DuPage P.A.D.S.

From the DuPage Pads Vision Statement:  "DuPage P.A.D.S. is recognized in DuPage County for providing temporary shelter, transitional and permanent housing for people without homes. We design, implement and manage programs and services for men, women and children who are homeless.  We encourage responsibility and offer opportunities for self sufficiency.We advocate against barriers that cause homelessness. We share knowledge with the community. Vital to this commitment is our collaboration with religious and community groups in DuPage County."

Every Thursday from October to April, St. Mary's parishioners participate in the ecumenical program of P.A.D.S. located in West Chicago. St. Mary's Parish is responsible for providing breakfast, a sack lunch, and dinner on the first Thursday of each month. Volunteers are needed to prepare these meals, as well as to do laundry and supervise activities at the site every Thursday. 

Eucharistic Ministry to Shut-Ins

Parishioners are invited to reach out to the homebound through visits and sharing of the Eucharist, to ensure that the homebound and the sick stay connected to the St. Mary's Parish community.

Food Pantry

St. Mary's participates in the Northwestern DuPage Walk-In Ministry, and is one of three sites of this consortium of DuPage County churches that provides food and limited financial assistance to those in need. The St. Mary's Food Pantry serves residents of West Chicago, Winfield and Warrenville. The facility is located on Garden Street, in the building behind the church.

Missions

St. Mary's parish regularly participates in the Diocese of Joliet's Medical Mission, as well as its Catholic Construction Corps Mission.  Parishioners participating in these missions have traveled to Bolivia and Ecuador. Our missionaries have also participated in missions based in the United States,  working at natural disaster sites, at local home repair sites within the diocese, and with the Navajo nation in the southwest.