5 Simple Ways to Serve Your Parish Community This Lent

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 18, and for the next 40 days, Catholics around the world are called to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving — the practice of giving our time, talents, and resources to others.

But for many of us, the question is practical: What can I actually do? We're busy. We have families, jobs, and commitments. We want to serve, but we're not sure where to start or what our parish needs.

The good news is that meaningful service doesn't require heroic effort. Some of the most impactful acts of love are small, simple, and close to home. Here are five ways you can serve your parish community this Lent — starting today.

1. Offer a Ride

Transportation is one of the most common and most impactful needs in parish communities. Elderly parishioners who can no longer drive, families with a single car, or members recovering from surgery often need rides to:

• Mass (especially daily Mass during Lent)
• Medical appointments
• Grocery stores and pharmacies
• Stations of the Cross and other Lenten devotions

Why It Matters

For a homebound parishioner, a ride to Mass isn't just transportation — it's connection to the Eucharist and to their faith community. It can be the difference between isolation and belonging.

How to Start

• Ask your pastor or parish secretary if anyone needs rides
• Check your parish's needs board (if your parish uses NearPew, you can browse posted needs directly)
• Offer rides on a schedule that works for you — even once a week makes a difference

2. Cook a Meal

There is something deeply human and deeply Catholic about sharing food. When a family is going through a difficult time — illness, grief, a new baby, financial stress — a home-cooked meal is one of the most meaningful gifts you can give.

Practical Tips

• Ask about dietary restrictions before cooking
• Use disposable containers so the family doesn't have to worry about returning dishes
• Include reheating instructions — simple but often forgotten
• Coordinate with others to avoid five casseroles on the same day (this is where meal train tools help)

How to Find Families Who Need Meals

• Your parish's St. Vincent de Paul conference or Ladies Auxiliary often knows who needs support
• If your parish uses a coordination tool like NearPew, families or coordinators can post meal needs, and volunteers can sign up for specific dates

3. Visit Someone Who's Alone

Loneliness is one of the most pervasive and least-addressed needs in parish life. Many parishioners — especially the elderly, recently widowed, or those with health conditions — spend days without meaningful human contact.

What a Visit Looks Like

• A 30-minute conversation over coffee or tea
• Praying the Rosary together
• Reading Scripture or the day's readings aloud
• Simply being present — you don't need to fix anything; your presence is the gift

How to Start

• Ask your pastor for a list of homebound parishioners
• Coordinate with your parish's Eucharistic ministry to the homebound
• Start with one visit per week during Lent — it's enough to make a real difference

4. Share Your Skills

Every parishioner has skills that someone else needs. You don't need to be a professional — everyday abilities are exactly what parishes need.

Skills That Parishes Need

• Basic home repairs: Fixing a leaky faucet, changing a lightbulb on a high ceiling, clearing a gutter
• Technology help: Setting up a phone, helping with email, showing someone how to video-call their grandchildren
• Yard work: Mowing, raking, or shoveling snow for elderly or disabled parishioners
• Language skills: Translating parish communications for Spanish-speaking members
• Administrative help: Helping the parish office with filing, data entry, or phone calls

How to Offer

• Let your parish know what you can do — a simple note to the parish secretary or a post on your parish's help board
• Be specific about what you're offering and when you're available
• Follow through on your commitments — reliability builds trust

5. Pray for Specific Intentions

Prayer is service. When you commit to praying for a specific person or intention, you are participating in the communion of saints and interceding for your brothers and sisters in Christ.

How to Make It Concrete

• Ask parishioners for their prayer intentions — many people are carrying burdens they've never shared
• Commit to praying for one specific person each day during Lent
• Send a note to let them know you're praying for them (this simple act has profound impact)
• Share your own prayer requests — allowing others to pray for you is itself an act of humility and trust

Parish Prayer Boards

Many parishes have prayer intention boards in the vestibule. If your parish uses NearPew, you can share prayer requests within your community and see others' intentions, creating a web of mutual spiritual support.

Start Small, Start Now

You don't need to commit to all five. Pick one. Start this week. Lent is 40 days, and even one small act of service each week adds up to a meaningful Lenten journey.

The key is to move from intention to action. As St. James reminds us: "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:26). This Lent, let your faith come alive through simple, concrete service to the people in your parish.

If you're looking for a way to connect with your parish community and find opportunities to help, NearPew is a free platform designed for exactly this. You can browse needs, offer help, and share prayers — all within the safety of your parish family.

Visit nearpew.org to get started.

Wishing you a blessed and fruitful Lent.

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References:

1. James 2:26 (NABRE)
2. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Lent