Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a fellowship of mena nd women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for AA membership; we are self-supporting through member contributions. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
Contact: (505) 266-2177
The Al-Anon Family Groups are a fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholics who share their experience, strength, and hope in order to solve their common problems. We believe alcoholism is a family illness and that changed attitudes can aid recovery. There are no dues for membership. Al-Anon is self-supporting through member contributions.
Al-Anon has but one purpose: to help families of alcoholics. We do this by practicing the Twelve Steps, by welcoming and giving comfort to families of alcoholics, and by giving understanding and encouragement to the alcoholic.
Contact: 262-2177
Befrienders provide pastoral care for people in difficult or transitional situations; to serve those who just simply don't know where to turn. A Be-Friender is someone who listens and offers confidential spiritual and emotional spport. They LISTEN; they do NOT offer advice and they adhere to a strict code of confidentiality. They are member of the parish, well-trained to reach out to provide one-on-one listening and support to those in need due to illness, homebound, eldery, caregivers and families, separation, divorce, chronic or terminal illness, chemical abuse, job transition or loss, domestic abuse, death, etc. They are NOT professional counselors or psychologists, social workers, or experts in law, finance, medicine, or church doctrine, although they DO receive about 20 hours of training and serve a short internship before becoming a commissioned Be-Friender. Training includes when, who, and to whom to make proper referrals. Referrals to them come from clergy and other ministries.
Coordinator: Gloria Hultine
Contact: (505) 891-0388
Bereavement ministry members contact parish members who recently had a death in the family. Their goal is to offer comfort and understanding from others with the same experience. Meetings last generally one and a half to two hours. The format is a support group settings. They occasionaly have guest speakers to augment the video tapes which they routinely utilize. There is ALWAYS a trained facilitator at every meeting.
Coordinator: Mary Davidson or Patricia Furlong
Contact: (505) 892-9886 or (505) 831-5428
"It is the right of every pregnant women to give birth and the right of every child to be born." Birthright is an interfaith, all-volunteer, non-political, non-profit organization which provides caring, non-judgmental support to girls and women distressed by an unplanned pregnanc. They provide friendship, emotional support, and referrals to needed services which they don't provide, as well as maternity and baby clothes. The provide free pregnancy testing and pregnancy counseling, prenatal information, legal, medical, and educational referrals, adoption information, housing referrals, and information on other community services. Their help is totally confidential; they help the married and single, regardless of age, race, or religion.
Director: Debbie Schaff
Contact: (505) 891-1420
Website: http://birthrightpregnancycounseling.homestead.com/
We have a 40-passenger diesel bus providing transportation to the 11:00am Mass. Drivers are all CDL certified. We maintain a list of riders in the order of their pickup. The driver calls each rider by 9:00am prior to pick up to confirm the need for that day. This also serves as a confirmation call to the riders. Routine pickup points include St. Joseph's West Side Hospital Retirement Center, the Fairway Greens Condominiums at Southern and Country Club, residences in Sandia Vista and Corrales Heights, Acantilado Vista Assisted Living and Sandia Springs Nursing Home, Buena Vista and Meadowlark Apartments, Vista Grande Retirement Center, and Haines Park area residences.
Coordinator: Ted Jacobs
Contact: (505) 892-1511
Caring 4 Kids crochets, knits and sews blankets and booties for children who are victims in abusive environments or crisis situations.
Coordinator: Victoria Garcia
Contact: (505) 261-1488
Gamblers Anonymous (GA) is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may some their common problem and help others recover from a gambling problem. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop gambling. There are no dues or fees for GA membership; we are self-supporting through member contributions. GA is a Twelve-Step program.
Contact: (505) 260-9899
The MESA Club is a non-profit New Mexico corporation formed in 1995 to provide meeting space for Twelve-Step meetings, including Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Al-Anon, etc. Free childcare is provided in about half the meetings. The club also provides a place for clean and sober people to socialize as well as providing a central place in Rio Rancho for recovering people to obtain information about recovery, social events and other items concering the recovery community.
Contact: (505) 896-1359
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), Westside offers a Family-to-Family Education Program to families of those with severe brain disorders (mental illness). Their mission is to reach out and make a difference in the lives of those affected by mental illness through education, advocacy, and support. The meetings provide a place to discuss their concerns in strict confidence, share, learn, grow, discover community resources and get help when in crisis. The course itself discusses the clinical treatment of mental illnesses and teaches family members skills needed to cope more effectively. Trained family members teach the course; all course materials are furnished free to participants.
Contact: (505) 990-2292
Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a way of following God's plan for achieving and/or avoiding pregnancy using the physical means that God has built into human nature. NFP consists of two distinct forms: Ecological breastfeeding (a form of child care that normally spaces babies about two years apart on the average) and Systematic NFP (a system that usesa woman's signs of fertility to determine her fertile and infertile times of her cycle). Couples seeking to avoid pregnancy practice chaste abstinence during the fertile time of her cycle. Classes are regularly available!
Coordinators: Jose & Elvira Guillen
Contact: (505) 892-5783
Overeaters Anonymous (OA) offers a program of recovery from compulsive eating using the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of OA. Worldwide meetings and other tools provide a fellowship of experience, strength and hope where members respect one another's anonymity. OA charges no dues or fees; it is self-supporting through member contributions.
OA is not just about weight loss, gain or maintenance; or obesity or diets. It addresses physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. It is not a religious organization and does not promote any particular diet. If you want to stop your compulsive overeating, welcome to Overeaters Anonymous.
Contact: (505) 896-1359
Coordinator: Tim and Mary Davidson
Contact: (505) 892-9886 or (505) 239-4725
Public Affairs Committee hosts "Meet the Candidates" forums for federal, state, county, and local positions. Forums are typically 2 hours on a Sunday afternoon in Fr. D'Arco Hall preceeding elections.
Chairperson: Felicie Truscio
Contact: (505) 891-1304
"It's a LIFe, NOT a CHOICE!" This summarizes the thrust and attitude of this ministry - the "mission statement" if you will. Essentially opposed to the "Culture of death" espoused by Pro-Choice proponents, Respect Life opposes abortion, euthanasia, contraception, and capital punishment. Their goal is to educate and make the public aware of the truth in the underlying life/death issues being distorted by educators, law-makers, media, parents, some churches, etc. Respect Life sponsors guest speakers in the parish, at rallies, seminars, etc. They monitor lawmakers' activities, speak out on controversial life/death issues and inform voters of critical non-negotiable life vs. death issues at stake in election year. They pray in front of the offices of abortion doctors in Albuquerque and talk to willing young women approaching abortion clinics, offering to pray with them and ask that they postpone their decision until they have thoroughly considered other alternatives.
Coordinator: Felicie Truscio
Contact: (505) 891-1304
The society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) assists families and individual experiencing financial, emotional, and spiritual crisis. They society is a volunteer charitable organization that assists with rent, utility, and some medical prescription payments, food, clothing, household furnishings, and gasoline. Most recipients are people who need short term help to get back on their feet. An illness or bump in the job situation can cause anyone living paycheck-to-paycheck to get behind on bills. Many are not eligible for public assistance. Besides financial assistance, SVdP provides a directory of community resources and makes referrals to public and private agencies and groups that provide specialized legal assistance, counseling, and protective services, and even provide job referrals. Although not solicited, SVdp collects and distributes clothing, household items, and furniture for redistribution to the needy. SVdP is funded solely by the single special monthly collection.
Contact: (505) 892-0526