March 2020
Knights of Columbus Fish Feast
Friday, March 27 is Mission Circle Night!
Each Friday during Lent, the Knights host the St. James-St. Leo Community Fish Feast in the Parish Hall. It’s a great opportunity to meet new people from our Parish and enjoy a delicious, gourmet dinner. Proceeds from the meals each week are donated to a different parish ministry. Mission Circle will benefit from the meal on Friday, March 27 and our volunteers will serve the buffet-style dinner.  To sign up to help serve, please use Sign Up Genius at:   https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080C48AAAC23A0F85-mission or contact Kevin O’Connor at shamrockpool@gmail.com .

For more information or to make dinner reservations, go to http://www.kofc12749.org/reservations . 
 Come enjoy a great meal, meet some interesting people, and support Mission Circle on Friday, March 27!
Update From the Casa Eudes Kitchen….
Volunteers give their time, talent, and love
Walt Birchall
Casey Heinrich
Alex Almeida & Jeff Sturgis
Our loyal and enthusiastic maintenance volunteers have been working hard to bring the Casa Eudes kitchen up to local standards and to keep up with numerous needed repairs at the Girls Home. The duct and hood have now been installed for the kitchen’s new exhaust system. During their last visit, their kitchen progress was interrupted by the need to remove a stump and roots that were causing problems with the septic tank. A new hot water heater was also installed for the girls’ bathroom. The girls have not had hot water since October. Thanks to Mission Circle donations and the work of our volunteers, the girls will soon be enjoying hot showers again!
Volunteers are always welcome and invited to join this multi-tasking crew! You will learn some new skills, feel great pride in making life a little more comfortable for the girls and Sisters living at Casa Eudes, and get to know some amazing people who are putting their faith and love into action. An added bonus…. you’ll enjoy one of Sister’s famous lunches…. machaca tacos or tilapia or other specialty! Muy delicioso!!
Mike Larkin, Casey Heinrich, Steve Bath, & Kevin O'Connor
Alex and Walt
Come join us! 
If you like to hammer, dig, paint, drill, climb ladders,
lay tile, fix plumbing….
Our next workday is Saturday, March 14!
For more information, contact Jeff Sturgis at jeffsturgis@me.com
What’s Cuter than a Girl with a Teddy Bear?
Mary Larkin (far right front) with her happy students and their new teddy bears
Well, that’s easy…a girl cuddling a teddy bear she made! On a recent day of sewing at the Casa Eudes Girls Home, Mission Circle volunteer Mary Larkin helped the girls sew their own teddy bears. It was a huge hit! If you’d like to help with one of the sewing classes, contact Mary at marylarkin19@gmail.com . 
You’ll be “sew” glad you did!
PB&J Sandwich Program
Feeding Souls on Both Sides of the Border
E very week at the St. Leo Mission kitchen more than two dozen people of different faiths, political persuasions, and ages stand side-by-side laughing, chatting and making new friends while eagerly swiping peanut butter and jelly onto 2000 pieces of donated bread to make 1000 tasty sandwiches.
Stephanie Kowack, Beth Murphy, Marty Proctor, Claire Crilly, Anna Tran, Patti Rausch, Diana Hughes and a revolving crew of volunteers accomplish this feat every Thursday morning every week of the year. Early Friday morning volunteer Bill Luke distributes these sandwiches in Tijuana to imprisoned men and women as well as homeless people living along the canals and wherever he finds hungry people. Nothing goes to waste, says Kowack, even the leftover pieces of bread are donated to soup kitchens in Tijuana.
Vons, Sprouts, Lazy Acres and Jersey Mikes, Kowack says, supply day-old bread for the sandwiches. St. James parishioners donate the 16 to 18 jars of peanut butter and 20 jars of jelly needed each week.

How can you help?
Simply show up and join
in the fun: 
10:00 am every Thursday
St. Leo Mission Kitchen
936 Genevieve St., Solana Beach
Donate large jars of smooth peanut butter, any flavor jelly, as well as small toiletries and leave them under the sink in the
St. James Social Room
No membership or experience required!  
Volunteer every week or drop-in when you can! The Holy Spirit ensures there are enough volunteers every week to get the job done and feed souls on both sides on the border.
If you would like more information, contact Stephanie Kowack at stephkowack@yahoo.com .
Meet Bill Luke
How do you become the ' Face of Christ'? Meet Bill Luke! Bill picks up and delivers peanut buttter and jelly sandwiches every week. He is one of the many faithful volunteers who live this prayer. And, now finally we have a photo of this special delivery man!!!
C hrist has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which He looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which He blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are His body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
— St. Teresa of Ávila (attributed)!
Be the Hands and Feet of Christ!
Are you being called to...
  • Get more involved helping others?
  • Encounter and grow closer to Jesus by serving the poor & marginalized?
  • Put your faith into action by helping to make the world a better place?
There is a Passion in your Heart
How is God calling you to use it?
Mission Circle can help you connect with like-minded people to make a difference!
Simply contact us at pres@missioncircle.com
or
Visit us at missioncircle.com and contact the chairperson
of our programs and events.

