Serve Others
Serve Others
There are many ways to LOVE OTHERS at Our Lady of the Lake. By serving those in our community, we LOVE OTHERS where they are at by addressing their daily needs. Click on one of the links below to explore the many Community Outreach opportunities.
Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities
Mercy Teams
Help one another. That is what Jesus teaches us. That is what I do. And I do it with my heart.
- Pope Francis
Mercy Teams of Our Lady of the Lake
Parishioners, their families, and friends, reaching out in
Service to Others through
Small Acts of Mercy and Kindness
Mercy Teams small acts of mercy have added up to a very BIG act of love and kindness.
Since the start of Covid-19 in March of 2020, through April 2023, you have helped Mercy Teams deliver over 255,000 meals, including sack lunches, hot breakfasts, and family meals to food insecure families.
You have also donated thousands of pairs of new socks, gloves and winter clothing which are distributed directly to unsheltered guests you help serve on the streets.
Your “Small Acts of Mercy and Kindness” add up to a huge amount of food and love, which are “beautiful gifts” distributed to our vulnerable brothers and sisters. The guests Mercy Teams serves have “fallen through the cracks.”
Click here to sign up to receive a weekly Mercy Teams email update and see Mercy Teams in Action.
Contact Mercy Teams Volunteer Coordinator, Michael Backus to learn more and find out how you can assist: Michael’s Cell 503 708 9503 or email: mercyteams@ollministry.com
Pledge to donate sack lunches or sandwiches using the links below
Street Ministry to the unsheltered every 4th Saturday morning
Meet in the parish hall at 7:15 am. Help prep a hot breakfast, make sack lunches, and prep and serve a hot breakfast to unsheltered guests on the streets. Contact Michael with questions.
Sock & Coat Donations
We always need new socks. Please hang onto winter coats, blankets and sweat shirts, until we start collecting again in late July. Donate new pairs of socks--drop in “Sock Boxes” just outside the parish hall.
Donate winter coats or blankets in the same area.
Mercy Teams Adopt a Mission
Join an existing Adopt a Mission Team, pledging support directly to that team. Click the links below to sign up.
How can you help our Adopt a Mission Teams?
Sack Lunch and Sandwich Directions
To assemble sack lunches without sandwiches, please provide:
Paper lunch sack, apple sauce cup, granola bar, bag of chips, 16 oz. bottle of water, or 8oz Juice Drink pouch or pack, plastic spoon, and napkin.
To make PB&J sandwiches:
PB&J sandwiches – Place Peanut Butter on both slices of bread, then add jelly or jam (keeps bread from getting soggy). Individually wrap each sandwich in sandwich bag, place sandwiches back into the original bread wrapper and seal.
St Vincent de Paul
The Vocation of the Society’s members is to follow Christ through service to those in need and thus bear witness to His compassionate and liberating love. Members show their commitment through person-to-person contact. Join us in this humbling and rewarding ministry. Canned food donations are always welcome. There are donation barrels located in the church narthex and in the parish hall entryway. Please contact us for more information.
Contact: Jerry Foley at ollsvdp@ollministry.com
Meetings: First Tuesday of the Month | 4:00-5:00 PM | On Zoom
Need Rent, Utility, or Food Box Assistance? Call the Portland Council office hotline at 503-235-8431.
Volunteer Opportunity
St. Anthony's Community Cafe Sunday Dinner - Every 9 Weeks
Join a team of OLL Parishioners to help prepare and serve a warm dinner at St. Anthony's in Tigard for 60 to 100 individuals, including their families , whose challenges include poverty and homelessness. We serve every nine weeks.
If you are interested in being a part of the team, please contact Jerry Foley to sign up or learn more about St. Anthony's Community Cafe Sunday Dinners.
Vehicle Donation - Help a Neighbor in Need
Did you know that the Portland Council of St. Vincent DePaul has a car donation program? Do you have an unwanted vehicle taking up space in your driveway? The Council’s newly formed Marketing Committee is ramping up its efforts to promote this charitable tax deductible event for parishioners that will also benefit the Portland Council and your OLL SVdP Conference with the proceeds earmarked to support emergency food, rent and utilities assistance programs.
