Jesus calls us to remain watchful and prepared, keeping the light of our faith burning brightly as we await His coming.
Bereavement Ministry
The Bereavement Ministry provides support during the difficult time of losing a loved one. Assistance is offered in planning the funeral liturgy, coordinating activities with the church, funeral home, musicians and celebrant. In this way, families are enabled to plan a service that is personal, meaningful and comforting to them. A brochure to help guide you through your funeral planning process is available at the link below. Please contact Patrick Demers at 407-647-3392 for more information. Click here for the Funeral Planning Guide.
Bereavement Support Group
“Blessed Are You Who Mourn, For You Shall Be Comforted” – GriefShare is a Faith-based Bereavement Support Group that meets in local churches. They welcome anyone who is grieving the death of a loved one. They are there to offer hope, strength and consolation during this difficult time. To find locations and dates go to https://www.griefshare.org/ and enter your zip code.
Caregiver Support Ministry
For those who are the primary caregiver for a family member or loved one in their home or facility. Caregivers struggle to balance caregiving with other responsibilities including jobs and caring for children. Time away, even a short time, can help the caregiver care for themselves. The focus is on support, prayer, and time to share. Meetings are once a month on the phone or video until the end of the pandemic.
Contact: Joann Ruiz 407-647-3392, [email protected]
Ministry to the Sick – Homebound, Hospitals & Nursing Homes
St. Margaret Mary’s Ministers to the Sick provide pastoral visits and Holy Communion to those who are unable to attend Mass due to illness, age, or other circumstances. Our ministry serves individuals who are homebound, hospitalized, or living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Visits are provided regularly or upon request, depending on individual needs and availability. The Sacraments of Anointing of the Sick and Reconciliation may also be requested.
To request a visit or learn more, please contact:
Brian Shields
Coordinator, Ministry to the Sick
Email: [email protected]
Church Phone: 407-647-3392
Prayer Line
Does someone you know, or even yourself, need prayers? We have parishioners who, as part of their ministry, will pray for your needs. Just call the parish office at 407-647-3392 and give us the name of the person who needs prayers. By that evening many prayers are being said for your intention.
Purls & Prayers - A Crocheting & Knitting Ministry
The purpose of the ministry is to create prayer shawls, blankets, caps or other garments as an outward and visible sign of the mystical reality of prayer that knits our souls together in God and Christ. These garments may be given to those in transition in their lives, expectant mothers, children leaving home, the sick, homebound, or elderly to comfortably remind them that they are present to us and bound to us in community. Meetings are held every Tuesday at 10am until noon in the Family Life Center. Joann Ruiz 407-647-3392, [email protected]
Spiritual Direction: ........ a listening ministry
An invitation for you to share your story of faith with confidence and understanding with someone who is on the journey and has some training in spiritual direction. Someone to receive you with reverence and love and help you notice and attend to the living God who is present in all your experiences!
When was the last time someone truly listened to you? With whom do you share your relationship with God? Spiritual Direction is a specialized ministry in the church. It is a graced way of serving another believer, helping the other to grow in intimacy with God, to live out the consequence of this intimacy. The focus of a spiritual direction relationship is the directee’s experience of God and the communication that happens between God and the directee.
Spiritual Direction is for anyone who wants to develop a deeper relationship with God, who’s search for God seems to be at a crossroad, or who wants to explore new methods of prayer, when one feels the need for someone to help in discerning the call of the Spirit, or feels the need for a companion on the spiritual journey, to walk with them and to listen.
You can expect a good director to keep the focus on the directee’s relationship with God. Contemporary direction presumes that God communicates through ordinary human experience, and in that experiences is found God’s invitations and urgings and confirmations. A good director is a companion on life’s journey - asking reflective questions and pointing out resources. Direction also assists with resistance and roadblocks, helping the directee to come to breakthroughs.
As a ministry of St. Margaret Mary, there is no cost involved when seeing one of the directors listed here.
The following members of St. Margaret Mary Parish are Audire-trained Spiritual Directors:
Julia Harper - email
Sr. Virginia West - email
Liz Roehlk - email
Betty Shaw - email
Sharon Sheehan - email
These additional “Audire” trained directors of St. Margaret Mary Parish may be contacted by calling Patrick Demers 407-647-3392.
Surviving Spouses
Surviving Spouses is a support group for those who have lost a spouse. The group seeks to provide emotional and spiritual support through shared experiences and feelings. The group offers an atmosphere of understanding and encouragement for those dealing with the loss of a husband or wife.
For more information please contact Joann Ruiz 407-647-3392, [email protected]