Ministry Descriptions
St. Columban offers various outreach services to members of the parish, the Loveland community, the Cincinnati area and throughout the country and world. If you, or anyone you know needs assistance, please call the parish office for help in any of the following areas.
- The Bethany House Women’s Shelter provides Sunday Brunch twice a month; works at the sponsored booth at their summer festival; and solicits, collects, and assembles donated items to make care packs for the residents.
- Bread for Ministry to the Sick bakes fresh loaves of bread for communion ministers to take while visiting the sick and shut in.
- The Bookbag Collection coordinates the donation of bookbags complete with school supplies for distribution to local food pantries and schools.
- Cards of Sympathy mails cards expressing sympathy to those in our parish following the loss of loved ones.
- Individuals, groups, and families sign up for Carolling for a Cause to do sing Christmas carols at local nursing homes.
- Christmas Giving responds to the needs of children, the elderly, and families by purchasing Christmas presents through the Giving Tree (individual gifts) or Assist a Family.
- Dinner to Go uses donated items to create complete meals for local food pantries. An example of these meals is the Italian Dinner Basket, including spaghetti, sauce, bread, Parmesan cheese, cookies, etc.
- Volunteers with Dinner on Us are called upon to provide meals for the sick and shut-ins, following deaths, surgeries, the arrival of newborns, etc.
- GLAD House (short for Giving Life A Dream) is an after-school and summer program for children whose parents are in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program.
- Volunteers with Helping HANDS do minor home repair and maintenance work for elderly and shut-in residents of Loveland, according to their expertise.
- A simple meal of soup and cheese sandwiches is held before the Holy Thursday church service. Volunteers with the Holy Thursday Soup Supper are needed to prepare food, set up, serve, and clean up.
- Holy Saturday Reception welcomes the newest members of the parish community following the Easter Vigil by providing appetizers for the reception.
- The Loveland Inter-Faith Effort (LIFE) consists of three programs:
- Individuals or families can volunteer to work at the Food Pantry by sorting food and filling orders on a monthly basis.
- Path to the Pantry brings needed items listed weekly in the parish bulletin to Mass on Sundays.
- Help the Chicken Cross the Road picks up chicken on Saturday mornings and drops it off at the LIFE Food Pantry.
- Mass Transit provides rides to doctor's appointments, Mass, the grocery store, etc. for those who need assistance with transportation.
- During Lent, Operation Rice Bowl collects money that is then donated to Catholic Relief Services.
- Quilters with Quilting for a Cause meet monthly to make quilts, bibs, etc. that are donated to hospitals, pregnancy centers, and shelters.
- During the Souper Bowl of Caring, donations collected on Super Bowl Sunday are given to the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati's Family Shelter.
- During the Warm Winter Coat Drive, donate new and slightly used winter coats, hats, gloves, boots, etc. for distribution to local service agencies.