Respect Life Ministry
–cultivating a society in which every human life is welcomed, treasured and loved.
Our Mission Statement
Pregnant?
You are not alone. Get connected with the help you need.
Precious Children of Portland
Learn about our outreach and vigils.
Post-Abortion Healing
Learn about healing after abortion.
Get Involved
Contact Sharon, Respect Life Coordinator, through the Parish Office at 503 636-7687
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is a global Catholic fraternal service order. Membership in the Knights of Columbus embodies first and foremost the presence of God and the principles of Christianity. God's presence enriches the bond that exists between Catholic men of the Knights. He is with us at every meeting, every sponsored event, every casual encounter with a Knight on the street, in a grocery store, at Mass. That connection is unspoken, strong, shared. The Knights sponsor and are involved in numerous church and community events. Examples: monthly breakfasts after Mass, crab feeds, assistance at Christmas Mass, moving furniture for shut-ins, and so on. While participation in such activities is encouraged of the members, there are no minimums. You can be as active as befits your comfort zone.
Contact: Phil Barr 503-484-3861
Helpful Links and Fr. Theo Videos
Outreach Fund
Our Pastoral Council established a Parish Outreach Fund in keeping with the mission of our parish to “Love Others” by helping those in need. Three percent of the Parish’s general collection creates the fund that is used to pay for charitable outreach projects, grants to local charities, and emergency requests for assistance.
The Parish Outreach Fund provides grants to organizations and projects that live out the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, and work for justice, peace and charity. Primarily funded by the parishioner’s Sunday giving, the Outreach Fund supports local, national, and international organizations that share our mission.
General Funding Guidelines
Priority is given to requests that reflect the Corporal Works of Mercy (Matthew 25:31-46) and where parishioners are actively involved. Having one or more parishioners as champions for a cause is important.
Application for Funding
The application process is simple. The agency is invited to complete an interactive online application. Requests greater than $1000 will need to provide additional information on the application. Our parish Outreach Fund Committee will review every application at its quarterly meetings and either approve, postpone, request more information or reject the grant request. Exceptions to this process will be funds allocated at the discretion of the pastor and when the need arises for creating a parish-wide response to natural disaster or other emergency.
Contact Ann Geller, Outreach Fund Coordinator, with questions at anngeller58@gmail.com.
Other Ministries Supported by OLL
With your generous support, Catholic Charities assists the poor and vulnerable Oregonians each year. The goal is to promote self-sufficiency, help people regain their God-given dignity and provide people with the opportunity for a better and fuller life.
L'Arche transforms the lives of people with and without intellectual disabilities by working together to create home, share life, and build community. People with intellectual disabilities form the heart of community and invite others into mutual relationships.Together, we provide and receive compassionate care and friendship and foster a deeper understanding of what it means to be human
Lake Oswego Transitional Shelter
The Lake Oswego Transitional Shelter Ministry (LOTSM) is a consortium of six churches in LO which operate 2 apartments for otherwise homeless families. The shelter provides temporary housing while people start a new jobs, secure funds for an apartment of their own.
St. Andre Bessette is a Roman Catholic parish in the heart of Old Town whose mission is to provide hope and healing to the most marginalized members of society.
New volunteers are especially welcome, so if you haven’t done this before, consider joining us.
Refugee Resettlement Ministry
Our mission is "to give a warm welcome to refugees, God's children by offering guidance, providing assistance, and lending comfort and support throughout their journey toward self-sufficiency in a respectful, dignified, and compassionate manner." If you are interested in volunteering, contact Erika Pena for more information.
The "Friends" of the Sisters of Our Lady Queen of Africa have a simple, but robust mission: to walk humbly with the Sisters of Our Lady Queen of Africa, in their mission to serve Christ by assisting the most vulnerable with encouragement, prayer and financial support.
Contact Kevin and Susan Welch for more information.