Chair: Kathi Stolte - 585-738-7795 - [email protected]
Secretary: Maribeth Szilagyi - 585-943-6648 - [email protected]
Pastoral Associate Emeritus - Deni Mack - 585-288-2314 [email protected]
We meet on the 4th Monday of the month. Please join us!
Perinton Food Shelter Needs
Education for Action - Building A Beloved Community:
In 2020 parishioner, David Olivieri, U. of R. Simon School Professor, invited Assumption and Resurrection Social ministers to work with him on antiracism. Gloria Tries, Bill Wynne, Kathi Stolte and Deni Mack worked with David in designing and implementing an interview process of local leaders to collect their observation/awareness of local racism and antiracism in the past and present. We each interviewed and reported back collated responses from elected officials, school officials, industrial leaders, nursing home CEOs, religious leaders and more. See the data collected: http://bit.ly/Beloved-Community-Task-Force-Report. This report influenced the 2021 Perinton Comprehensive Plan. Deni Mack - 585-288-2314
Baked Food Sale: Benefits Joining Hearts & Hands student tuition in Kenya.
Blessed Sacrament Supper Program: Teams of Assumption volunteers serve every month with great care providing a hot, nourishing, sustaining meal for the hungry and homeless in the Southeast Rochester.
Children’s Sabbath is generally held in mid-October throughout the nation’s faith communities. Marion Wright Edelman’s Children’s National Defense Fund & The Children’s Agenda research and advocate for children in poverty and provide educational materials and worship aides. We are especially committed to children who are vulnerable because of poverty, racism, health inequities and trauma.
Consistent Life Ethic: addresses the wide spectrum of life issues by presenting with our parish groups study sessions, displays, service projects and advocacy on human trafficking, the environment, poverty, hunger and more, because justice is constitutive of the Gospel.
Ecumenical Charitable Outreaches: Deaconess Maggie’s Summer Camp, High School Service Group, Women’s Shelter Breakfast Team, Back to School Assistance, Project Urge, Eastern Service Workers Association and Habitat for Humanity. Deni Mack - 585-288-2314
Education and Advocacy: Our Diocesan Public Policy Committee researches and advises on issues needing legislation, i.e. child care subsidies for children of low income working parents, informative hand-outs, liturgy ideas, homily hints, universal prayer of the church (prayers of the faithful), and petitions for parishioners to consider signing to our legislators are offered to parishes in early February each year.
Fairport Good Neighbor Fund: Most local pastors & their delegates carry out the same ministry as Mercy Fund. The difference is FGNF is supported by and shared with most local faith communities. Recipients must be local or a member of one of the participating faith communities. Mark Renfrow is our current administrator.
Mercy Fund: Led by Veronica Gehrman and Betsy Frenzel at Assumption, is accessed daily and was especially active during the fire at Pines of Perinton and throughout its recovery. Household Needs: The team connect donated items to people in need, and arrange deliveries from donor to recipient. People in need are urged to call 585-388-0040, ext. 1343 Caring and Sharing: At Resurrection, call 223-5500, ext. 1342
GRCC Faith in Action: Each year we honor a parishioner at the annual Greater Rochester Community of Churches Faith in Action banquet. The honoree puts his or her faith into action through spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Also supported are other GRCC initiatives, i.e. burial ministry for people with no family nor resources, prayer at vigils in the city for victims of homicides and more.
GREEN Team: Dan Eisenhardt leads Resurrection and Assumption’s Care for God’s Creation work, sometimes referred to as the GREEN Team, and was initiated by Parish Pastoral Council in 2016. Also, Lori Coleman took an environment course that she shared with the Social and Outreach Ministry & our GREEN Team February and March, 2018. We work ecumenically.
Holiday Dinners: Ingredients for a holiday dinner are provided by parish volunteers for families or individuals for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Most of the recipients have been referred to us by local school nurses, social workers, our own Mercy Fund team and Pines of Perinton. Coordinating is done with Perinton Food Shelf and nearby churches. Maureen Nupp - 585-377-1237 and Veronica Gehrman - 388-5440
Matthew’s Closet: 316 Bay Street, Rochester, NY 14605 - 585-232-5160 Natalie Peak volunteers at this northeast Rochester ministry of clothing and supplies for needy people.
