At Holy Faith there are many opportunities to serve the broader Santa Fe Community. Here are a few of the ways:
Feed the Hungry
Committee members prepare and serve a hot meal to 75-90 hungry people on the 4th Sunday of every month at noon in the Interfaith Community Shelter parking lot. Committee members plan the menu, shop for the food and spend that 4th Sunday morning cooking a balanced meal in the Church kitchen. Feed the Hungry is an official agency of the Feed Depot which provides the bulk of the food. Folks wanting to join this worthwhile endeavor should contact Dora Horn at (505) 471-1171 or clintvhorn@aol.com, or stop by when we are cooking on the 4th Sunday of the month.
House Build September 23-26, 2026 Juarez, Mexico
A group of Holy Faith parishioners with the help of Missions Ministries of Colorado (https://www.missionsministries.org/) are committed to traveling to Juarez Mexico in September of 2026 to build a two bedroom home for a family in the outskirts of Juarez, Las Colonias. We have a core group of people who have expressed interest in going but we are looking for 6-8 more who might be interested.
Most of the families we build for live in pallet shacks with no insulation, no electricity, and no floors. Their typical wage is $22 a day for those working in factories on the border. That wage provides no ability to ever build or buy a home.
The 650 square foot home we build is insulated, metal roofed, on a concrete slab with electricity, doors and windows that open and lock, painted and clean. There is no indoor plumbing but Holy Faith provides a 500 gallon water tank for water on their land. The family buys their own lot to build upon which typically costs them $3,000 to $5,000. (see pictures of a
recent home build). The cost to build: $15,500 for the home which includes the cement slab
and all that is necessary for construction; another $3,000 to buy beds, a kitchen table and chairs, a refrigerator, small propane stove and ceiling fans.
Most of these items need to be purchased in Mexico to avoid high tariffs but our parishioners can provide the housewares that go with this home (sheets, kitchenware, toys or clothes for the children). We will be given the name of the family and information on all family members about 6 weeks before the build.
Can you come to the build? Here’s what to expect:
- A car ride to a church in El Paso on Wednesday, September 23, where we are met by two vans from Missions Ministries who drive us across the border and take us to the secure compound within Las Colonias, Juarez,
- Within the compound – a large open portal with chairs and picnic tables to gather, casitas with bunk beds, a private bathroom and shower, and three meals a day cooked by the Missions Ministries team.
- Transportation in Missions Ministries vans to and from the build site.
- A team of four Mexican builders who have built our model home hundreds of times and are on site to help us get this home built.
- Transportation in Missions Ministries vans back to the El Paso Church Saturday morning, September 26, arriving by noon or early afternoon.
- Car transportation back to Santa Fe Saturday afternoon.
The cost per person is $300 for all meals, room and transportation. You will need a valid U.S. passport. Can you help? If you cannot physically build, there are other ways you can help us reach our goal of $18,000. By prayer for a successful build or monetary donations on the Holy Faith website (https://holyfaithchurchsf.org). Click the Donate button and once in, choose Mission & Outreach and type in Juarez House Build in the notes.
You can also help with ideas for a fundraiser during the summer, organizing and getting the housewares for the home, and/or telling friends and family who can lend their support. Please contact Annie-Laurie Coogan for any questions or ideas: cooganal@gmail.com.
Mission & Outreach Grants Subcommittee
The Holy Faith Mission & Outreach Grants Subcommittee was formed to disperse funds generously provided by the Carolyn Scheffler estate. Parishioners of Holy Faith, as well as the Vestry, generously contribute to the fund. Our mission is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ by facilitating mission and outreach efforts of the parish to the community of Santa Fe and beyond.
For the 2024/2025 cycle, the following organizations were awarded grants:
- The Interfaith Community Shelter
- Bag-n-Hand Food Pantry
- Chaplain Joe’s Street Ministry
- CASA First
- The Sky Center
- Gerard’s House
- Resolve
- Girls, Inc
- Art for Humanity
- Help With Compassion
- Tomorrow’s Women
- Scott’s House
Download the Application Process 2025 document to review the guidelines for grant application. Applications for the 2026 grant cycle may be submitted after October 1, 2025 and must be received by email or by physical mail no later than December 1, 2025 (postmarked in the case of physical mail). Download the Application 2025 Here.
The Mission & Outreach Grants Subcommittee is now selling two different types of gift cards, both of which benefit organizations chosen as part of Holy Faith’s charitable outreach. They each say, in part, “a gift has been made in your honor … to help those in need in the community of Santa Fe and beyond.” The first is a Christmas card featuring our statue of St. Francis in the snow; it announces your gift and wishes the recipient a blessed Christmas. The second card is appropriate for giving any time of year, to recognize a birthday, wedding, anniversary, or other special occasion, or perhaps to honor the memory of a departed friend. This all-occasion card pictures the beautiful Good Shepherd stained glass window in the church. They may be purchased in the parish office. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to honor your loved ones while helping others!
Interfaith Community Shelter Volunteers
Holy Faith volunteers host guests at the Interfaith Community Shelter located at 2801 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, for two separate weeks during the Emergency Shelter season which runs from the middle of October to early May, providing a hot meal and other support every evening. Without the help of dedicated volunteers the Shelter would not be able to serve Santa Fe’s most vulnerable. Here is an opportunity to live out the Matthew Imperative: “In as much as you did it to one of the least of these your brethren, you did it to me.” Those interested in helping should contact Dora Horn (505) 471-1171, email clintvhorn@aol.com or Cathy Gronquist at (505) 231-4557 email cathy@gronquist.org.
The Guild
The Guild welcomes anyone who is interested in preparing craft items for the annual St. Nicholas Bazaar and in good fellowship. Specialized expertise is not required, but always welcome. The Guild meets on Wednesday from 10 am until 2 pm in the Guild Room. Business is conducted while sack lunches are consumed. Come and join us! For more information, please contact Ruth Rael at ruthcats837@gmail.com.
United Thank Offering (UTO)
The United Thank Offering (a program of the Episcopal church, known for its little blue boxes) has, for more than 132 years, provided support through grants for ministries throughout the United States and elsewhere. These ministries focus primarily on women and children and usually have no other source of funding. They are always urgent, often creative, and occasionally astounding. Holy Faith has an Ingathering of contributions, usually twice a year, when parishioners can donate to express their thanksgiving for blessings received and send help to a needy world. For more information, contract the parish office at 505-982-4447.