Works of Mercy

Our Lord tells us that whatever we do for the least of His brothers and sisters, we do for Him (Matthew 25:40). From her earliest days the Church has gathered His commands into fourteen works of mercy: seven corporal works, which care for the needs of the body, and seven spiritual works, which care for the needs of the soul. Each one is love made practical — and there is a work of mercy suited to every schedule and every gift.

The Corporal Works of Mercy

Feed the Hungry

Hunger is the oldest of human needs, and bread given in Christ’s name feeds more than the body.

• Blanchet House & Bethanie’s Room — Make Sack Lunches — an at-home project: make sack lunches and drop them off downtown. They are handed out on Saturdays at Blanchet House’s café in Old Town and nightly at Bethanie’s Room, Blanchet’s overnight shelter for women, just blocks from the parish.
• St. Michael the Archangel — Homeless Ministry — take to the streets with St. Michael’s downtown: hot soup and conversation brought to those living outside on Mercy Nights (first and third Thursdays, October through June), and a hot lunch served under the Hawthorne Bridge every Thursday and Friday at 12:30 PM.

Give Drink to the Thirsty

A cup of cold water given to the least of His own, the Lord counts as given to Himself.

• Urban Missionaries of Portland — Catholics who bring the presence of Jesus to the streets, going out in friendship to Portland’s homeless with food, cold drinks, and the love of Christ.

Clothe the Naked

Clothing given with kindness restores the dignity that life on the street strips away.

• St. André Bessette — Street Essentials — help stock and share the essentials of daily living — hygiene items, socks, warm clothing, blankets, and sleeping bags — through the Old Town parish’s outreach to neighbors on the street.
• NightStrike — CityTeam Portland — Thursday evenings under the Burnside Bridge: a hot meal, haircuts, foot washing, and fresh clothing for unhoused neighbors — “a place to be seen, known, and loved.”

Shelter the Homeless

Christ, who had nowhere to lay His head, is sheltered whenever a door opens to those who have none.

• Bethanie’s Room — Blanchet House’s overnight shelter for women, open 8 PM to 8 AM every night of the year, just blocks from the parish — the nightly sack lunches above go straight to its door.

Visit the Sick

Illness isolates; a visit tells the sick and the homebound that they are neither forgotten nor alone.

• Volunteer with Providence — bring companionship to the sick through Providence’s Catholic health ministry: volunteering at its hospitals across the region, the Child Center, ElderPlace, and hospice — from shared activities to simply being present.

Visit the Imprisoned

No one is beyond the reach of mercy; those behind bars remain sons and daughters made in the image of God.

• Prison Ministry — Archdiocese of Portland — Catholic volunteers are needed at every facility to visit and pray with the incarcerated, breaking the isolation and shame of prison and extending care to their families.

Bury the Dead

We honor the body once washed in Baptism and fed at the altar, and we do not let the grieving mourn alone.

Ways to begin: be faithful in attending vigils and funerals, pray at the cemetery, keep company with widows and widowers.

The Spiritual Works of Mercy

Counsel the Doubtful

When faith wavers, a steady friend who listens and speaks the truth in love is mercy itself.

Ways to begin: meet doubt with hope rather than argument; listen first; share why you believe.

Instruct the Ignorant

The faith is a treasure no one should be denied; to teach it patiently is to hand on what we ourselves received.

Ways to begin: learn the faith well enough to give it away — then share it with a child, a godchild, a friend who asks.

Admonish the Sinner

Love does not leave a friend on a path of harm; a correction offered humbly, privately, and gently can turn a life around.

Ways to begin: speak with kindness and never from pride; set an example worth following; walk away from gossip.

Comfort the Sorrowful

Some sorrows cannot be fixed, only kept company — presence, encouragement, and hope are their medicine.

Ways to begin: show up, listen more than you speak, send the note, and keep checking in long after others stop.

Forgive Offenses

From the Cross, Christ forgave the men who nailed Him there; every grudge we release makes room for that same freedom.

Ways to begin: pray by name for the person who hurt you; ask forgiveness yourself; let one grudge go today.

Bear Wrongs Patiently

Patience under injury, offered to Christ, turns even daily frictions into holiness.

Ways to begin: give the benefit of the doubt, overlook small slights, and assume pain in others you cannot see.

Pray for the Living and the Dead

Prayer reaches where we cannot: the tempted, the suffering, and the holy souls who now depend entirely on our help.

• Submit a Prayer Request — entrust an intention to the prayers of the parish.
• Request a Mass Intention — have a Holy Mass offered for a loved one, living or departed.