St. Pascal's Social Justice and Caring Committee

St. Pascal Baylon parish members have many opportunities to help make the world a better place. Service projects coordinated for parishioners include feeding and clothing the poor, and scheduling semi-annual visits of the Red Cross Bloodmobile to the parish. Our Social Justice & Caring Committee also keeps parishioners informed of current social justice issues and activities. They work both independently and collectively with other churches to address the needs of those who are unable to care or speak for themselves. Several times a year, the SJCC organizes the We Care Campaign, an outreach program to allow parishioners to learn about and contribute to carefully selected charitable organizations.

For more information about St. Pascal's Social Justice and Caring Committee, please email Kim Roering or call her at 651.774.1585 ext. 128.

Donation Closet

June Collection: Listening House

During the month of June, items will be accepted in the parish donation closet for Listening House, a day shelter and community center located at 464 Maria Avenue in St. Paul (in the lower level of the First Lutheran Church).

It provides hospitality, practical assistance, and counsel to people who are unsheltered or in need. Staff and volunteers aspire to create a sense of community and connection by promoting respect for all and to help guests make changes to improve their condition. The following items will be assembled into Compassion Kits during the Celebration of Service, Commitment, and Generosity on June 24 at St. Pascal’s. It is important that the items are SMALL, INDIVIDUAL SIZES to be placed in a quart-sized Ziploc bag.

Bottles of Water—8 oz. or 16 oz.
Cup O Soup
Plastic Spoons
Fruit Snacks
Fruit Cups
Granola Bars
Raisins (1 oz. boxes)
Trail Mix—Individual Snack Packs or Bars (1-2 oz.)
Peanuts/Cashews/Almonds (Individual Packs, 1-2 oz.)
Mini Beef Sticks (1 oz. sticks)

Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative

Unlock the Metro!

Some time ago parishioners were asked to gather any old keys, especially house keys that are no longer of use. Now is the time to find a home for them.

Starting the weekend of April 29-30 there will be a container in the Gathering Space where you can deposit your keys. Alongside the container will be flyers entitled "Unlock the Metro!" Read the flyer to learn more about Project-Based Vouchers and how they are the key to providing deeply affordable housing for families. This simple act is putting faith into action. Questions? Contact Ann Karner at [email protected] or Julie Moore at [email protected].

BE THE VOICE FOR HOME!

The Bring it Home Minnesota bill, which is a rental subsidy for those Minnesota residents who qualify, is gaining momentum!

There was a House Committee meeting 2 weeks ago, which resulted in overwhelming support from both Chairs. A committee meeting in the Senate is planned next week.

Speaker Hortman and Senate Majority Leader Dziedzic will determine budget targets in the next week and this is why we need your assistance. We need a huge housing target—otherwise Bring it Home Minnesota will not happen. There are a couple of ways to contact both Speaker Hortman and Senator Dziedzic.

Call (you most likely will be leaving a message or talking with a legislative aide) OR Email (use email form below):

Speaker Melissa Hortman: 651.296.4280 or [email protected]

Senate Majority Leader Kari Dzieczic: 651.296.7809 or https://www.senate.mn/members/email-form/1193

Sample Message

Dear (Speaker Hortman/Senator Dziedzic)

My name is _______ and I am a member of Beacon Collaborative and part of the Bring it Home Minnesota campaign.

With the increased surplus, I believe now is the time to go big on housing. Will you support a $2 billion housing budget plus a $1billion in housing bonds this year? Please support a large housing budget that includes Bring it Home Minnesota, a new rental assistance program.

Thank you

(Name, address)

Beacon Update

Beacon Interfaith Housing Cooperative just had their yearly Convening at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, in St. Paul. St. Pascals' was well represented both in person and on zoom.

The evening discussed all that was accomplished in the past 5 years and then kicked off their new 5-year plan.

Beacon will continue to build deeply affordable supportive housing in the Metro area. Beacon is proud to be part of the Homes For All Coalition and will carry shared policy forward to the legislation. We will also support legislative initiatives introduced by Minnesota Housing Partnership, Catholic Charities and other non-profit housing organizations with shared goals.
Continue with Bring it Home Minnesota legislation. This is a $1.5 billion legislation that would transform housing and make statewide rental assistance available to every eligible Minnesotan.
Continue to push hard for $500 million+ Housing Infrastructure Bonds, to create affordable housing--and would be the only state housing bonds available to non-profit organizations like Beacon.
In 2023 Beacon will introduce The Homeless Families with Children Act (HFCA) as an extension of the benefits of the Homeless Youth Act, originally passed in 2006. Families with children who have experienced housing insecurity depend on high quality trauma and DEI informed services to meet their specialized needs.

Unlock the Metro: This new campaign is to urge the Met Council to pass a 30-for-30 Project Based Voucher Policy to expedite the creation of deeply affordable housing in the suburban communities--and give every family real housing choices. More information to follow....

Questions? Contact Julie Moore or Ann Karner.