Liturgical Ministries

Liturgy Committee
Provides good liturgy within our parish worship of God. This committee plans, assesses, and evaulates liturgical seaons, sacramental celebrations and other liturgical events. This committee is open to volunteers who wish to serve Mary Our Queen parish through various liturgical roles.

Adult Servers
Men and women who volunteer to assist the priest at funeral Liturgies.

Altar Servers
Boys and girls in the 6th - 8th grades may serve as ministers at Liturgy. They will assist the Priest and Deacon at the altar and carry the cross and candles in procession.

Children's Liturgy
Assist with the Children's Liturgy of the Word at Sunday 11:00 a.m. Mass.

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHCs)
To assist the clergy in the distribution of the Body and Blood at Communion time. Some EMHCs take Communion to the sick and shut-ins. You are required to attend training and Archdiocesan Mandation once every three years. There may also be periodic parish training as new procedures are implemented.

Greeters Ministry
The role of this ministry is to greet, welcome and focus on the needs of the people as the Community gathers for worship. Greeters are needed at weekend Masses and seasonal Masses throughout the Liturgical church year. We encourage youth, teens, individuals or families to participate in this ministry. The time commitment is once a month at the Mass of your choice. Arrive 30 minutes before the assigned Mass.

Holy Communion to the Homebound
We bring communion to those who can't attend Mass weekly due to illness or other infirmities.

Lectors
Since the mid 1960s, Lectors have been entrusted with the crucial task of making the Word of God come alive by proclaiming it for the Christian assembly. Anyone interested in becoming a Lector must first be mandated by the Archdiocese either preceded by, or followed by, parish-specific training at Mary Our Queen. You are required to attend training and Archdiocesan Mandation once every three years. There may also be periodic parish training as new procedures are implemented.

Music Ministry
Music Ministers at Mary Our Queen are composed primarily of volunteers who realize the importance of being good stewards. They share their time and talent with the parish by taking a leadership role in leading the congregation in sung prayer during Liturgical celebrations. These parishioners encompass a wide range of ages that include cantors (song leaders), and many varied instrumentalists.

• Adult Choir - ministers at the 9:00 AM Sunday Mass
  
  
• Funeral Choir - a group of volunteers that are ready to sing in 2-3 days notice. There are no rehearsals except for 1/2 hour before the funeral.
  
  
• Contemporary Choir - This group is open to all members of the parish, however there is an audition process. This choirs ministers at the 11:00 AM Sunday Mass
  
  
• Children's Choir - Children attending Mary Our Queen School have the opportunity to sing as a class two times throughout the school year, on the weeks their class is responsible for the Liturgy. The Children's Christmas Choir that sings at the 5:00 PM Christmas Eve Mass is open to all 3rd and 4th graders of Mary Our Queen Parish.

Sacristans
The Sacristan ministry functions to assist the clergy in preparation for all Liturgical services by preparing the sanctuary area, setting out the vessels and necessary equipment, and coordinating personnel. Other responsibilities include cleaning and maintaining equipment and the sanctuary area. Sacristans are assigned for all liturgies including daily and weekend Masses, weddings, and funerals. They are assigned to a team serving during alternate months.

Ushers
Ushers, whose role is deeply rooted in scripture and tradition, assist with collections at Mass, help parishioners find a place to sit in the assembly, help make people feel welcome, comfortable, and serve them in any way they can. They provide service in a friendly and reverent manner.

Votive Candles
Keep candles available. Remove cash from offetory containers.

Family Life Ministries

Family Life Ministry Committee
Coordinates Famly Life activities for the parish community.

Bread Basket Ministry
Minister to parish individuals and families in a time of crisis. The objective is to provide nourishing, fresh, prepared meals. A team captain coordinates meals for each team, including finding team members to make and deliver the meals. A team member provides the part of the meal that is requested by the captain. You may be asked to deliver a meal.

Homebound Ministry
To assist the Mary Our Queen parish homebound Senior Citizens with medical appointments, grocery shopping, rides to Church, and other errands.

