Ways to Give as We Approach the Advent Season

During the weekend of November 23 and 24,  a tree will be placed in the Church with tags containing the names and addresses of each seminarian for the Archdiocese of Washington. Take a tag and send a Christmas greeting to support those men preparing for the Priesthood. You may choose to include a small monetary gift or a gift card. Remember to mail early since most seminarians go home for Christmas! If you have any questions, please contact the Parish Office.
  On the weekend November 30 and December 1, our parish will collect new, unwrapped toys at all the Masses. All of the toys our parish collects will be donated to Christmas Connection, a consortium of agencies led by Charles County Children’s Aid Society, to be distributed to children of needy families in Charles County. Boxes will be at the entrances of the church for your donations. Thanks for making a less fortunate family’s Christmas brighter than it might otherwise be.
  Gabriel Network has been helping women and children in Maryland and Washington, D.C. for more than twenty years, inspired by Christ to realize a culture of life through loving service to the women and families in our communities challenged with a crisis pregnancy. Gabriel Network empowers a network of Christian churches to “adopt” pregnant mothers and families in need by providing practical, emotional and spiritual support through pregnancy and beyond through three programs: a help line, church-based ministry, and housing ministry. The idea of Gabriel Network originated in Texas in the early 1990s when a single church community erected a sign offering support to pregnant women. They were soon inundated with phone calls. Taking inspiration from the angel Gabriel, it was called the “Gabriel Project.” In 1995, following the recruiting and training of volunteers at several Christian churches, the first Maryland Gabriel Project church sign was erected, advertising a “1-800” referral line and pledging support to women in need of help. In the years that followed, many Christian churches joined the Gabriel Project by forming volunteer teams, putting signs in front of their churches, or supporting the effort financially. These teams of "Angel Friends" have served thousands of women and children in Maryland and DC and continue to do so today. Eventually, the consistent need for stable housing for pregnant mothers drove the Gabriel Project to obtain and maintain maternity homes throughout Maryland. Beginning in 1998 and continuing to the present, Gabriel Network has operated maternity homes in Bowie, Silver Spring, Annapolis, Baltimore, Ellicott City, and Gaithersburg. Hundreds of women and children have been lovingly served through these homes in the last 15 years. Over the years, Saint Peter’s parishioners have donated over $55,000 to Gabriel Project through the monthly collection.

Women from our area are served by the maternity home in Bowie. While the home is structurally sound and adequate to house 4 women and babies at a time, there are necessary upgrades that need to be taken care of. New furniture, electrical upgrades, and replacement flooring are high priorities. A clean environment is certainly healthier for the mothers and their children.

This Advent you can find small stockings at the church doors. If you are looking for a good way to be charitable this Christmas, please consider placing an offering in the stocking and returning it in the regular offertory collection or bringing it by the Parish Office at your convenience.