Ministries

Liturgical ministry is an excellent opportunity to fulfill your baptismal call of service to others. Our liturgies should utilize the talents and gifts that God has given this community to the fullest extent. Whether participation is through “behind the scenes” preparation and planning or through a public role of service within the Mass, parishioner contributions help our liturgies to be truly life-giving celebrations!  Please contact Narisa Lao

Altar Servers assist the priest during the liturgies. Their roles include carrying the processional cross and sometimes incense and candles. They hold the proper liturgical book for the presider and perform other functions that enable the celebration to flow in a reverent manner. This ministry is open to all youth and adults, 5^th grade or older. Training is required and provided. If you are interested please contact the parish office at 937-276-5954.

Eucharistic Ministers distribute the Body and Blood of Christ to fellow Catholics at Mass.  They assist with set up of Communion vessels prior to Mass, assist the celebrant with the distribution of Holy Communion, and properly clean and store the vessels after Mass. This ministry is open to those who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation. Training will be provided. If you are interested please contact the parish office at 937-276-5954.

Lectors proclaim the scripture at all Masses, Sundays and weekdays, and special liturgies, such as Vespers. The ministry of the lector is of utmost importance to the life of the Church, for the lector proclaims God’s living word. If you are interested please contact the parish office, 276-5954.

The Ministers of Hospitality Ushers and Greeters are there to greet current members and to assist/direct visitors. They are also there to help with members of the congregation who require special assistance.  At the end of Sunday Mass they distribute bulletins. If you are interested please contact Fred Schoenhofer.

Music Ministry There are many ways parishioners of all ages can become involved in music ministry, primarily through the singing assembly. Below is a description of how one can participate. If interested in any one of them please contact Narisa Lao.

• ADULT CHOIR: This choir leads the sung prayer of the community regularly for Sunday and major holydays throughout the year.
• INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC MINISTRY: Parishioners who play musical instruments are invited to consider sharing their talent with the community. Instrumentalists are always welcome, especially during the Christmas and Easter seasons.
• HANDBELL MINISTRY: Hand bell ringers contribute to our worship by periodically playing during Mass.
• CANTORING: The role of the cantor is to support and lead the singing assembly and to proclaim psalms. To this end cantors must be competent not only as singers but as leaders of prayer. Persons interested in becoming a parish cantor need not be members of any choir. Cantors provide leadership in singing Sunday and Holy Day Masses as well as parish celebrations of the Liturgy of the Hours.

The Bereavement Ministry will serve families who have lost a loved on e to death through the Catholic Communities of Northwest Dayton.  The members of the ministry are trained to provide comfort and support to the grieving families by giving them our time, hearing their thoughts, and sharing their tears.  The Funeral Committee sees that all is in order and ready for a Funeral Mass/service.  They prepare the altar and church for a Funeral Mass, serve as altar servers, and toll the bells.  Other duties include preparing the pall for the casket, handing out the liturgy aids, being Eucharistic minister, and ushering.  Contact Debbie DeBrosse, 276-5954, if you are interested in this very important ministry.

Volunteers bring Holy Communion to homebound parishioners and also to area nursing home patients on a weekly basis and on a schedule which is mutually advantageous to all. Service to the homebound at their residence is usually because of chronic medical or other circumstances that keep them from coming to church.  The ministry’s mission is to provide union with Christ, spiritual comfort, and ongoing contact with the parish. Contact Sue Seibert, 937-836-7535 at St. Paul, Matt Ruttle, 937-278-5815 at St. Rita and Curtis Kneblik, 937- 276-5954 at Precious Blood.

The overall goals of Precious Blood Parish Pastoral Council

• To serve as a vehicle of dialogue and communication among members of the Precious Blood Family.
• Encourage communication among all members of the parish and will resolve conflicts in the practical working out of programs of various committees, associations, and commissions.
• To provide advice and counsel to the Pastor.

Stephen Ministry is the one-to-one lay caring ministry that takes place in our parishes. Stephen Ministry lay caregivers are trained parishioners who are equipped to provide high-quality, confidential, Christ-centered care to people who are struggling from divorce, job loss, grief, illness, or some other life crisis.  Stephen Ministry Leaders assign a care giver who can best serve the parishioner who is in need.  Contact: Curtis Kneblic 276-5954 for St. Rita & Precious Blood, and Barb Franz, 836-4175 for St. Paul.

This is a shared ministry with the Sisters of the Precious Blood.  The ministry was established in order to increase literacy in the surrounding area. Literacy is critical for individuals wanting to improve their lives. The Center offers free, one-on-one tutoring to adults who desire to earn a GED, improve basic reading and/or math skills, or learn basic computer skills.Call the Brunner Literacy Center at 567-9600.

In honor of the founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, Precious Blood Catholic Church sponsors a monthly Dorothy Day Fellowship Dinner for all those in the area looking for good food and good fellowship. The dinners are usually held the last Sunday of the month from 1:00pm until 2:30pm in the school cafeteria. There is no cost. For more information contact Curtis Kneblik  276-5954.

God’s Garden is a volunteer-run garden that provides needy families with fresh locally-grown produce that they otherwise may not be able to obtain. The garden is a product of the efforts of parishioners from of all three parishes and is located on the St. Paul Parish grounds. If you are interested please contact Valerie Hagemeyer.

Qualified RNs provide free blood pressure screenings and information on blood pressure control to parishioners after Masses – at St. Paul on the 2nd Sunday of each month, at St. Rita on the 3rd Sunday of each month, and at Precious Blood on the last Sunday of each month.  Contact: Helen Neff, 836-4764 at St. Paul , Matt Ruttle, 278-5815 at St. Rita, and Luanne Springhart, 276-5954 at Precious Blood.

Precious Blood Parish sends clothes, shoes, coats, household items, blankets, toys, and children’s books to St. Bonaventure Indian Mission in New Mexico several times throughout the year.  The tribe lives in one of the poorest counties in the country and they are most appreciative of our efforts. Donations can be left in the usher’s room throughout the year.    If interested in helping with this ministry please contact Ruth and Don Simon at 937-770-1395.

Our three parishes have on Conference dedicated to serving the impoverished within their geographical parish boundaries.  A combined Conference works for greater efficiency to manage and run a food pantry, to arrange volunteers to provide meals to a homeless shelter, to organize and deliver food and Christmas gift baskets, and to offer financial assistance to those needing help.  If you are interested please contact:  Pat Lewis, 937-540-9565.