Dorie Miller, the first coordinator (along with husband Andy Nabor), Lori Wellman, early volunteer coordinator, Laurel Deloria, early volunteer, and the Loaves and Fishes website
Loaves and Fishes began in 1982 to provide hot meals to the hungry throughout the Archdiocese. At first they thought it would be a temporary group no longer needed when Washington politics changed. But the organization is needed just as much today. Incarnation volunteered from the beginning to prepare a meal and serve it at the St. Stephen’s site once a month and has done so ever since. At first meals were prepared in the Cleary Hall kitchen. Food was purchased from the Food Bank or grocery stores, delivered to the old school kitchen, prepared, and then transported to St. Stephen’s. Eventually health department regulations required us to do the cooking in St. Stephen’s kitchen. Incarnation is one of 35 serving teams there, where 250-300 meals are served each weeknight. On-site staff also provide referrals to guests for appropriate social services. This outreach program is one of the many ways Incarnation fulfills its mission to serve the poor and the needy.
Sowers of Justice
Lynda McDonnell, coordinator
In 2002, a small group of parishioners started a Sowers of Justice group, which follows the Catholic Church's call to work for greater social justice for the poor, not just provide charity. Since then, Incarnation's Sowers have sponsored parish forums on immigration and homelessness and urged parishioners to write letters and make phone calls in support of public policies that aid the poor. Several members of Sowers have volunteered at Hennepin County's Project Homeless Connect, a one-day fair held at the Minneapolis Convention Center and designed as a one-stop shop of services for people experiencing homelessness. Sheila Hubbard, a nurse, has organized a health clinic that offers free health screening to members of Sagrado Corazon who lack health insurance. The Sowers group works closely with the Archdiocesan Office of Social Justice.
The Handbell Choir Lori Wellman, founding member and director; parish member since 1983
The handbell choir was started after a parishioner made a donation to Incarnation’s music ministry in memory of her deceased husband who loved music. One octave, or 13 bells, was purchased in 1984. At first, the Sunday choir used the bells to enhance a few Mass selections, but they quickly decided that a separate choir was needed to fully utilize the bells.So in January 1985, four of us met with Lonne Murphy, liturgy director at the time, and formed our first handbell choir. We later named it “Bells of the Incarnation.” After just one lesson from the local handbell dealer, we more or less taught ourselves how to play. We needed all four of us to play just eight bells. The occasional sharp or flat presented a huge challenge and required an extra hand. Then in 1990 we discovered handbell workshops in the area and began to learn many techniques to make playing easier. Now most of us can play two bells in one hand, and some can even play six or seven different bells in a given piece. As time went on, we acquired more bells, mostly from donations or from playing for weddings, and we now have over two-and-a-half octaves, totaling 34 bells. The largest of these has the inscription “Kathleen Kehoe Roebuck” and was purchased in honor of John and Odelia Kehoe’s daughter who died suddenly in an accident. We also attend regional festivals every two or three years with 200 to 800 other ringers, which can produce an amazing sound! We have collaborated with St. Edward’s and Lake Harriet Methodist’s bell choirs. But most of the time we play with the Incarnation choir for special occasions like Christ the King, Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. Over our 24 years we have had 30 ringers.Prepare
Lori Wellman, along with husband James, one of original sponsor couples, member since 1983
In 1994 Incarnation changed its marriage preparation program from the Archdiocesan-sponsored pre-Cana conferences to PREPARE. PREPARE is an acronym for Premarital Personal and Relationship Evaluation. This program, started by a social science professor at the University of Minnesota, is a much more personal method of marriage preparation. Each engaged couple is assigned a sponsor couple from the parish whom they meet with in their home for a number of weeks. The program begins with a lengthy questionnaire that identifies areas of agreement and disagreement between the couple. These areas form the basis for ensuing discussions so the couples learn more about each other and have a chance to talk about important topics. They also learn communication and conflict resolutions skills, do a joint budget, and talk about ways things were done in their families of origin. It has been a highly enjoyable and enriching program for both the nearly 200 engaged couples who have gone through the program at Incarnation, as well as for the nine couples who have been sponsors over the past 15 years.
Loaves and Fishes
