The life of our parish community continues to thrive through many organizations and societies. These groups enrich the parish family by providing opportunities get to know each other, to grow stronger in our faith, to use our talents in service to our parish community, and to convert our faith into action.
You are invited to join these communities – both official Mater Dei groups as well as independent organizations who meet at Mater Dei – in helping bring grace and charity to our parish.
- Liturgical / Church
- Devotional
- Care and Outreach
- Community Life – All
- Community Life – Men
- Community Life – Women
- Community Life – Youth & Young Adult
- Independent Homeschool Co-ops
* Independent, Non-parish based organizations
Liturgical / Church
Altar Boys
Contact: Carlos Valdivia – altarboys@materdeiparish.com
As Catholics, we treasure the “most beautiful thing this side of Heaven” and our altar boys helps us to preserve this sacred tradition. Altar boys assist the priest at the altar during the Sacrifice of the Mass and other liturgical events.
Altar Flowers
Contact: Valerie Graham – flowers@materdeiparish.com
Arrangement and upkeep of the flowers on the altars at Mater Dei. Even if you don’t know how to arrange flowers, you can participate by helping to prep the flowers for the arrangers or maintaining the arrangements during the week.
Altar Society
Contact: The Parish Life Office – parishlife@materdeiparish.com
The Mater Dei Altar Society is responsible for the cleanliness and appearance of the sacristy, confessionals, baptistery, and sanctuary. We operate as five teams, with one team working every Saturday of each month after the 9am Mass. Cleaning time is about 90 minutes.
Choral Ensembles
Contact: Michael C. Fowler, MM – musicdirector@materdeiparish.com
The Music Program of Mater Dei provides sacred music for all sung liturgies of the parish (Holy Mass & Divine Office). We have choirs for both adult and children.
Safety Team and Ushers
Contact: Abel Montes de Oca – safety@materdeiparish.com
The Safety Team are men of the parish who assist at the Sunday Masses to create a safe and friendly atmosphere by greeting and assisting visitors, directing parishioners to seats, taking up the collection, distributing the Sunday Bulletin, and helping out with safety as needed.
Devotional
Adoration Society
Contact: Mike Drake – adoration@materdeiparish.com
The Mater Dei Adoration Society organizes parish-wide visitation hours during which the Most Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration. The principle recurring adoration event is on the First Friday of every month.
Legion of Mary
Contact: Renee Krake – sanctamariamaterdeilom@gmail.com
The Legion of Mary is the largest apostolic organization of lay people in the Catholic Church with well over three million active members in almost every country of the world. The main purpose of the Legion of Mary is to give glory to God through the sanctification of its members.
Padre Pio Lay Group
Contact: Jaime Gogo – stpadrepiolaygroup@materdeiparish.com
The Padre Pio Lay Group is a prayer group that gathers faithful once a month in prayer for particular intention uniting it in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Here we also learn some spiritual direction of Padre Pio to his spiritual children that we can also apply for the sanctification of ourselves. The group meets every 2nd Saturday of the month for 9:30 am Mass and at 10:30 a.m. in the St. Anne’s room afterwards.
Care and Outreach
Carmelite Support Group
Contact: Cheryl Truty – carmelitesupportgroup@materdeiparish.com
The Carmelite Support group supports the Discalced Carmelite nuns throughout the year, including the annual Christmastide & Easter feast food drives, the fall Black Fast Soup Drive, and the “Guess the Saint” All Saints party.
Miscarriage Ministry
Contact: Mary Montes – miscarriageministry@materdeiparish.com
Michael’s Miscarriage Ministry helps with: Informational resources including pro-life healthcare providers; Emotional Support for your family, including fathers and siblings; Practical support like meals, childcare, and help around the house with a care calendar.
St. Vincent de Paul Society
Contact: SVDP Mater Dei Conference – svdp.materdei@gmail.com
Men and women who, inspired by Gospel values, seek to grow in holiness, building a more just world through personal relationships with and service to people in need.
Community Life – All
Garden and Landscape Group
Contact: Mary Hope Billings – landscape@materdeiparish.com
Helps beautify and enhance our parish grounds: planting and maintaining flowers, trees, gardens (including vegetable and fruits) and other types of landscape including grottos and statues.
Mater Dei Photographers
Contact: Mitchell Marks – photos@materdeiparish.com
The purpose of our ministry is to share the beauty of our liturgy and to promote our parish online and in promotional materials for our parish. Our photographs tell the story of our parish and the fraternity in the life of our community. Through sharing this story, we can better convey how the gospel of Jesus Christ is lived out among the faithful in our parish.
Respect Life Group
Contact: Guy Fox – respectlife@materdeiparish.com
We join with many other faithful throughout the diocese proclaiming the Gospel of Life through events such as 40 Days for Life, Life Chain, and the annual March and Rally for Life in Dallas.
Promise 12 Rosary Makers
Contact: Angela Heiter – rosarymakers@materdeiparish.com
The Promise 12 Rosary Makers at Mater Dei are propagating devotion to the Most Holy Rosary, and hope to make available many Rosaries for our Parish use and also for the missions. All are welcome on the second Sunday to bring rosaries for repair, or assist making rosaries after all Masses in the St. Columban room, in the back of the classroom building.
