Community Service:

Alcoholics Anonymous

Regular meeting 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Friday.

Beginners' meeting 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM - Regular meeting 8:30 PM to 10:00 P.M. All meetings are in the lower Parish Hall.

Food Pantry

Saint Raphael Food Pantry is located in the basement of the Rectory at 38 Boston Ave., Medford, MA.  It is available to Medford residents only and is open on Tuesdays from 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. This program assists approximately 45 to 55 needy families weekly and is staffed by 15 parish volunteers. The needy families receive assorted groceries i.e.--bread, fresh vegetables when available, frozen foods and other staples. Food donations are received from local merchants and our parishioners who bring donations for the food pantry to the church on the first weekend of each month. Saint Vincent de Paul Society and the Greater Boston Food Bank also contributes to the Food Pantry.

New Parishioner Welcome Program

This is a program which endeavors to have a lay representative of our parish contact families or individuals who move into the parish: to welcome them and answer any questions they might have. If the new parishioner wishes, an existing parishioner is assigned to keep in periodic contact until the new parishioner is familiar with the program, facilities and the general "working" of the Saint Raphael Parish community.

Saint Vincent dePaul Society

This is an association of Catholic lay men and women whose primary charitable goal is to visit the needy of the parish in their homes. A sample of Saint Vincent assistance: clothing and furniture assistance through Saint Vincent de Paul Thrift stores, assisting and operating food pantries throughout the Archdiocese and visiting the sick and infirm to insure their basic needs are being addressed.

Saint Vincent DePaul, is an international charitable society organized in 1883 by Frederick Ozanam, a student of the University of Paris. He wanted to address the needs of the poor during the industrial revolution. He also wanted to improve the lives of young people by urging them to perform works of charity rather than just talking about how they ought to be done. The group took as its patron the great French priest Saint Vincent De Paul, who had alerted the world of his day to many social problems. The group began by visiting the poor in their homes and assisting them both spiritually and materially. The Society spread throughout Europe and to the USA in 1845. Today there are over 4,300 active conferences in this country with about 65,000 active members. Annually the Society distributes over $100 million in direct aid to the poor in the USA.

Heartlight Program