What kind of social groups do you have at your church?

[Lucy_1]

I’d like to make friends at my parish, but I don’t know how. I mean I know people, but I don’t socialize with anyone. Do you have any social groups at your church? We have bunco but it’s only by invitation, and there’s a women’s luncheon once a month, which I usually go to. Do any of your parishes have social or hobby groups?

 

[Torolf]

My parish just started three home groups. We also have a social group for the retired parishioners, men’s group, lady’s group, youth group. We have the more common groups like Knights of Columbus, altar society and prayer chain. We’ve also started People of the Rosary which meets every Saturday to pray the rosary, have a potluck once a month, organize rosary rallies and marches and they also do a lot of retreats together.

If your parish doesn’t have many outlets to socialize maybe bring it up with with the pastor and see if you can get something going.

 

[catholic03]

We don’t really have very many at our parish.

Perhaps think of joining groups at another parish if at all possible.

I am thinking of joining a youth group at another parish.

 

[Dlee]

We are very fortunate to have a Senior Ministry - they meet every morning for games, movies, trips. I believe it is subsidized by our City Senior Millage. We also have evening Bible Studies, Bridge lessons, pickle ball. We have a Food Pantry and a Clothing Pantry. We have a couple of book study groups, K of C, youth activities. There is always someplace to socialize.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

At the parishes I see, there’s usually luncheons, Bingo parties, and bus trips for the seniors, Lifeteen for the teenagers, and K of C for the men. Sometimes there is a “mom’s group” for moms with young children, sometimes there’s a book club. There’s really not a lot for women between age 22 and 60, but often they’ll get involved in a Bible study group, a prayer group, or a ministry like making prayer shawls or cooking casseroles for elderly parishioners.

There are also some activities that tend to happen at a diocesan level or across a bunch of parishes, like Theology on Tap or Catholic Young Adults of ___ County, that will have a get-together a couple times a month so people mostly in their 20s can meet each other and socialize.

 

[DisorientingSneeze]

I’d like to make friends at my parish, but I don’t know how. I mean I know people, but I don’t socialize with anyone. Do you have any social groups at your church? We have bunco but it’s only by invitation, and there’s a women’s luncheon once a month, which I usually go to. Do any of your parishes have social or hobby groups?

I think the best thing you can do is be the kind of friend you need to someone else. You need someone to invite you somewhere and just pull you straight into their inner circle. I formed a lot of friendships related to a ministry that turned sort of toxic for me. There was definitely an in group and out group. Even when I was the coordinator I felt like I wasn’t allowed in the in group. Having quit the group I realized I just need to invite people to places in ordinary friendship. They won’t have to wonder if I’m being friendly for the sake of ministry. That’s seriously my next move. Think of a thing I want to do, invite a friend or two and maybe someone new to come hangout and we can just be. You might end a blight of loneliness for someone you didn’t know was suffering.

 

[TheLittleLady]

Women’s Conference with sub groups, one that meets for Bible study, one that meets for lunch at restaurants, one that does funeral ministry meals, one that goes out to volunteer at soup kitchen.

Catholic Daughters of the Americas

There are also men’s groups (Knights, weekly fellowship Bible study)

Sunday morning two different “coffee and chat with Father” groups that talk about everything from Catholic doctrine to current events. A separate Sunday morning adult Bible Study.

Gaming groups for Senior Citizens and another for adults over 18.

Prayer Shawl ministry

We are starting a Book Club

Various Rel Ed groups

The “Designing Women” who help with various projects around the parish

I know I am missing some.

 

[PetraG]

Having quit the group I realized I just need to invite people to places in ordinary friendship. They won’t have to wonder if I’m being friendly for the sake of ministry. That’s seriously my next move. Think of a thing I want to do, invite a friend or two and maybe someone new to come hangout and we can just be.

I highly recommend this. I left a parish, but kept in touch with some people I knew there by having lunch with them or arranging walks or what not, one-on-one, because we didn’t see each other at church anymore. The friendships grew in ways that they wouldn’t have grown, had I kept going to church and assumed that the time together with these other people at church was enough to grow a friendship.

In other words, social occasions that are set up solely for the sake of friendship have a function that really complement the “multi-tasking” side of a friendship. Yes, it is very meaningful to someone to say to them, “I want to set aside time just for the sake of our friendship. We can do something, but what we choose to do is clearly secondary.” That makes a huge difference.

I would actually think first of who you want to spend time with and then think of what you might enjoy doing together. Maybe that’s lunch or breakfast out, maybe it is just a walk somewhere you can catch up, maybe it is just a cup of tea or coffee and a chat, maybe it is going to a museum or something like that, or maybe it is bowling or whatever. I’d pick the friendship and then pick the outing, though.

 

[CilladeRoma]

We have a Mom’s group, a Young adult (18-40) group, a middle and high school youth group, and a 50+ group, as well as a Men’s club, and the KofC.

We also have pro-life groups, Social Ministry groups, Bible study groups and a group of gardeners who keep our parish gardens beautiful.