Pastoral Ministries

Our Lady of Peace Parish > Ministries > Pastoral Ministries

The Pastoral Ministries offer care to the sick, hospitalized, and homebound. They also minister to and offer guidance and support for the many spiritual and personal needs of our parishioners.

Care of the Sick, the Homebound, and the Hospitalized

The Pastoral Team at Our Lady of Peace Parish (Priests, Deacons, and Eucharistic Ministers) provides opportunities for a ministry that touches not only the spiritual dimension of the homebound person and their families, but the emotional, intellectual, and social needs as well.  This ministry attempts to reconnect the homebound person to the community of faith and offers a means of healing the whole person. Weekly, we visit Carino Park, Juniper Village, Cedar Grove (Meadowview Nursing Home), and Atlas Healthcare (ProMedica). Our Pastoral Team also serves Jefferson Hospital in Washington Township and Inspira Medical Center in Mullica Hill. If anyone in your family is in need of such healing and would like to be visited by a Eucharistic Minister or priest, please contact the Parish Office.

If interested, please contact:

  • Deacon Jim Hallman (Juniper Village): 856-629-6142 ext. 113; deaconjim@olopp.org
  • Deacon George VanLeer (Cedar Grove & ProMedica): 856-629-7711; tervan26@aol.com
  • Joe Sheridan (Juniper Village): 856-728-1385; joejsheridan107@gmail.com
  • Deacon Joe Janocha (Diocesan Hospital Ministry): 856-583-6130

Grief Support Group (Bereavement Ministry)

This ministry offers love and support to those who have lost a loved one. Under the leadership of Fr. Sanjai, a group of trained facilitators offers two eight-week grief support groups, once in the fall and once in the spring, and continual support group meetings once a month.  If you are grieving the loss of a loved one, please contact the Parish Office at 856-629-6142.

Marriage Ministry

The Marriage Ministry consists of three programs:

  • Marriage Prep (Pre-Cana): Pre-Cana is a ministry that engages couples as they make their final preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage. It is held in the Spring and Fall each year, Friday evening and Saturday. Trained couples from the parish share, with large and small groups of engaged couples, their learning and personal experiences of marriage, questions and answers concerning relationships, and provide an opportunity for small break-out groups for discussion. Pre-Cana ends with attendance at Saturday liturgy. A special blessing is bestowed upon the couples by the presiding priest during the Mass.
    • Contact information – Joe & Jackie Kern: kernardo@comcast.net; precana@olopp.org; Mary & Mike Lambert: lamfam4@comcast.net; 609-876-0842
  • FOCCUS (Pre-Marriage Inventory & Facilitation):
  • FOCCUS is a part of the marriage preparation process of our parish. It involves two parts. First, the engaged couple will take a premarital inventory designed to help engaged couples build a foundation for the Sacrament of Marriage. This inventory is designed to help engaged couples appreciate their unique relationship, learn more about themselves, and discuss topics important to their lifelong marriage. Topics include: communication, parenting, finances, family, etc.  The inventory is meant to show patterns of strengths and areas that need the couples’ attention.  
  • For the second part, the engaged couple will meet with a FOCCUS mentor couple from our parish to go over and discuss the questions from the inventory and their answers to those questions. The focus of these discussions are to celebrate a couple’s strengths, practice positive communication skills, and learn conflict resolution skills that will enhance their lifelong relationship. The ultimate goal of the FOCCUS process is to give engaged couples a good foundation so they might have healthy, happy, permanent marriages in the future.
    • Contact information – Mary Lambert: lamfam4@comcast.net; 609-876-0842
  • Wedding Rehearsal Ministry: This ministry assists couples as they prepare for their wedding day. We meet with couples prior to the wedding rehearsal to discuss various details regarding the ceremony/Mass. We are also responsible for conducting the rehearsal, setting up the church on the day of the wedding, and ensuring that the wedding runs smoothly.
    • Contact information – Mary Lambert: 609-841-3971

Convalidation is offered for couples who are civilly married and wish to have their marriage blessed by the Church. Please contact the Parish Office at 856-629-6142 to meet with a priest or deacon to begin the convalidation process. 

Respect Life/Embrace Grace Ministry

Our Respect Life Ministry is currently working in close collaboration with the following organizations: Walking With Moms in Need, United Life NJ, and the USCCB/Respect for Life. In addition, we coordinate events and activities to coincide with important Pro-Life dates throughout the year, including a prayer vigil for the National Day of Remembrance for Unborn Children, observance of Respect Life Month in October, and a bus trip to Washington, D.C. in January for the annual March for Life.

Embrace Grace is a program of our Respect Life Ministry.  It is a no-judgment, faith-based support group for single women with unplanned pregnancies.  It is open to women of ALL backgrounds and religions.  Meetings are held once a week for 12 weeks to help meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of women navigating unexpected pregnancies.  Group participants are connected with helpful resources and a baby shower is organized to equip them with the essentials and surround them with a community of supportive people!  Visit our website for more information:  https://embrace-grace-olopp.square.site/

If interested, please contact:

  • Terri Marshall: 856-287-7795; prolifeministry@olopp.org
  • Francesca Dominguez: 267-446-4086; embracegrace@olopp.org

Stephen Ministry 

Stephen Ministry offers a proven and effective way to organize, equip, and supervise a team of congregation members—called Stephen Ministers—to provide high-quality, one-to-one, Christ-centered care to people in the congregation and the community experiencing life difficulties.

Stephen Leaders are church staff, lay leaders, and pastors trained to provide ongoing leadership for their congregation’s Stephen Ministry. Stephen Ministers are congregation members trained to offer one-on-one care to people who are hurting and meet with their care receiver once a week for about an hour. Care receivers are individuals in the congregation or community who are going through a crisis or life difficulty. The caring relationship lasts for as long as the need persists and it is kept highly confidential. This ministry is available freely for anyone in the community.

If interested, please contact:

  • Russell & Marlene Harding/Pat Hallman: stephenministry@olopp.org; 856-629-6142 ext. 130