Our Lady of the Rosary supports the twinning relationship of St. Thomas Aquinas and Holy Comforter with the parish of St. Michel in Saltadere, Haiti. Through prayer, visits to Haiti, and hosting the pastor of St. Michel for visits with us, the Haiti Ministry acknowledges our common bond as children of God.  We raise funds in support of the parish school, St. Michel clinic, clean water access, and microloans.

Activities to raise funds include the after-Mass sale of Haitian coffee and notecards; student sponsorship; and a Haitian craft fair (Advent). Past projects have included a dinner auction and a golf tournament. The Haiti Ministry meetings are held every two months. Yearly visits to our Haiti twin parish are a personal choice and are self-funded.
HAITI MINISTRY CONTACT INFORMATION: Anne Knasel at anne@stagebridge.net

The Homebound Ministry visits and prays for the ill, the recovering and homebound of the parish, and strives to strengthen our community through the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. If you would like to help and bring Holy Communion to those who are homebound, please let us know. If you would like more information or if you need someone to visit you at home and bring Holy Communion, contact the Parish Office.
HOMEBOUND MINISTRY CONTACT: Parish Office 434-812-2936
 

• Social Outreach Ministry
• Haiti Ministry
• Homebound Ministry

A Heartfelt Thank-You To Our Parishioners
~Successful 2021 OLR Angel Tree Drive!~

The OLR Social Outreach Ministry Team wishes to thank you for your exceptional generosity in allowing us to provide Christmas gift cards to Region Ten disabled adults who live in our community. Donations to this Angel Tree initiative totaled over $2000, enabling us to provide a merrier Christmas for our neighbors.  

This has been an incredibly challenging year for everyone, with COVID-19 impacting our lives in every way. However, throughout these times, we have persevered in helping others through prayer and extraordinary contributions of time, talent, and treasure. As a parish community, we have served our neighbors by providing school supplies to Crozet Elementary students and clothing (winter coats, mittens, hats ) to the students at Brownsville Elementary, by participating in the annual Share the Blessing program with CBC, and by allowing for a  merrier Christmas for our Region Ten neighbors.

May God bless you abundantly for your caring for his most needy!

~ The OLR Social Outreach Ministry Team

Our Catholic faith calls us to serve one another by embodying Jesus’ spirit of love and compassion. Putting faith into action through the corporal works of mercy and social outreach makes the teachings of the Gospel become more fully present in our lives. Our Lady of the Rosary’s Social Outreach Ministry strives to improve the quality of life for residents of Crozet and western Albemarle County through collaborative partnerships with other area churches, social service and health care organizations, and local schools. An array of service projects and fundraising initiatives are made possible by parishioner financial contributions, in-kind donations, volunteerism, and spiritual support through prayer. The collective gifts of time, talent, and treasure enable the OLR Social Outreach Ministry to assist neighbors in need who face food, shelter, and clothing insecurity, or suffer from short-term and chronic illnesses. Depending on current community circumstances (for example, the COVID-19 pandemic), new outreach projects may be added, or existing ones paused or discontinued.

As a parish community, we have served our neighbors by contributing school supplies and winter clothing (coats, hats, scarves) to local elementary school students in need; supporting collaborative Crozet outreach projects including the annual Crozet Baptist Church (CBC) Share the Blessing Thanksgiving meal ministry and CBC’s ongoing food drive; providing baby shower gifts to ThriVE Women’s Healthcare of Central Virginia patients; sending Easter cards and flowers to English Meadow and the Lodge elderly residents; and supporting the Toy Lift Charities holiday giving project and the Henley Middle School PaTSO Giving Tree Campaign. The Social Outreach Ministry also participates in area-wide organizations such as PACEM (People And Congregations Engaged in Ministry serving the homeless); IMPACT (the Interfaith Movement Promoting Action by Congregations Together social justice ministry advocating for access to affordable housing, child care, education, mental health, and transportation services); and the St. Vincent DePaul Society (providing emergency financial assistance to those in need).
SOCIAL OUTREACH CONTACT: Terry Burton, Joan Hodskins, Mary Ann Marinchick at socialministry@olrcrozet.org.

Fall Projects

• Backpacks/School Supplies - Provided school supplies to students in need at Crozet Elementary School. 
• Coats for Kids - Partnering with the Knights of Columbus, provided coats to students in need at Brownsville Elementary School and Afghan refugee children (through Peace Frogs Travel Campaign to support International Neighbors); OLR parishioners donated $595 to support this need. 
• Share the Blessing Food Drive - Thanksgiving project, partnering with Crozet Baptist Church; donations of food, money and/or time https://crozetchurch.org/2021/09/22/sharetheblessing2021/ 
• St. Vincent de Paul - The Friends of the Poor Walk; OLR parishioners raised $2060 to assist our neighbors in need.

Winter/Holiday Projects

• Christmas Giving Tree - Our Lady of the Rosary’s annual Giving Tree supported Crozet area adults who receive developmental disability and mental health services from the Region Ten Community Services Board by providing monetary donations to purchase gift cards from various businesses.

• OLR  is not directly involved in these projects, however we would like parishioners to be aware of them, and if possible, support these community-based outreach projects:
  • Meals on Wheels - www.cvillemeals.org  *  Ideas for Donations
  • JABA - https://www.jabacares.org - Help an elderly neighbor with access to nutritious food.
  • Toy Lift Charities - https://toylift.org/about-2/
  • Henley Middle School PATSO Giving Tree Campaign
  • International Neighbors "In Kind Donations"
  • Samaritan's Purse: Operation Christmas Child- for more information and drop off locations: https://www.samaritanspurse.org

• IMPACT (Interfaith Movement Promoting Action Through Congregations Together) - IMPACT’S mission is to empower the faith community of greater Charlottesville to create significant social change through unified direct action.- https://impactcville.com
• JABA (Jefferson Area Board of Aging) - JABA is the gateway in Charlottesville and Central Virginia for information and support that helps seniors, adults with disabilities, and caregivers and their families live independently and remain active in their communities. - https://www.jabacares.org/
• PACEM (People and Congregations Engaged in Ministry) - PACEM is a grassroots organization that coordinates space and volunteers to provide shelter for individuals in our community who are homeless. - https://pacemshelter.org/
• Society of St. Vincent De Paul - The St. Vincent de Paul Society is an international confraternity that focuses on helping its members grow in virtue by following Christ’s example of service to the poor. In Charlottesville, the three Catholic parishes have teamed up to form the Holy Trinity conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. - https://www.svdp-ht.org/
• Knights of Columbus, Father Louis Rowen Council #3670, Charlottesville - Catholic men's fraternal organization: http://kofc3670.avenue.org 
• Crozet Raised/legacieats - Community kitchen feeding persons in need and front line workers:  http://legacieats.com 
• All Blessings Flow - A faith based non-profit organization that collects, cleans, refurbishes, and redistributes medical equipment free of charge to those in need in Albemarle and surrounding counties:   http://www.allblessingsflow.org
• REGION TEN COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD - Mental Health, Deelopment, Disability and Substance Abuse Services - https://regionten.org/