Rangers of St. Francis
Contact: Anthony Sanders – rangers@materdeiparish.com
The Rangers of St. Francis is a ministry open to individuals as well as whole families. We seek to guide and protect the family to achieve spiritual Eudaimonia (sanctified human flourishing) through prayer and missionary service, balanced with holy leisure. We regularly engage in corporal works of mercy.
Community Life – Men
Knights of Columbus *
Contact: Paul Cupp – materdeiknights@gmail.com
Mater Dei Knights of Columbus Council 15033, District 85 was founded in April 2010 through the efforts of District Deputy William Morris and the Charter Grand Knight, Dr. William A. Bralick Jr.
Council 15033 provides spiritual and material support for its ministries.
St. Joseph’s Guild
Contact: Dr. Joe DuChene – stjosephsguild@materdeiparish.com
The St. Joseph’s Guild is open to all adult men of the parish and serves to unite the men of Mater Dei around the worship of Christ and service to the Parish.
We sponsor fraternal gatherings including first Tuesday meetings which include Vespers, Benediction and social time; a bi-annual weekend camping retreat and other social and service events.
Community Life – Women
Mater Dei Homeschool Group (MDHSG)
Contact: Stacy Smith – homeschoolgroup@materdeiparish.com
A support group for Catholic homeschoolers who are Mater Dei parishioners or friends. We provide support through monthly Mom meetings, liturgical year festivities, fellowship and fun events, service work, field trips and resource and information sharing.
The Ladies’ Sodality of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and St. Francis de Sales
Prefect/Contact: Jeanette Pappin – sodality@materdeiparish.com
Father Director: Rev’d Fr. Peter Bauknecht, F.S.S.P.
The Sodality is a Roman Catholic Marian Society founded in 1563, which aims at fostering in its members an ardent devotion, reverence and filial love towards our Lord and our Lady.
Through this devotion and through the protection of so good a Mother, it seeks to make the faithful gathered together under her name into good Catholics sincerely bent on sanctifying themselves, each in her own state of life. It seeks to make them zealous, as far as possible, to save and sanctify their neighbor and to defend their Mother the Church.
Monthly Meetings are held every 3rd Tuesdays from 7-9pm, commencing in the chapel with Vespersof the BVM, an exhortation, and Benediction. The meeting then resumes in the hall for announcements, final prayers, and a social in honor of Our Lady.
Community Life – Youth & Young Adult
Little Flowers Girls Club
littleflowers@materdeiparish.com
Contact: Lindsey Surratt – littleflowers@materdeiparish.com
Little Flowers Girls Club (LFGC) is an activity-based program for teaching virtues and studying saints through Scripture, saints’ biographies and the Catechism. Each month, one of our priests begins our meeting with a teaching to the entire group about the saint and virtue we are studying that month. The girls then break into either the Bluebonnet (ages 5-8) or Roses (ages 9-12) group to engage in age-appropriate activity. LFGC meets on the fourth Saturday of the month from 9:30a-11:30a.
Our Lady’s Fiat
Contact: Debbie Malain – ourladysfiatgroup@materdeiparish.com
For young ladies ages 13-18, we meet on the second Saturday of each month in the Parish Hall after 8:30 am Mass. Meeting time consists of a tea party brunch, a short devotion and talk led by Fr. Bauknecht, and an activity.
Troops of St. George *
The Troops of Saint George apostolate aims to use the outdoors as our canvas and the sacraments as our path to light the way for the formation of Holy Catholic men and boys.
Whether called to the vocation of the priesthood, the religious life, or that of Holy fatherhood, our fathers and sons will take a prayerful pilgrimage together to fulfill Christ’s desire for them to grow in virtue and in their Holy Catholic faith as they journey toward Heaven.
Youth Group
Contact: Lance Peters – youthgroup@materdeiparish.com
For youth ages 13-18, the youth group generally meets on 1st & 3rd Saturdays in the parish hall, from 5:30p-9:30p. Starting with a rosary at 5:30 pm, we have a group dinner and an interactive talk/discussion led by a priest, followed by games and group activities. Additionally, several times per year the group engages in charitable works inside and outside the parish.
Due to Covid restrictions, the Youth Group continues to meet, but not according to this date/time schedule. Please contact Mr. Vidimos for information about this year’s schedule or to be added to the group.
Mater Dei Young Adults
Contact: Mary Florek or Mary Kunkel – youngadults@materdeiparish.com
The Young Adult group is focused on social outings and speaker events with the goal of fostering friendships grounded in the Catholic Faith. Monthly events take place offsite at event locations in the DFW area. In addition, three times per year, we sponsor a month-long weekly “Theology on Tap” series at a local pub with presentations by various speakers on theological topics of general interest.
The group is based out of Mater Dei parish, but is open to young adults at all parishes and universities. The group is open to all young adults in their 20’s and 30’s, married or single; however, content is focused on the issues pertaining to early professionals and college students. To keep abreast of our current activity, please visit our “MD Young Adults” Facebook page.