Prison Ministry of Upstate New York (PMUNY): Volunteer to offer Christian spiritual experiences in correctional facilities with a focus on a retreat experience called Residents Encounter Christ and a discussion group called Catholic Reflections. Tom and Gloria Treis, 585-223-7166 or [email protected].
The Saint and the Sultan Christian-Muslim Dialogues: Assumption hosted weekly meetings of Muslims and Catholics from November 9, 2017 to May 18, 2018. Muslim film maker Mara Ahmed showed her work to a wide parish gathering. Attendees of dialogues attended From Strangers to Neighbors at the Islamic Center of Rochester. A 15 year old Muslim girl initiated, organized, publicized and hosted this 400 person celebration of Muslim immigrants stories and foods. Also, while still in high school she spoke at Temple B’rith Kodesh of her grief over the massacre at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, expressing what was on the hearts of over a thousand people of all faiths gathered in pain to join in prayer with all who grieve in solidarity at the temple. Again, the Rochester community came through in interfaith support. Our Muslim neighbor hosted our entire group of 30 at her home for lunch on our second of 30 meetings. Another Muslim spoke of her unarmed civilian father being killed in Bosnia by a Croatian Catholic! All of the Muslims who participated continue to be our good friends.
Kenyan Education Mission - JOINING HEARTS AND HANDS: Joanne and Bill Cala, [email protected], founded this ministry and have directed information sessions at Assumption. Our parishioners, the Congdons, gathered family and parishioners, Stephanie Zielinski and Deni Mack to go with the Calas to Kenya in January, 2009 to bless the school built with the memorial fund raised in honor of Marilyn and Terry’s daughter, Hannah Congdon. Many parishioners support scholarship students, eye clinics, orphanages, schools and small independent start up self-help businesses in Kenya that the Calas inspire, generate and empower.
Martin Luther King, Jr. & Week of Prayer for Unity Lecture: In 2014, along with Perinton Pastoral Association, we presented Rev. Dr. Martin McMickle, president of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School (CRCDS); 2015 Rev. Dr. William Wilkinson, and in 2016 Rev. Marilyn Cunningham. The latter 2 speakers pastor congregations in the Shelter St., Flint St. neighborhood, Rochester and are active members of RocACTS. In 2017, LaShondra Jones from Connected Communities in the Beechwood area, spoke of Leonard Brock’s Anti Poverty Initiative. On Jan 9, 2018, Rev. Wanda Wilson spoke here to an enthusiastic crowd. She was one of our Sacred Conversations on Race facilitators, pastors an inner-city congregation and is one of the leaders of Education for Action: Black and White Churches Against Racism. In 2019, we presented Rev. Dr. Marvin McMickle again and in 2020, Rev. Dr. Angela Sims, new president of CRCDS. In 2023, we presented at First Congregational UCC Church on Church Street, Tiffany Porter, founder of Black in the Burbs service and aide ministry and Justice Initiatives, who helped bring about the Tenants Union at Pines of Perinton, after years of neglect by management of repairs and rodent infestations.
Perinton Food Shelf: Emergency food relief serving Fairport and Perinton. Food is donated by churches, schools, and civic organizations along with money for fresh food. A bin in the church foyer is for food collection and each month a parish Social Ministry volunteer delivers food to the food shelf. Food is delivered to Eastern Service Workers Association in November and December for holiday baskets.
Family Promise: Sue Owens - 585-734-5085 (formerly RAIHN - Rochester Area Interfaith Hospitality Network) Family Promise is a not for profit, interfaith, culturally competent network of faith communities assisting housing deprived families to achieve sustainable independence. Families are supported with tailored services including shelter, food, personalized case management and a diverse network of caring volunteers. Since 2005, Assumption hosted families and opened our arms and church in hospitality for one week every three months. Due to COVID, the model has changed. Families are now provided alternative places to stay, and volunteers assist with meals, tutoring students, and other needs.
Refugee Resettlement
Sandy Wynne leads Kathi Stolte, Maribeth Szilagyi and Deni Mack sponsoring a family from Eritrea. Our team was trained by Catholic Family Center in 2017. Previously, an Assumption team sponsored a family from Myanmar, who are our dear friends to this day.
Right to Life:
Compass Care Walk for Life: Dan & Maria Mruzek - 377-3234
A pledge gathering walk in May to raise funds for Compass Care Pregnancy Center which assists abortion vulnerable women to choose life. The walk is a family festival that is held at the Bowl at Highland Park with music food and games.
