Men's Club Ministry

For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am in their midst. 
 Matthew 18:20 

Welcome to the St. Patrick Church Men's Club Ministries. We are a fellowship of men with a mission to use our time, talents, and funds to assist and serve our Parish, Pastor, Youth, and the Community.
 
Meetings:
Our meetings are held monthly on the second Thursday at 7:00 PM, at the Monsignor Dunne Parish Hall in room 11.
 
Membership Requirements & Invitation:
All men who are members of St. Patrick Church Community are members of the Men’s Club.   There are no dues required to belong.  The Men’s Club provides an opportunity for men in the parish 18 years or older to gather in a religious and social environment to serve our parish.  All men of the parish are welcomed to come to any or all meetings.
 
Current Activities:
Award fourteen, $1,000 scholarships to graduating high school students from our parish
CCD Christmas and Year End parties
Annual lunch for CCD Teachers
Parish breakfasts
Participate in annual parish festivals
Cook and serve breakfast for St. Anne youth group’s annual mission to Laredo
Conduct scholarship fundraisers:  bowling tournament in November / steak sale in May
 
The Men’s Club appreciates the continuing support of our Parishioners with these endeavors.


2022-2023 Officers include:  
Mario Sanchez, President
Jorge Trevino, Vice President
Narciso Castro, Treasurer
 
For information regarding the Men’s Club please contact,  
Mario Sanchez at 956 236-2516 


A Brief History of St. Patrick's Men's Club 
The Men's Club had its fledgling beginnings soon after the Church was built in the 1970s. The meetings were originally held after the 9:00 am mass on Sundays. With the advent of Monday Night Football, the meetings were switched to Monday nights, and a meal was provided to increase attendance. As the club matured, a tradition of helping the youth of the parish was born. The first efforts for raising money were to organize a dance. Several dances were organized, and camaraderie was established among the members. This helped raise enough money to offer the first scholarship in the amount of $200. The first recipient of the St. Patrick Men's Club Scholarship was Karen Young. 

In the 1980's the Club sponsored and funded a soccer league under the direction of our member, the late John McKeown. The league involved hundreds of children and many members volunteered in different capacities to make it a great success. Along the way, fundraising efforts included a Scholarship BBQ Plate Sale, a Las Vegas Raffle, and the maintaining of the Church bulletin. These are currently the Men's Club most successful fundraisers going toward the scholarship fund. 
For many years the Men's Club sponsored a Boy Scout Troop and a Girl Scout Troop for the youth of the Parish. 
These efforts are among many other activities such as:

• Parish Breakfasts
• CCD hot dog parties for the children
• Annual lunches for the CCD teachers 
• Helping to build a halfway house in southern Mexico
• The "Bear" Project (This project was to provide a stuffed animal to ease the fear of children who were stopped by the Border Patrol).
• Scholarships for Parish Youth graduating from high school.

The Men's Club helped initiate a free parish picnic which later evolved to become the annual Parish Jamaica. The Club is involved in many efforts to serve the parish. Two pews, as well as many bricks, were donated by the club for the new Church. The Club currently co-sponsors an altar for the Feast of Corpus Christi in June.
From its first $200-dollar scholarship, the club with the support of our Pastor, has worked tirelessly to increase that amount to fourteen scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each.