailing. It is fun to sit and visit with others while doing this simple but necessary task. This is a ministry of service that touches many lives.

Special skills are any kind of talent you may have that isn’t specifically described within any of our ministries. Whether it is advertising, computer, accounting, painting, or any other talent, please identify your special skills and offer them to our parish.

Voice of the Spirit is a parish newsletter that is published twice per year. It covers items of interest in the parish, focusing on many aspects of our parishioners and their lives and activities.

Participation in putting out this newsletter includes writing, contributing photos, getting it to the printer, and mailing. The newsletter is provided to all registered parishioners.

This is a paid position responsible for assisting anyone renting the PCC by providing information, completing required paperwork, insuring that users are trained in lighting and kitchen use, and rules for use of the hall.

The scheduler coordinates five of the Mass ministries: Altar Servers, Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Greeters and Projector Operators. The contact rosters for these ministries are kept current and advance schedules are provided to all ministers.

The wedding coordinator assists the families of the bride and groom with the details and logistics of holding a wedding at the church. Duties include planning for the rehearsal and ceremony; communicating with musicians and photographer; setting up the vestibule, and any other tasks, as needed.

Hunger exists every day in our community. Holy Spirit parishioners have an opportunity each time they come to church to drop nonperishable food in the designated Food Bank box in the vestibule. Each week, the donated food is delivered to the Tri-Cities Food Bank for distribution.

KC Help stands for Knights Community Hospital Equipment Lend Program. We provide at no charge, in-home hospital equipment from bedpans to wheelchairs for anyone who needs equipment that is not covered by their insurance.

The purpose of this ministry is to share the Word of God with inmates at the Benton County Jail through the Holy Scriptures. Members of this ministry meet with inmates for approximately 45 minutes twice per week.

Volunteers bring bulletin inserts and other appropriate reading material for the inmates. Coming to the meeting is voluntary for inmates and requires them to use a portion of their limited free time, but discussions are very meaningful.

Deacon Eric Shaber

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY

Our group works year-round to provide assistance to those in need within our community.  By conducting home visits using teams of two or more Vincentians, we are able to assess the real needs of our clients and determine the best help to provide.

If you hear the cry of the poor, please consider joining our organization. We have many different roles to fill with no experience required!

The Finance Committee promotes good stewardship through management of parish financial resources. The Finance Council is a consultative body that assists the pastor in parish financial management.

The Finance Committee supports the good governance of the parish by providing accountability to the diocese and parishioners. Members should have knowledge of parish resources, mission, goals, and Diocesan statutes and policies regarding financial matters.

The Parish Pastoral Council is the advisory and consultation council of the pastor.  The pastor governs the parish with the help of the Parish Pastoral Council, whose guiding concern in all of its deliberations is a commitment to self-sacrificing communion and stewardship. 

The council works closely with the pastor to make decisions on the Pastoral Plan for the parish, plan activities, resolve differences among parish organizations, guide financial activities, and strive for the common benefit of the parish community.  Through the council, the pastor seeks to strengthen parish unity and mission around Jesus Christ and the Gospel. 

The Stewardship Committee is dedicated to fostering a spirit of service among the members of our parish. As stewards of God’s gifts and graces, we are called to share our time, talent and treasure to serve others in God’s name that they might come to know Him through our actions. One of the objectives of the ministry is to match volunteers to ministries that could use their talents. The committee meets monthly.

The Welcoming Committee strives to make Holy Spirit a place where new parishioners feel like they belong. This is a great ministry for a friendly person who would like to be able to serve from their own home and on their own schedule.

Camp Breakaway – held at Camp Koinonia in Cle Elum – is a weeklong Catholic summer camp for students entering grades 6 through 9.

The Children’s Choir is open to all grade-school children who love singing God’s praises. They rehearse after Religious Education classes Tuesday afternoons. They sing at one of the Masses about every two months, switching off between the various services.

The annual Christmas Pageant is held on a Sunday afternoon in December, following two Saturday morning practices.

High school church league basketball runs from November to end of the February/early March and is open to high school youth not playing on a school team. The only requirements are that students attend Mass and Life Teen. 

Edge (Middle School Faith Formation) is held on Sunday evenings from 7:00-8:30 p.m. for youth in grades 6, 7, and 8.

Elementary Religious Education classes meet on Tuesday afternoons from 4:00-5:15 p.m.  Open to children in pre-school (age 4 by September 1 of the current school year) through grade 5.

Life Teen is a Catholic youth ministry that incorporates Catholic beliefs, interactive activities and social events.  Life Teen (High School Faith Formation) is held Sunday evenings from 7:00-8:30 p.m. for youth in grades 9 through 12.

Each Sunday after the evening Mass during the Religious Education year, a meal is served to Edge and Life Teen members. Three crews of volunteers offer their time once every three weeks to serve God by serving His people. An enjoyable ministry open to all parishioners.

Vacation Bible School is held from 9:00 a.m.-noon Monday-Friday for one week during the summer, usually June. It is open to children age 4 by June 1 through grade 5 of the school year just completed

OCIA is the formation process for those who are seeking to become members of the Catholic community. It is a formation process rather than just an instruction class. Although it does have instruction as part of the process, the focus is on conversion and initiation into the community of faith. The hope is that those wanting to become Catholic will not only learn about what it means to be Catholic, but that they will also experience the faith of those who are already members of the Church.

Each catechumen has a sponsor who journeys with them through the process. The role of the sponsor is to share his or her faith journey with the catechumen. Please contact the office if you would like to become a sponsor. People interested in our Catholic faith may inquire anytime.

he Scripture study is a parish-based program that leads people to a greater understanding of the Bible and awareness of God’s living presence in sacred Scripture and shares an appreciation of how the Bible can be applied to daily life. Benefits include:

• Fuller understanding of the Bible.
• Richer appreciation of the faith tradition of the Church.
• Stronger understanding of the connection between faith and life.
• Deeper, more personal relationship with God.
• Fuller experience of Christian community.

There are four essential elements of our Scripture Study:

• Daily personal study: 20 minutes each day reflecting on an assigned section of the Scripture.
• Weekly small-group sharing: Wednesday mornings, 9:00-11:00 a.m. or Wednesday evenings, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
• Wrap-up lecture: 50-minute video lecture following the small-group discussions to develop and clarify the themes of the lesson.
• Prayer: The most essential element, which consists of daily personal prayer and shared prayer.

Video-based studies are offered at the church in the fall and range from 8 to 10 weeks in length.

This group of people is responsible for the maintenance needs of the church buildings and grounds. There is a steering committee that looks at long-term maintenance needs (such as a new roof, upgrading lighting system, etc.) and plans these into the church budget. There is also a ministry head that responds to everyday maintenance needs by calling on volunteers.

If you have skills you are willing to share as a volunteer, such as a plumbing, painting, electrician, locksmith, etc., please let us know. Help in this ministry is always needed.

This kitchen needs a cadre of folks who regularly do a thorough cleaning, beyond that done at the end of every use. Volunteers will also be responsible for reorganizing and getting rid of low use items to help keep the kitchen clean and uncluttered.

As our PCC ages there will be more work to do. Repainting door frames, changing light bulbs, easy faucet fixes, storage room shelving, and investigating leaks in the furnace condensate drainage system are examples of the chores that periodically need doing. Please let us know if you are willing to help with this kind of maintenance.

Most years, sprinkler repair involves replacing a sprinkler head that has been damaged, or adjusting a sprinkler so it shoots in the right direction or range.

Each spring there is a task to turn the system on and make sure it is working correctly. Please let us know if you are willing to help with this seasonal job.