Ministry of Embrace / Grief Support Group
To provide spiritual support and informational materials for the times that bereavement ministry is needed on a parish level. Anyone who has expereienced the loss of a loved one is welcome to help continue this ministry. Two or three speakers are sponsored each year and two special Masses - November and April. Parishioners are invited to bring ornaments of a deceased loved one for the Christmas Memory Tree in December. An audio CD of each funeral Mass is given to the family along with sympathy cards and care notes pertaining to the loss of their loved one. Visit the Embrace Website

The Mary Our Queen Bereavement Ministry is comprised of fellow parishioners who have suffered a significant loss. Because of our losses we all share pain uniquely our own, and want to reach out to help others counseling. Sharing and support group meetings are held monthly.

Ministry of Mothers Sharing (MOMS)
The Ministry of Mothers Sharing (MOMS) creates in women an awareness of the inner sacred self, while at the same time teaching them new ways to inspire, encourage, and affirm each other. Through the process of personal and spiritual growth, women have the opportunity to clarify their values, claim their own giftedness and bring these new strengths to their family relationships and the Christian Community. The time commitment is 2 and 1/2 hours per week for 8 weeks. Then once a month or more if the group desires. The 8 week sessions are offered once in the Spring and once in the Fall.

Moms/Kids Playgroup
Consists of a group of moms and their young children who get together once a week to talk and play. The children make friends and gain basic social skills, which include learning how to share toys with other children. the moms enjoy adult conversation. We meet weekly, rotating between our homes, parks, and other special places in the city.

Older Adults/Seniors
Participate in pilgrimages, tours and spiritual outings. One does not have to be a member of the parish to attend. Activities are planned by the coordinator and members of the group.

Teams of Our Lady - Marriage Enrichment
Teams of Our Lady are small groups formed to strengthen the faith life of married couples. Each Team (5 to 7 couples and a Spiritual Counselor) meets monthly to share a meal, prayer, scripture, and discussion. Couples of all ages enrich their marriages and spirituality in this worldwide movement.

Health Ministries

Health Ministry Committee
The Health Ministry consists of Mary Our Queen parishioner health professionals who desire to use their time, talent and skills in behalf of their faith community. They participate in doing blood pressure checks quarterly for the parish community, assist in coordinating and participate in the Mary Our Queen Health Fair, and do projects that raise awareness on health and safety issues.

Mental Illness
It is the mission of this ministry to break the silence about mental illness, to bring facts about mental illness out of the darkness and into the light, and to erase the stigma associated with mental illness. We do this by offering factual information through education and literature, sharing true life experiences, showing how faith plays an important role, offering information about community based services, and offering comfort and support.

Human Needs Outreach

Human Needs Committee
Human Needs helps the less fortunate in our parish and community. This help is to meet their material needs (food, clothing, rent, utilities, etc.) We will in turn give the parishioners a vehicle for them to be able to provide this help. Our focus is to provide aid to the less fortunate working through referrals, shelters, and parish ministry groups. All aid is confidential to isure those in need are allowed to retain their pride. Although we provide aid throughout the year, our one major fundraiser is the ANNUAL GARAGE SALE involving parish volunteers. "The poor we will always have with us" and help them we will, with the help that comes from volunteers in the parish community. Service opportunities include the Annual Garage Sale and the Needy Family Christmas Project. Volunteers determine the amount of time they want to commit.

Catholic County Jail Ministry
To visit the county jails, have Sunday services, and Bible services. Our focus is to bring faith to the inmates and hopefully get them to turn their lives around with God's help.

Craft Ministry
The Craft Ministry is a group of volunteers who knit and crochet hats, gloves, scarves, and throws for the needy. The group also makes quilts from donated sheets, blankets, and fabric. Meets monthly for two hours.

Dorothy Day Ministry
The mission of the Dorothy Day Ministry is to donate food items and household products to the Food Pantries in the local community. Food items include canned meat, vegetables, fruit and tuna, onions and potatoes. Household items include paper products, diapers and cleaning products. The goal of this ministry is to feed the hungry. Food and household items are dropped off monthly at a designated parish house location.

Habitat for Humanity
Currently works with a coalition of nine other church communities under the guidance of Omaha Habitat for Humanity, the Carpenters Crew Coalition, and Habitat International to annually build a single family home in the Omaha area. Use your building skills, provide food for the workers, or join the clean up crew. Commitment is between August and December of each year.

