Outreach

The parishioners of St. Charles Borromeo parish are actively engaged in the Catholic social mission. Our ministries include those in the areas of Advocacy, Community Involvement, Direct Service, Education, Health & Wellness, and International Solidarity.

Join the Advocacy Listserv on Google Groups Volunteer Opportunities
Advocacy

St. Charles works to effect change in the world through a number of ways. Our advocacy committees are made up of parishioners working to promote issues of concerns to the Catholic community on a local, state, national and international level. St. Charles advocacy group focuses on issues in line with the Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching, focusing primarily on the life and dignity of the human person, and the options for the poor and vulnerable.

For information about volunteering for advocacy, contact Dale Dean (deanpd@earthlink.net).

Community

St. Charles works with a wide number of service organizations in Arlington County. Many of these organizations offer ways to volunteer as part of the St. Charles community.

Direct Service

St. Charles’ parishioners reach out to the hurting, the Poor, and the vulnerable in our midst through concrete acts of Christian charity. If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please contact our Social Services Director, Jo-Ann Duggan (jduggan@stcharleschurch.org) 703-527-5500 ext. 34.

Education & Just Faith

St. Charles believes that formation and prayer are needed to inform all our actions in the world. Because of that, we offer many programs to teach Catholics more about our faith’s social teaching, and offer small faith groups in order to study our social teachings in a prayer-based community. If you would like to help in organizing speaker events, or any of these programs, please contact Marisa Vertrees (mvertrees@stcharleschurch.org) or Elizabeth McCormick (elizabeth_dakota@hotmail.com).

Health & Wellness

St. Charles offers a variety of health and exercise programs, which offer both opportunities for health services, as well as offering an opportunity for Christian community. All programs listed are free, although some may ask for a small donation for those able to give. For more information, or if you would like to volunteer to offer a health or exercise class, please contact Jo-Ann Duggan (jduggan@stcharleschurch.org) in the Parish Office.

International

St. Charles is a diverse community with many parishioners who were born outside of the United States, or who have lived or worked extensively with international projects. Because of that, we are uniquely positioned to have a wide variety of ways to respond to our faith’s call to love our neighbor, wherever he or she might be. These are the ways you can be involved in international ministries at St. Charles.

Outside Organizations:

Catholic Relief Services
Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. They are located in more than 100 countries, and provide a wide variety of ways to donate to their work overseas, as well as many educational materials. St. Charles supports CRS work whenever there is an international humanitarian disaster, as well as in other projects throughout the year, most notably Rice Bowl during Lent.
Commissioned by Christ
Commissioned by Christ (CBC) is a Catholic nonprofit organization that leads week-long Catholic mission trips for working adults and families. These trips are a wonderful opportunities for those who would like to deepen their faith through service or mission work, both in the US or abroad, but who are not able to leave the responsibilities God has entrusted to their care at home.