Homebound and Hospital Ministry
Shrine's Homebound and Hospital Ministry is an outreach to those who are not able to come to Mass due to health or age reasons. Communion is brought to the homebound when requested.
Assisted Living Ministry
Shrine's Assisted Living Ministry is an outreach to those who are not able to come to Mass due to health or age reasons. Volunteer visitors pray with residents and bring Holy Communion to the assisted living facilities (Waltonwood Senior Living, The Village of Royal Oak Senior Living, Royal Oak House Assisted Living Community, Chester Street Residence, and St. Anne’s Mead). Mass is celebrated by Shrine priests monthly at Waltonwood and The Village of Royal Oak.
For more information on how to get involved, or to notify the parish of an illness or a need for homebound assistance, call Pastoral Associate Paula Dixon at (248) 541-4122 Ext. 1411.
Funeral Luncheon Ministry
The Funeral Luncheon Ministry provides meals for the bereaved parishioners of Shrine following funeral Masses.
For more information, call Pastoral Associate Paula Dixon at (248) 541-4122 Ext. 1411.
Funeral Servers
Funeral servers assist the priest during funeral Masses at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica. Due to the limited number of funerals, this ministry is staffed by a small group. Presently, we are not looking for new candidates to become members.
For more information, call Jim Jirkans at (248) 399-2763.
The Jail Ministry is a group of people who provide biweekly evening worship services, bringing the Eucharist to incarcerated men and women.
Meetings take place 6:15-8:30 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of each month at the Oakland County Jail, in Pontiac, providing services that include music, Bible study, and Communion.
In August, volunteers collect backpacks for the children of inmates to provide school supplies. During Advent, Evangelical Charity/Christian Service adopts two families, and through donations from the Advent Giving Tree we provide for the needs of the family members.
Other volunteer opportunities include outreach for families of the incarcerated and computer data entry through the Jail Ministry Outreach Office in Pontiac.
Security procedures are necessary for all volunteers who visit the jails, and background checks are required before joining. Jail Ministry orientation is held once a year and is required for all new volunteers.
For more information, please email Hugh Buchanan at [email protected].
The Little Way Helpers Ministry is a volunteer cleaning ministry that seeks to care for and maintain the beauty of the National Shrine of the Little Flower.
Contact us to commit to cleaning on a monthly basis or to receive periodic emails to learn when other volunteers are cleaning the Basilica. Any time you can give would be greatly appreciated!
Contact Doug and Diane Price at [email protected].
The Christian Service Commission exists as a model and resource of Catholic Social Teaching to enable the entire parish community to put that teaching of the Church into action. The Commission empowers members of the parish to fulfill the Church’s mission of love, justice, freedom, and peace under the mantle of evangelization by communally responding, in an organized way, to societal and individual needs.
The Commission creates and/or promotes programs that strive to address human needs and achieve justice, whether locally or in the broader communities of the vicariate, the region, the Archdiocese, the state, the nation, and the world.
The Commission meets quarterly, and a representative from each of the ministries listed below attends the meeting. The chair of the Commission is named every three years.
We invite you to serve our parish in any of the ministries below, which are focused on ways we can grow in Christian service.
For more information, email Paula Dixon at [email protected].
St. Paul Street Evangelization is a grassroots nonprofit evangelization organization dedicated to responding to the mandate of Jesus to preach the Gospel to all nations. Volunteers do this in a relational way, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide their interactions on the street, providing an avenue for them to share Jesus Christ with others.
Our approach is to:
For more information, visit www.streetevangelization.com.
The Parish Nurse Ministry is a small group of RNs who make themselves available to educate, assess, and support the health needs of the parish. They also conduct monthly blood pressure screenings, offer nutrition counseling, and help with various other programs from medical facilities.
For more information, email [email protected].
The St. Thérèse Ladies Guild provides women of the parish and the community opportunities to grow closer to one another and to Christ through the intercession of St. Thérèse. Women of all ages who are new to the parish are especially welcome!
Women have the opportunity to use their talents and gifts to serve the parish through special receptions, spiritual enrichment, outreach programs, and fundraising for particular parish needs.