Homeless Shelter Ministry
The Siena/Francis Homeless Shelter Ministry cooks and serves the evening meal for the Siena/Francis House Homeless Shelter in the Omaha community. Your commitment would be to prepare one part of the meal, such as meat, scalloped potatoes, or green been cassarole 5 times a year and drop it off in a designated parish location. You could also sign up to serve the evening meal.

Hospital Ministry
Visit Mary Our Queen parishioners in hospitals. As members of our parish we extend cheerful as well as spiritual support to patients. We do not give communion.

Ministry of the Heart
Coordinates the Advent Tree Project. During the season of Advent, the parish community is invited to purchase Christmas gifts for the needy in our city.

Pro-Life
The Pro-Life Committee is a part of the National Organization of Bishop's Pastoral Plan for Respect Life and the local Right-to-Life Organizations. This committee works to raise awareness and educate the parish community on Pro-Life issues.

Prayer Ministries

Cenacle of the Marian Movement of Priest
Meets weekly to pray for priests

Centering Prayer
Come learn centering prayer where we rest in God in silence. Opportunities to share and discuss our spiritual journey with others, listen to videos on Centering Prayer by Fr. Thomas Keating.

Men's Bible Study
Men in the parish who meet weekly to study, discuss and pray with the Scriptures.

Perpetual Adoration
Participation in perpetual adoration offers a means of fostering devotion to our Lord in the reserved Eucharist as those committed to the program are asked to offer prayers of worship and intercession at church in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Prayers are requested for the program, our parish family, and community. The prayer vigil continues twenty-four hours each day. Interested individuals commit to one hour of prayer each week at church or participate as a substitute.

Prayer Chain
Praying for others in their time of need. Parishioners committed to prayer, receive prayer requests for needs of parishioners family and friends through a phone network. Making calls on the phone network as needed when prayers are requested.

Spiritual Book / Spiritual Classics
Provides an opportunity for parishioners and others to meet and discuss the spiritual classics of our faith.

Parish Advisory Committees

The Finance Committee
The Finance Committee is an advisory group to the Pastor on matters of parish finances. They track the financial condition of the parish and coordinate the annual parish budget process so that the parish can carry out its mission.

Parish Pastoral Council
A consultive body of parishioners to the pastor providing vision and direction for our parish. As a council, we acknowledge our origins in the Second Vatican Council and we act in accordance with universal and archdiocesan church norms. An election is held each year to fill any vacancies that may exist on the Council. To be eligible to serve on the Council, the candidate must be a member of the Catholc Church and an adult (18 years or older) envelope holder in Mary Our Queen Parish for at least one year. It is an honor and a privilege to serve on the Council. Members serve for a three year term.

Soaring Spirit Committee
The Soaring Spirit Initiative started from MOQ's Strategic Plan objective to "build community" in our parish. We conducted a survey of the parish in October of 2007 to measure the engagement of our parishioners. 17% are engaged (loyal, have a strong psychological connection to the parish and are more spiritually committed). Our goal is to increase our engagement level to 40%, which will lead to achieving our 4 desired outcomes of evangelization, community, liturgy and service in accordance with Acts 2: 42-46. Current focus areas are communications (including education and feedback); strengths (helping people discover what they do best); and expectations (answering the question "what do I get?").

Stewardship and Development Council
The mission of this council is to educate, encourage and assist the people of Mary Our Queen to use their gifts of time and talent to fulfill our spiritual mission and to ensure the continued financial viability of the parish.

Parish Life

Bridge Club
This ministry meets in homes to play bridge and socialize.

Building and Maintenance
The Building and Maintenance Committee was established to identify needed long term and short term repairs, maintenance, and replacement of parish facilities, and then to initiate the appropriate corrective actions. The committee maintains a list of all major facility components and plans for their replacements. One of the goals of the committee is to assemble a list of volunteers who would be willing to occasionally assist in completing the identified repairs on the parish property.

Cooking for the Clergy
This ministry cooks the evening meal for your parish priests on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. The priests are well fed, very pleased, and we are saving the parish a great deal of money.

