Mission & Ministry

Mrs. Tina McCue
Director of Religious Development and Catholic Identity
tmccue@warrenjfk.com

Retreats:

Each of our 5th through 12th classes has a day set aside each year for retreat.   Our Church teaches that a retreat refreshes and revitalizes, gives the opportunity for more time spent in prayer and contemplation, and rekindles and deepens one’s relationship with God.   Our Curriculum for Catechesis requires a retreat for all high school students each year.  At JFK we believe that the opportunity for retreat should be offered for our younger students as well.  We have chosen to begin our retreat experiences in grade 5.  Student leaders from the Upper Campus provide leadership for our Lower Campus and Junior High students during their retreat experiences. 

In addition, our high school students have the opportunity to attend overnight retreats by participating in Emmaus or Kairos.  Emmaus is a three day retreat for freshmen and sophomore students held at Camp Fitch each fall.  Kairos is an upper classman three day retreat offered each spring at the Loyola Retreat Center in the Cleveland Diocese.  These retreat experiences are always student/peer lead.    

Local Mission Work:   

Our school community does small things with great love right here in our community and this ministry is continually growing.  Serving the local community includes all of our students from preschool to grade 12!  

• We collect and distribute non-perishable food.
• Serve meals at the St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen with our Eagle Corps members.
• Provide Christmas gifts for area teens by supporting Children’s Services.
• Visit and perform for senior citizens at Scope Center.
• Deliver mobile meals one day each month.
• Raise funds for cancer research and patient care through Relay for Life and Kids that Care.
• Support area efforts to shelter and find homes for abandoned pets through Paws with a Cause.
• Make and distribute rosaries through our Rosary Club.
• Collect and distribute usable winter coats, gloves and hats to area missions. 

National and Global Mission Work:

Our school community travels outside of Ohio and the U.S.A. in order to bring and receive God’s love! We put our faith into action to be what St. Teresa of Avila challenged all people of faith to be for Christ.  “Christ has no body on earth but yours; not hands, but yours: not feet, but yours.  Yours are the eyes through which He is look out with compassion to the world.  Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good.  Yours are the hands with which He is to bless others now.”  St. Teresa of Avila                 

• We travel to Louisville, Kentucky to learn from and serve the refugee population, senior citizens, children and adults living in poverty.
• Travel to Ecuador, Africa, India and Nicaragua to serve the poorest of the poor in our world. 
• We experience new cultures and bring back with us far more than we could ever give.
• Hold a water walk to raise funds to provide safe water for communities in third world countries.
• Hold a Holi Day celebration to raise funds for the education of girls and women in countries where they continuously strive to rise above oppression.
• Travel to WeDay to learn about opportunities to help our neighbors in need across God’s world.

As Catholic Christians we are called and chosen to go out and be Christ to the world.  We simply cannot ignore this call.  Once a desire to serve takes hold of heart there is no stopping what the Holy Spirit can do through us!  “I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, he will not ask, 'How many good things have you done in your life?' rather he will ask, 'How much love did you put into what you did?” ― Mother Teresa