“Let us open our eyes and see the misery of the world, the wounds of our brothers and sisters who are denied their dignity, and let us recognize that we are compelled to heed their cry for help.
Pope Francis, reminding us of the
importance of reaching out.
Pastoral Care & Outreach Events
September
9/17: Welcome Reception for new parishioners
October
- 10/6: Ladies Bunco Night
- 10/22: “Grief and the Holidays” seminar
- 10/21 & 22 – 10/28 & 29
Canned Good Collection for St. Vincent de Paul Open Hand Kitchen, prefer large canned goods, sponsored by the Outreach Committee and Alumni of the Class of 2020
November
- 11/4 – Shred It Event – bring all of your shredding….donations accepted to benefit Hand in Hand Ministries
- 11/12: Welcome Reception for new parishioners
- 11/18 & 19: Turkey collection:The Little Sisters of the Poor
- 11/20: Lourdes hosts the Churchill Downs Backside Dinner , more info later
- 11/21: Senior Thanksgiving Luncheon
- 11/25-26 through 12/10 – Advent Collections
December
- 12/3: Parish Christmas Party
- 12/10: “Grief and the Holidays” seminar Part ll
- 12/10: Parish Penance Service
January
1/14/24: Welcome Reception for new parishioners
The committee’s focus within the parish is to identify and coordinate social and recreational needs of the parish, maintain an annual calendar of scheduled events, and suggest and institute programs of welcome for new parishioners. It helps the parish community develop a deeper understanding of and support for single persons, widowed, divorced and separated, as well as single parent families.
The committee’s focus beyond the parish is to promote and advance outreach programs for social services, pro-life, social justice, and community ministries. It cooperates with other churches, faith denominations, and civic organizations in projects aimed at community improvement.
Outcomes that concern this committee include:
• Parish community of support where people care for one another and are active in ministry.
• Parish attends to the needs and situations of families, homebound, bereaved, and imprisoned.
• Parish reaches out to diverse populations, including appropriate accommodations for persons with disabilities to participate in the liturgy and parish programs.
• Parishioners have opportunities to learn and live out principles of Catholic social teaching.
• Parish engages in outreach to the poor and promotes a culture of dignity for all life.
• Parishioners are informed about the resources available to meet the needs of the poor
• Parish maintains working contact with resource people and pertinent agencies for issues such as addiction, abuse, and unplanned pregnancy.
This Committee is dedicated to strengthening and nurturing our responsibility to serve and assist all of God’s people, as guided by the USCCB.
Join Us!
The Outreach Committee meets every third Monday of the month at 6:00 p.m. in the Parish Center. All parishioners are encouraged to get involved and participate in our many service opportunities.
Past Events
Kentucky Holy Land’s Trip
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More than 40 parishioners joined Father Scott as he lead a day trip through the Kentucky Holy Lands. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the bus ride through Kentucky visiting some very special places. They visited Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral, St. Thomas Church, Abbey of Gethsemani, St. Catherine of Alexandria, and St. Vincent dePaul.
No One Eats Alone Day
Churchill Downs Backside Dinner – May 1, 2023
Many of the efforts contribute to multiple Corporal Works of Mercy.
Take a look at this chart to see a few of our ministries with a wide reach.
Advent Tree
This annual collection benefits St. John Center, House of Ruth, Sister Visitor Center, and Catholic Charities Migration & Refugee Services.
Backside Chapel at Churchill Downs
The Food Pantry provides non-perishable and pre-packaged nutrition in cases of urgent need, such as canned tuna, Vienna sausage, peanut butter, crackers, etc. Occasionally, cooked food is made available. Lourdes parishioners prepare and serve a meal twice a year.
Catholic Charities Bakhita Empowerment Initiative
This ministry is an ongoing effort to combat human trafficking by providing education, time, and/or resources to facilitate the rehabilitation of victims.
Catholic Relief Services/Rice Bowl
Each Lent, Catholic families across the country unite to put their faith into action through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Through CRS Rice Bowl, families learn about how our sisters and brothers across the globe overcome hardships like hunger and malnutrition, and how through Lenten alms, we have the power to make the world a better place for all.
Eastern Cemetery
Eastern Cemetery is a 28-acre cemetery located at 641 Baxter Avenue, near Cave Hill Cemetery
Outreach Committee and Youth Ministry work to clean up this local cemetery.
Hand in Hand Ministries
Hand in Hand Ministries believes that building strong communities around the world begins at home. They strengthen the community by opening hearts and minds to the needs of others through a unique immersion trip program with our Youth Ministry program.
Hand in Hand provides resources for the economically vulnerable through our on-going programs in Louisville, Belize, Nicaragua
and Appalachia that focus on safe housing, education, and health care.
