Groups & Ministries

Altar Decorators: Volunteers who keep the altar clothes and altar linens clean and in good repair.

Altar Servers: Parish children and youth fifth grade and above who assist at Sunday Mass, weddings and funerals and other special celebrations as acolytes, cross bearers, and other servers.

Church Decorators: Parishioners who decorate and maintain the church with flowers and more for Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and other special occasions.

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: Parishioners who assist in the distribution of Holy Communion at Sunday, daily and funeral Masses and/or to people who are sick, homebound or hospitalized.

Lectors: Lead us in prayer by proclaiming the Word of God at Sunday, daily and funeral liturgies.

Ministers of Hospitality (Ushers):  Welcome people and assist the congregation with seating and approaching the Lord’s table for Holy Communion. They also take up the collection and distribute the Sunday bulletin and The Lourdes Letter.

Music Ministry: Many opportunities for adults and children to enrich our Parish Liturgies through music by joining our Adult English or Adult Spanish Choirs, or our Children’s Choir.

Wake Ministry: Bring the consolation and prayerful support of the parish community while visiting and leading the Wake Prayer Service for families who have experienced the loss of a loved one.

Adult Education: Various educational opportunities are offered throughout the year to encourage members of our parish to grow in their knowledge and understanding of our Catholic faith and the world around us.

Baptism Catechists: meet with parents and godparents of infants to be baptized.

Bethsaida Spirituality Center: offer hospitality to Christians within the diocese and beyond to participate in retreats, days of prayer and spiritual renewal. The building is also used by many parish organizations and committees and meetings and other activities. Advent and Lenten Retreats. Adult Education and Spiritual Renewal activities and also offered. Volunteers are needed to serve as hosts to welcome outside groups, to do clerical work, and to maintain and care for the building. For more information Click Here.

Bible Study Group meets most Monday mornings and evenings (two separate groups) to study various books of the Bible.

English as a Second Language is our program to teach English to non-English speaking people. Beginner and Intermediate classes are available

Hispanic Charismatic Prayer Group meets weekly for reflective discussions, song and charismatic prayer.

Hospitality Committee  plans and hosts the quarterly Hospitality Sunday gatherings in Stewart Hall.

Men’s Prayer and Fellowship Group is composed of men who meet in a relaxed and informal atmosphere to encounter Jesus in prayer, fellowship and faith sharing for spiritual refreshment, encouragement and renewal.

Post-Cana and Post-Baptism Program: provides follow-up for the sacraments of matrimony and baptism.

Religious Education Program provides Catholic religious formation and education programs for pre-school through seventh grades, as well as sacramental preparation for students through high school age seeking Communion and Confirmation. An RCIA process is also offered for students 7 years of age and older seeking Baptism into the Catholic faith.

RCIA: The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults is the process through which adults complete their entrance into the Catholic Church through the reception of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion. Catechists, sponsors, and others in the parish community journey with the candidates through classes in basic theology, liturgy and spirituality, as well as discussions and other helpful experiences.

Tamil Rosary Prayer Group: Our Tamil speaking community meets monthly for prayer.

Youth Group: Catholic young adults of high school and college age come together to pray, build friendships, share hopes and concerns, have fun through creative activities such as music, discussions, movies, trips, parties, retreats, etc., and explore ways to live the Gospel values in our challenging world.
Youth Group Facebook – Youth Group Instagram

Haitian Charismatic Prayer Group: meets weekly for reflective discussions, song, and charismatic prayer.

Spanish Study and Prayer Group: Study and reflect the Holy word, pray with the psalms. Advent and lent nights of reflection.

College Students/Young Adults: Meet several times a year for Discussion, socializing and prayer.

Magnificat Prayer Group A diverse English speaking prayer group that meets on Fridays for praising songs, prayers, reflection and study of the Scripture and fellowship. Meetings start at 7:30 p.m. at the Chapel Meeting Room.”

Filipino Community has several different groups to help build up the life of the members of the Filipino community in our parish.

Hispanic Committee is the group of Hispanic members of our parish appointed to plan events and programs for the Hispanic community of our parish.

Parish Life Committee plans and organizes social activities for individuals and families of our parish.

Rosary Altar Society fosters devotion to the Blessed Mother, enriching the spiritual lives of its members. It provides an opportunity for the women of the parish to meet and form friendships.

International Night Committee coordinates the annual International Festival with multicultural food and music.  It provides an opportunity to experience the various ethnicity of the parish.

Girl Scouts provide a safe and nurturing environment where girls can grow strong in assuming responsible roles as active citizens in their community and church.

CYO Sports Program: CYO activities are sponsored during the school year in basketball, track, swimming, at many different age levels.

Infant Wear Project is a group that meets to make infant wear that is donated to organizations in the diocese servicing women/families in need who have infants.

Respect Life Committee promotes the sacredness of life from conception to natural death. They seek to educate and assist parish members with all life issues.

St. Matthew’s Guild is the group of volunteers invited to serve the parish by counting the weekly collection and other parish monies.

Stewardship Committee seeks to encourage their fellow parishioners to use fittingly the gifts God has entrusted to them. As stewards we are to return a portion of those gifts (“the first fruits”) to God, to share our blessings with others, and use God’s gifts for the service of the entire community. This sharing of our time, talents and treasure becomes a complete way of life.

Evangelization Committee fosters greater appreciation for the beauty of our Catholic faith and greater desire in all parishioners to share their faith through active involvement in the parish. As a catalyst for the total evangelizing effort of the parish, the committee plans and coordinates activities to reach out, invite and welcome everyone, especially inactive or alienated members of the Church.

The Prayer Shawl Ministry: A group of women meet monthly to crochet and knit beautiful prayer shawls and baby blankets which are then given to any person in need of comfort, hope, or consolation. The recipient of the shawl is prayed for during it’s creation. It is blessed by a priest before being given out. Typically, shawls go to the sick, homebound, bereaved, nursing homes, or to be worn during prayer. They are also appropriate for celebrations such Marriage, Baptism. Prayer Shawls can be ordered in favorite colors, or colors related to various illnesses, (i.e. pink for breast cancer, red for heart, etc.)

The following seven services are part of our Outreach Program:

1. Bereavement Committee (part of our Consolation Ministry) offers the prayers of our parish through condolence cards sent to the family of the deceased. In addition, families are invited to a Memorial Mass in November and an evening of prayer in the spring.
2. Bereavement Support Groups (also part or our Consolation Ministry), meet in both English and Spanish to offer support to adults grieving the loss of a loved one. Groups meet monthly or at individually arranged times according to individuals’ needs.
3. Blood Drive twice a year a blood drive is held to assure and adequate blood supply for queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties. In addition to collecting pledges, volunteers assist on the day of the blood drive as needed.
4. Food Pantry receives large food deliveries from New York City, many organizations and parishioners, and organizes the distribution of food to needy families in our community. For more information Click Here
5. Homebound Program assists in the care of the elderly or sick in their home.
6. Ministry of Praise: Homebound men and women are installed as Ministers of Praise, given a certificate and prayer book, and commit to pray for the needs of our community. This allows for our homebound population to make a contribution to the community of which they were once a very active part. The petitions of our parish are brought to them by the Ministers of Holy Communion.
7. St. Vincent de Paul Society: Their mission is to create an opportunity for spiritual growth by service to the poor through personal contact.