We look forward to seeing you soon!
 
Want to Make a Difference?
~ VOLUNTEER WITH US ~
On-going Volunteer Opportunities
NEEDED:  Fish Feast
Dinner Volunteers
Friday, March 27
Contact: Kevin O’Connor, shamrockpool@gmail.com
* All volunteers need to reserve and pay for their dinner
Help serve dinner at the Friday, March 27 Fish Feast!*

  Mission Circle benefits from the proceeds raised at the Fish Feast dinner in the Parish Hall on March 27th. To sign up to help, go to https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080C48AAAC23A0F85-mission   To make dinner reservations, go to http://www.kofc12749.org/reservations
Casa Eudes Girls Home Kitchen Project
Saturday, March 14 & 28 (on-going project 2 nd & 4 th Saturdays)
Casa Eudes, Tijuana
Volunteers needed to help finish walls, install a new exhaust system, and repair the floor tiles in the kitchen. A valid US passport or passport card is required at the border. Call to reserve your place in the Mission Circle van!  
Contact:Walt Birchall, mwendasolanabeach@sbcglobal.net
or Jeff Sturgis, jeffsturgis@me.com
Books Needed for Tutoring Program
Gently used or new children’s books, from Dr. Seuss to young adult, needed for the Tutoring Program’s library. Please place books in a bag marked TUTORING and leave in the social room at St. James. Our students and tutors GREATLY appreciate your donations!
Contact: Jim McCollum, jim28351@aol.com
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Donations Needed
Every Week!
It takes a lot of peanut butter and jelly to make 1,000 sandwiches each week to feed the prisoners and homeless in Tijuana. Please leave your jars of creamy PB & any flavor Jelly in the social room under the sink at St. James.    
Contact: Stephanie Kowack,
stephkowack@yahoo.com
Travel Size Toiletries
Please save the travel-size toiletries f rom your hotel stays and leave them under the sink in the St. James social
room. The prisoners in the Tijuana jail will greatly appreciate them .
MC General Meeting –  
Monday March 9

7:00 – 8:00 PM 
St. James Church Gathering/Reading Room
Contact:   Kevin O’Connor, pres@missioncircle.com
Mondays & Wednesdays
After-school Tutoring Program: 
Teens to retired adults, needed to assist pre-k to 8 th grade students with homework and reading practice Mondays and Wednesdays 4:00-5:30 pm at St. Leo Mission. Tutoring schedule is flexible to accommodate our volunteers. Come for a visit and tour!
Contact: Jim McCollum, jim28351@aol.com or
Diane Salyer, dcs719@msn.com
Thursdays
Make PB & J Sandwiches for Prisoners & Homeless in Tijuana
10:00 AM – noon (or until all sandwiches are made)
St. Leo kitchen – Come join us! Drop-ins Welcome!
Contact: Stephanie Kowack,stephkowack@yahoo.com
Fridays
Food Distribution at Encinitas
Community Resource Center (CRC)
New Volunteers always welcome!
2 shifts: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM & 12:00 – 2:00 PM
Encinitas Community Resource Center
Contact:   Pierre Godefroy, peteg732@gmail.com
Saturdays (2 nd & 4 th )
Maintenance & Crafts at Casa Eudes Girls Home, Tijuana, Mexico *
7:30 AM – 5:00 PM Come join us!
Meet in St. James Parking Lot to carpool in the church van
Contact: Jeff Sturgis,
*Must carry a valid US Passport Card (not a passport)
Saturdays (1st & 3rd)
Contact: Kathy Faller,
“ Repurposing with a Purpose” work party!
9 :00 – 11:00 AM Teens, Young Adults, Adults
Need service hours? Volunteers ALWAYS welcome!
Donation Sheds – St. James parking lot. Join us as we organize donations for upcoming building and home furnishing projects.
Look What’s Coming....
Saturday, March 14 & 28     
Kitchen Project at Casa Eudes Girls Home, Tijuana (on-going)

TBD                            
Casa Eudes Girls Home Sewing Program (on-going)
For more information contact Mary Larkin, marylarkin19@gmail.com

Friday, March 27            
Knights of Columbus Fish Feast – benefitting Mission Circle. Come enjoy a delicious dinner and support Mission Circle at the same time!

April 25-26                
 Cookies for Kairos: Bring homemade cookies for Kairos prison retreat!
 More information to follow in next month’s newsletter.
                          
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