Elder Ministry / Merry Makers
Provides an opportunity for members of Mary Our Queen parish, ages 55 and over, to experience and expand on new and continuing friendships and other support through social, religious and community activities. We are people like you, ages 55 and older. We are singles, couples, working, retired, socially active people forming a community here at Mary Our Queen parish. We are keeping active and making new friends. Our participation varies depending on the event.

Fall Festival
Parish organizations, committees, families and individuals work together to create the fall festival and a fun time for all. Service opportunities include set-up, running games or booths, clean-up, or serving on the Fall Festival Committee. Service opportunities available for all ages.

Funeral Luncheons
To serve the needs of all parishioners who have a death in the family when the funeral Mass is held at Mary Our Queen. The committee is made up of people who provide the salads and desserts and those who serve the luncheons.

Golden Years
"Get Together" and fellowship for Senior Citizens both within and outside the parish. Lunch followed by BINGO happens the 2nd Thursday of each month. The Ladies Guild provides the lunch ten months of the year. Also join this group for the annual Christmas Gala which promises delicious food, drinks, a multitude of gifts, and a fun time.

Ladies Guild
An exciting group of women who foster friendship and spiritual welfare within the parish. The Ladies Guild is a service organization interested in the development of Mary Our Queen parish. Members of the Ladies Guild participate in many fun activities that help to promote stewardship and relationships among the women of Mary Our Queen. There is a circle to fit every woman's needs. The Ladies Guild Board and Circles meet once a month.

Landscape Committee
This committee maintains the beauty of our landscape here at Mary Our Queen. We plant and maintain the pots out front of the church and around the parish offices. We also do annual Spring and Fall clean up of all the perennials and annuals on the parish property.

Marquee Dinner Dance Committee
Annual major fundraiser Dinner/Dance for the parish and school held in February of each year. Includes Dinner Dance, oral and silent auction, and a guarantee of lots of fun. Help is needed on committes.

Men's Club
Mary Our Queen Men's Club works to unite spiritually and socially men of the parish, foster an appreciation for true sportsmanship, and provide funding and volunteer support for various parish needs and improvements. Service opportunities may include holding an office position, and/or participate in various functions such as Mary Our Queen Fall Festival, Wild Game Feed, Father/Son Breakfast, Golf Outing, Baseball Outing at Rosenblatt, MOQ 7th & 8th Grade Football Committee, and other parish projects and needs.

Vocations Committee
Summons parishioners' prayer support for an increase in vocations for priests, sisters, brothers, and permanent deacons, and incease the level of awareness of the need for church vocations. Jesus said "Pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send more laborers to His harvest." The Serran 31 Club encourages praying for vocations by providing a calendar on which to sign-up for one day a month throughout the year.

Youth Ministry
The Youth Ministry program aims to cultivate a sense of community for the youth of Mary Our Queen. These programs help foster growth within the context of the parish family as a whole. Youth are offered spiritual, service, and social activities that emphasize their importance at Mary Our Queen and in the Catholic Church.

Religious Formation

Adult Education
Our committee was formed to implement programs for the continuing spiritual, pyschological, and intellectual growth of the adult membership of our parish. We seek to implement these goals by means of speakers, visual, audio, and printed resources, and spiritual events for Advent and Lent. We strive to offer programs to enhance personal, family, and community growth.

Baptismal Preparation
Recognizing that parents are the first teachers of their children in the ways of faith, we offer catechetical instruction to help them:

There is always a need for additional team members. Training is provided. No previous skills necessary.

Catholic Bible School
Have you every wanted to be able to tell your friends that you've not only read but studied the WHOLE BIBLE with professional instructors? The Catholic Bible School of the Archdiocese of Omaha offers a complete course of biblical studies for those people who want to take the next step in their study of the Sacred Scriptures. New classes begin every September, and will be held at Mary Our Queen parish for the next five years.

Returning Catholics
This is a ministry of welcoming, listening, forgiving, healing and remembering. Recognizing our own wounded-ness and need for healing, we extend our compassion to those who have been alienated for any reason from the Catholic Church. We seek out our inactive Catholic peers, offering them this special way to be reconciled with and return to full communion with our faith family at Mary Our Queen parish.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
This group is the parish vehicle for introducing inquirers to the Catholic Faith traditions. Inquirers can be:

Emphasis is in the areas of religious education, liturgical worship, retreats, discernment, and "breaking open" the Word of God.