The Guild's monthly fellowships are held the third Thursday of each month except in July and August. Women can bring their wisdom and care to each other as sisters in Christ and can get to know new and past parish members.
For more information, please email Susan Rokosz at [email protected].
The Mission Ladies Sewing/Quilting Group is an arm of the Ladies Guild whose goal is to support local charities and missions in the spirit of The Little Flower.
Meetings take place 10 a.m.-1 p.m. the first and third Tuesdays of the month in the Conference Center. Using donated materials, Mission Ladies sew, knit, and crochet items, and then list them for sale. Proceeds are donated to community ministries, such as soup kitchens.
For more information, email Joann Dreist at [email protected].
SoulCore is a movement that combines core strengthening, stretching and functional exercises with the prayers of the rosary — a sensory experience combining candlelight, music, scripture, reflections and movement to nourish body, mind and soul, and to encourage deeper meditation on the mysteries and virtues of the rosary.
SoulCore is a movement all its own. It is not tied to or affiliated with any other exercise disciplines. SoulCore is not yoga, nor are yoga poses or Sanskrit referenced at any time.
SoulCore is an invitation to integrate body and soul in prayer, fully orienting the heart and mind toward Christ while discovering the beauty of the rosary. It is a gentle, healing path to grow in virtue, interior peace, and strength.
Visit www.soulcore.com for more information.
Please note: We strongly recommend that you consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program. By participating in the SoulCore experience you agree to do so at your own risk and assume all risk of injury to yourself.
Support on the journey through the loss of a loved one is available through Good Grief, our grief ministry. We talk about the misconceptions of grief, the uniqueness of your grief, feelings about loss, nurturing yourself, and reconciliation.
Call Pastoral Associate Paula Dixon at (248) 541-4122 Ext. 1411 for more information.
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." (Mt 11:28)
The Lending Library is open 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sundays in Conference Center Room C.
The library is a friendly place to share insights and personal spiritual experiences, to ask questions, and to receive help choosing pertinent materials based on their individual needs. It is also a kind of “Catholic Information Center” to help people learn about other resources available to them.
Our collection includes over 3,000 books, and 450 DVDs and CDs, and it offers a free basket of devotional items, such as holy cards, prayer books, and other pamphlets.
Another gift offered is a changing variety of overflow books and other religious items on the counter in the hall during open library hours, which people are welcome to take home rather than just borrowing. Periodically, the Lending Library also sponsors an open house or book fair event, where many more books, DVDs, CDs, and other religious items are available.
The Lending Library is supported entirely by donations, and all money collected is used to buy new books, supplies, and other needed items. Books and CDs can be signed out for three weeks, and DVDs for one week; they can be renewed if no one is waiting for them. Materials can be returned to the Lending Library or to the parish office, in Heritage Hall.
People interested in volunteering should have a love for the Church and be well read to be of assistance to visitors.
The library is open to anyone and is not restricted to Shrine parishioners.
For more information, contact Kathy McGuire at (248) 541-6834, or Yvonne Lesiak at (248) 544-3808 or [email protected]. Please identify in your message that you are calling about the Lending Library.
Shrine provides pastoral care, resources and support for expectant mothers. For more information, contact Doug and Diane Price at [email protected], or Paula Dixon at [email protected].
The Welcome Inn is open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. December-March. Members of the Welcome Inn drive guests in our bus to one of the overnight churches belonging to the South Oakland Warming Center and then pick them up at 6 a.m., returning them to the Welcome Inn.
The Welcome Inn has seven hired staff, including an executive director, a social worker and a bus driver, as well as over 100 volunteers. We serve breakfast, lunch and a light supper every day. Our guests receive a complete dinner at the overnight church.
Shrine partners with Berkley Community Church this year from Feb. 2-15, 2025. During this time, homeless guests stay at Starr Presbyterian Church throughout the two-week period.
Our social worker interviews each guest and puts them in touch with the resources necessary to serve their needs. We are a low-barrier day center, meaning we accept anyone 18 or older as long as they follow our rules.
