Social Responsibility

Social Responsibility:at the Heart of Epiphany

“Believing in a society free from oppression, we heal, reconcile and work for justice and peace.“
From the Epiphany Vision Statement

The Ministry of Social Responsibility enables each one of us to live out this fundamental value of our community, through works of justice, charity and peace. In our Parish Commitment, we call ourselves to “just and creative responses to the needs of the suffering, the poor, the disheartened, and the oppressed.”

At the heart of our parish identity…
Our founding community and its pastors believed care for the world's broken ones and the pursuit of justice to be moral obligations of a Catholic parish. Throughout our community history, social responsibility has been understood as essential to our shared life in the Gospel.

At the heart of our baptismal identity…
Social Responsibility at Epiphany is not just the work of a few. Every Epiphany member is encouraged and welcomed into this ministry, for we understand it to be essential to our common life in Christ.

Are you longing for a sense of mission and community?

In the ministry of Social Responsibility, we have begun exploring a shift in organizational structure, the we call “From Committees to Communities.” This is the fruit of our discernment in response to a challenge by Jack Jezreel, (JustFaith Ministries) in his talk Gathered and Sent; a challenge to re-imagine social ministries as small mission-based communities. (Click on the link to watch Jack’s talk as presented at the 2011 Los Angeles Religious Education Conference.) We are intrigued by the possibilities presented by a community-based model, with its implications for shared contemplative prayer and reflection, integrated with action and advocacy. 

The “Friends in a Circle” candle holder is a focal point for our prayer as we gather the Social Responsibility Steering Committee, and we conclude our gatherings in a similar linked circle. This gesture of warm solidarity for one another expresses our hopes for drawing others into the circle of community for mission, and our desire to offer transformative community for a wounded world.

A number of our committees have begun the transition to a more community-style structure, consciously working to create a warm sense of community and a lively sense of mission. If this interests you, please contact Sister Larraine.

JustCommunity: A community-wide integration of Catholic Social Teaching

 (click on above link for more information aobut our JustCommunity seasonal themes)

• Committee chairs: Kate Grindon and Greg Tichenor
• Staff representative: LarryHowe-Kerr (502-245-9733, ext.21)

Thoughts and Insights (click on link for more information)

Many Ways to Serve...Come, serve with us!

For an overview of volunteer opportunities and contacts [click here].

Our Ministry: Communities and Committees

Social Responsibility Steering Committee (SRSC): One of the standing committees of the Parish Pastoral Council, we work in collaboration with the Minister for Social Responsibility to empower parishioner response to the Gospel call of compassion, justice and peacemaking articulated in the tradition of Catholic social teaching and witness of faithful people. The committee also carries out special projects that span the entire scope of the ministry, such as retreats and the Jim Flynn Peacemaking Award.

Membership in the SRSC and all Subcommittees is open to all interested community members. Meeting schedules, current projects and contact information are continually updated through the parish bulletin. Special Programs and Projects are also highlighted and updated on a weekly basis in the parish bulletin.

The SRSC includes these Communities and Committees:

• Appalachia Mission An annual mission to work in Appalachia, through Hand in Hand Ministries: Primarily home rehab
• Backside Mission Supporting ecumenical ministry to Churchill Downs track workers
• CLOUT Network (Citizens of Louisville Organized and United Together) Working with other metro congregations to bring about needed changes in our community, especially as they affect the poor
• Environmental Concerns Guiding the community in all things environmental and care for God’s creation
• Faithful Citizenship Leading our community in legislative action, as guided by the Catholic Conference of Kentucky, and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Habitat for Humanity Collaboration with other area parishes to build one house bi-annually, team of volunteers working year-around construction at other sites
• Honduras Mission Two missions yearly to work with Divine Mercy community in Tegucigalpa, Honduras
• Hunger and Poverty Leading us in various creative responses to hunger in the metro community, supporting our action on behalf of Bread for the World, Dare to Care Backpack Buddies and Kids Cafe
• Latino Concerns Supporting the Latino Outreach program at Eastern Area Community Ministries, and raising our awareness of the challenges of immigration
• Prison Ministry Catholic ministry to incarcerated persons at Luther Luckett Correctional Complex, special art therapy project for children of jail inmates
• St. Vincent de Paul Working with our daily Emergency Assistance ministry, supporting the work of the downtown campus and its programs
• Ten Percent Discerning the disbursement of our tithe of monthly income, to various agencies and programs.
• Undoing Racism Addressing the reality of racism and discrimination within and beyond our community
• Women’s Concerns Enabling our community to address the reality of gender inequities and challenges

The Jim Flynn Peacemaking Award The James E. Flynn Peacemaking Award, established in 1992 by the Church of the Epiphany Social Responsibility Committee, is named after the parish co-founder who brought the Gospel message and Catholic Social Teaching to fruition in the life of the parish. This award honors a current or former parishioner who, on a local, national, or international basis, has responded to the call of the Gospel and Catholic Social Teaching to make a significant contribution in the area of social justice. The recipient has made the world a better place to live and, in doing so, has enriched the Community of Epiphany. This award is given annually and comes with a monetary gift to the charity of choice named by the recipient(s).

The Peacemaking Award Dinner is the premier celebration event of the Ministry of Social Responsibility in our parish. 

“Those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever.” Daniel 12:3 

The recipient of the 2012 James E. Flynn Peacemaking Award: R Brayton Bowen.

Brayton has influenced our Epiphany community in his peacemaking ministry in so many ways, including the following: He founded the men's ministry Men of Epiphany (MOE) in 2003 and was the colunteer convener until early 2012.  He solicited and scheduled dynamic speakers over all those years and initiatied or facilitated the many outreach activities, including:

• Annual Trackside Appeal
• St. Vincent de Paul Open Hands Kitchen service
• the St. Vincent de Paul semi-annual truck collections
• Project HOPE (Helping Other People, Epiphany!)