Margaret Home: Paula Belemjan - 585-673-8008
The Margaret Home is a residential program that empowers pregnant and parenting mothers by supporting their physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs so that they can heal, grow, and thrive.
Rochester Alliance of Communities Transforming Society (RocACTS)
Deni Mack 585-288-2134 and Barbara Green 585-330-2708
Collaborates with congregations and agencies to address the needs of the common good. In keeping with our biblical mandate to feed the hungry, RocACTS effectively organized a “raise the wage” campaign and was able to convince those responsible for allocating money for child care subsidies for working poor to see that those families received the money due them, by law, for their hungry families.
Dr. Deni Mack chairs RocACTS Religious Leaders Caucus facilitating a sharing of best practices on justice issues, i.e. St Rita's effective antiracism programs, former Diocesan Director of Social Ministries Ruth Marchetti's wisdom on Climate Justice putting the Pope Francis encyclical Laudato Si into action and Southeast Catholic Communities (St Mary's, Blessed Sacrament and St Boniface) ministries among homeless and the hungry.
Deni and Barbara Green are on RocACTS Strategic Planning Committee. Our parishioners are invited to join a RocACTS Task Force (Education, Voting Rights (non partisan), Poverty/Jobs/Housing, Climate Justice or Justice System). See the RocACTS website. Contact Barbara or Deni for info!
RocACTS is part of the Faith in Action National Network of Community Organizations throughout the USA, including the Cathedral Community, St Joseph’s, Penfield and St. Mary’s (downtown) as well as our own Church of the Assumption and Church of the Resurrection, Blessed Sacrament parish in Buffalo, whose pastor is a long-time leader in effective faith based community organization. Other members include pastors of black churches and a labor union.
RocACTS Task Forces on Criminal Justice, Education, Poverty/Jobs/Housing, and Climate Justice include people in poverty, the authentic witnesses to the injustice and plight of our world and locale as well as people from our faith communities and those with connections. One on one listening sessions on what this community and the wider community can and must do to address the crisis of poverty is one tool in the RocACTS kit to address system analysis and transformation. Our Social Ministry is Assumption’s RocACTS core team. Postcards re needed child care were presented to all candidates for Monroe County Executive in 2015. 35 Assumption parishioners attended the public action at which the candidates were presented the postcards and asked to respect & support families with low incomes who need child care in order to work. Several of us canvassed neighborhoods seeking supportive signatures. Several of us petitioned in front of the county office building for child care and quality early childhood education.
RocACTS worked with PLEX in 2016 helping senior citizens hold onto their homes in this period of increasing gentrification as these residents have been in their homes around 50 years and cannot afford to nor should they be forced to move as their assessments rise.
RocACTS in 2016 promulgated Sacred Conversations on Race (written by interfaith clergy in Ferguson, Missouri) seeking participants and facilitators for trainings to conduct the conversations with wisdom and grace.
In January 2017 RocACTS mounted an effective postcard and letter writing campaign to raise the age of incarceration ensuring youth are sent to juvenile facilities rather than adult prisons.
In 2017 RocACTS Religious Leaders Caucus created support and safety for individuals in targeted groups. RocACTS gathered 400 people in an inner city church in Nov. 2017 to witness politicians promising to address the need for an independent police accountability board, living wage for health care workers and child care assistance for low income working parents. It was a stunning event! Assumption addressed raising the wages for home health care workers June 9 & 10, 2018 with Fr. Ed introducing a video clip in a two minute talk at the end of masses. Our core team hosted coffee and info sessions in the Living Room afterward.
RocACTS held Candidate’s Nights in 2019 and is working against solitary confinement and for anti-racism, living wages, bail reform, and safe affordable housing.
Way of the Cross: We walk with our neighbors through the village of Fairport at noon on Good Friday, praying at places where suffering is alleviated. Some of us also participate in the inner city Cross Walk at 9:00 am, praying at places of violence and of healing. Both walks are ecumenical. Our Social Ministry committee loved leading Stations of the Cross one Friday night in Lent for many years. We all found it a wonderfully meaningful way to participate. Other parish ministries led the Stations on other Friday nights, i.e. Youth, Liturgy Committee, Adult Faith Enrichment and Building and Grounds. Now that COVID protocols permit we highly recommend that our ministries again be asked before Lent begins which Friday night they will lead Stations of the Cross.