Some of the support services offered are clothing from our Clothes Closet, student nurse visits twice weekly, showers at the South Oakland YMCA, trips to the laundromat, and representatives from the Social Security Administration and the Community Housing Network, who speak to guests, informing them of their services. We are also instrumental in helping our guests procure an ID.
From April-October, the Welcome Inn is housed in the Berkley Community Church. We are open 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays, where breakfast and lunch are served. Staff and volunteers serve guests, and an Oakland County nurse is available. Showers and clothes are offered on-site.
Financial assistance is mainly from churches, individuals, a Family Foundation and fundraising events.
For more information, email [email protected].
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a group of volunteers who meet and respond to those in need of food, clothing, housing, and other essentials. The members meet at 7 p.m. the first and third Mondays of the month.
Guided by a pastoral associate as a spiritual guide, Vincentians are committed to spiritual growth in loving and serving the poor, and meet with those who come for assistance, providing the appropriate resources.
Serviced provided by St. Vincent de Paul are on-site at Heritage Hall, where there is a food pantry for those in need of food or toiletries.
For more information, email [email protected].
The South Oakland Warming Center is a ministry that is part of the broader South Oakland Citizens for the Homeless, run by a group of churches who house the homeless of south Oakland County during the coldest months of the year, December-March. The Warming Center provides safety, warmth, food, and resources within a welcoming Christian community.
Shrine has over 500 volunteers who serve over a two-week period to both shelter and feed the homeless at Berkley Community Church.
For more information, email Pat Rozanski at [email protected].
Legislative Advocacy brings awareness to the parish community about social justice issues, such as pro-life, immigration, and disability rights. All information presented comes through the Michigan Catholic Conference.
For more information, email [email protected].
The Mary’s Children Family Center is a pre-vocational community program where adults with brain injuries/intellectual and developmental disabilities, either from birth or acquired, come for six hours per day to participate in a structured program.
The center provides a setting where participants are involved in supervised, self-directed, structured activities with members from the community. The program is designed to improve functional independence and enhance the quality of life for individuals overcoming brain injuries and now living in the community. The program offers academic, physical, occupational, and recreational activities.
Mary’s Children focuses on providing an environment where people feel safe and cared for while enhancing communication tools, assisting people in choosing and achieving their individual goals. Everyone at Mary’s Children is offered a variety of opportunities daily and has the right to choose how they want to spend their day.
On Mondays and Wednesdays, we offer speech classes with Wayne State University speech and language students. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we spend the day with Chamberlain School of Nursing students. On Wednesday mornings, U of D Jesuit High School students spend their morning with us.
Mary’s Children offers outside building community integration to students as appropriate in their individual plan of service. Students have the opportunity to choose to participate in these outings.
The program is offered 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. weekdays, with lunch included, and is available to all students. Program attendance may range from one to five days per week, depending on the needs of the individual.
For more information, call Lindsey Wichmann at (248) 307-0242 or visit maryschildrenfamilycenter.org.
Rachel’s Vineyard Retreats offer women healing from the pain of abortion a place where they can experience the abundant compassion of Jesus Christ.
Up to 94% of people regret their decision to abort later in life and struggle with painful symptoms of Post Abortive Syndrome. Retreats offer a safe space of healing where men and women can share, often for the first time, their deepest feelings about their past abortion.
The weekend retreats offer an uninterrupted space to engage in grief work. Emotional support, counseling, encouragement, and prayer are available for all participants day and night throughout the duration of the retreat.
Our retreats offer a unique, sensory-based treatment that integrates emotional, psychological, and spiritual dimensions. The healing journey uses creative “Living Scripture Exercises,” which engage the mind, body, and soul. Coupled with group activities, therapeutic facilitation, cognitive restructuring, and discussion offer an effective process for grief work grounded in Biblical principles.
During your stay, you are supported by compassionate staff who have attended their own retreats and are uniquely prepared to help you. All of them have been impacted by abortion, and through Rachel’s Vineyard, have found healing and hope.
Contact Detroit Rachel’s Vineyard in English at (248) 494-6363 or in Spanish (248) 296-9011, or email [email protected].