Hearing Aid Collection
We provide a box to collect hearing aids and batteries to be be cleaned, repaired, and shared with others locally.
Lenten Project
Similar to our Advent Tree, this annual collection benefits St. John Center, House of Ruth, Sister Visitor Center, and Catholic Charities Migration & Refugee Services, and other local organizations.
Lions Club
The Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation is a charitable non-profit organization whose mission is to provide vision services through education, detection, prevention, treatment and empowerment. Through collaborative partnerships, we enable greater independence and increased quality of life for all Kentuckians while focusing on children and adults in financial need.
Parishioners bring unused glasses to be cleaned and sent for use in developing areas.
Little Sisters of the Poor Thanksgiving Collection
When our parishioners prepare to buy their Thanksgiving turkeys, we ask them to buy two! That way they can keep one, and donate the other to the Little Sisters of the Poor.
The Sisters collect the donated turkeys the weekend before Thanksgiving.
Nativity Academy School Supplies
Nativity Academy is an independent Catholic middle school that transforms the lives of students
who have a commitment to achievement and whose families demonstrate financial need.
This annual collection asks parishioners to donate school supplies to support the school, its faculty, and students.
nativitylouisville.org/
Financial Assistance Fund
Our parish provides help with rent and utilities to individuals who call the office. Families must work with one of the area ministerial associations to receive assistance.
Open Hand Soup Kitchen at St. Vincent de Paul
The Open Hand kitchen at 1026 South Jackson St. serves free meals to shelter clients, as well as the poor and working poor in our community.
They are open 365 days a year, serving two nutritious meals a day at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m.
The cafeteria-style dining room offers our guests an entree, vegetables, salad, dessert, bread, and beverage
Panera Bread Pick-Up
As part of Panera’s Day-End Dough-Nation program, our parishioners pick-up leftover items and deliver them to Wayside Christian Mission.
Rosebud Reservation
This annual collection for gently used clothing, furniture, and housewares is held in June, and provides assistance to the South Dakota reservation.
Items are boxed and loaded on a donated semi trailer for transport to the reservation.
St. Baldrick’s
Our Lady of Lourdes invites you to step up, be a hero, and help us conquer kids’ cancer!
Proceeds fund research for childhood cancer cures. Participants shave their heads for pledges, or cut longer hair for donation.
St. Matthews Area Ministries
St. Matthews Area Ministries, or St. MAM, has been serving the 40207 zip code since 1972. They provide a food pantry, clothes closet, social workers, and more the needy in our community.
Our parish holds food drives several times a year to restock the pantry, and we have 2 representatives on the St. MAM Board.
Supplies Over Seas
SOS improves global health and the environment through recovery and redistribution of surplus medical supplies. They are a global health non-profit that meets critical health care needs in medically impoverished communities around the world by collecting and distributing surplus medical supplies and equipment.
Partnering with hospitals, clinics and manufacturers to recover and redistribute what would otherwise go into local landfills, SOS promotes environmental stewardship.
Thanksgiving Collection
We ask parishioners to bring non-perishable food donations to Thanksgiving mass.
This collection is sponsored by the Worship Committee.
Threads of Love
Threads of Love, through the effort and support of many participants in chapters across the country, provides clothing, blankets and other handmade articles for tiny premature and sick infants. We desire to show God’s love to the parents and loved ones of these babies in their time of uncertainty. Perhaps those who are experiencing incomprehensible pain may know a peace and serenity that extends beyond the situation. We want to simply be there to bring the unsaid message of God’s presence and His infinite love and compassion.
Unbound
Unbound is an international nonprofit founded by lay Catholics grounded in the Gospel call to put the needs of the marginalized and vulnerable first. They build relationships of mutual respect and support that bridge cultural, religious and economic divides. They invite all people of goodwill to join in.
Working side by side with people of diverse faith traditions in 19 countries, Unbound brings people together to challenge poverty in new and innovative ways.
The Outreach Committee financially supports families living in poverty, empowering them to become self-sufficient and fulfill their desired potential.
Water With Blessings
Our Outreach Committee, Threads of Love members, and other interested sewers/knitters in our community have worked together to create water filter socks for WWB and the many families they serve.
Some of our students have also helped tie-dye shirts as a fundraising effort for WWB.
WaterStep
By donating your new and gently used shoes to WaterStep, you’ll help fund safe drinking water projects all over the world — projects that help to save hundreds of thousands of lives each year.
In addition to funding water projects, donated shoes keep hundreds of tons of waste out of our landfills. They accept gently used shoes that are free of mold/mildew. Athletic shoes are preferred, but we will accept all styles of shoes. Shoes are sold to an exporter and funds received help bring clean water to those in need.