Each Advent, Gesu "plants" a Christmas tree near the east altars and invites parishioners to trim this Advent Mitten Tree. The first Sunday of Advent marks the start of our annual-sharing project for the home with gifts of warmth: new mittens, caps, scarves and gloves for homeless children and adults of several shelters for Milwaukee’s homeless and victims of domestic violence. Since 2002, we have also planted a Haiti Children’s Tree, which parishioners decorate with bars of soap, toothpaste and brushes, underwear, shoes and socks, and hair clips and ribbons for the children of St. Jude, our twin parish in Haiti.

Since 1997, Gesu has ministered to Milwaukee area homeless women and children, in order to alleviate the suffering of being homeless. Gesu's Cathedral Center Ministers are volunteers, coordinated by a parishioner, who are scheduled to serve in teams, 6:30-9:00 p.m., for two weeks every other month. Shelter ministers provide hospitality, conversation and compassion.
 

Parishioners share non-perishable food items and disposable diapers which are collected each Sunday in baskets in the Upper Church. These donated items are brought to Frieden's Community Ministries food pantry about every three weeks.

The Marquette Action Program (M.A.P.) offers the chance to work and interact with people all over the United States. Different sites offer students an opportunity to live and learn from people of different backgrounds. The trips expose you to aspects of poverty, racism and the lives of the disabled in our society.

M.A.P. trips are worthwhile for many reasons: you contribute to the community in which you work, are exposed to different social, cultural and economic situations in our society, grow in awareness of justice issues, learn how service organizations work to make a difference, meet and interact with new people, and have time to reflect upon how the experience relates to you personally and your faith.

Midnight Run is a volunteer service program which began in 1988. It focuses on the particular needs of the hungry and homeless people living in the community around Marquette. This program is organized by a coordinating team of Marquette students under the supervision of Campus Ministry. Volunteers serve meals and work in area meal programs and shelters. Service in Midnight Run is meant to challenge students to integrate their experiences with their faith. Midnight Run's philosophy is rooted in the gospel, with Matthew chapter 25 serving as its hallmark. Midnight Run is based on the fundamental belief in the dignity and worth of all persons and strives to cultivate a sense of responsibility for caring for all members of our community.

For over 20 years, the campus ministry program Midnight Run has utilized voluntary direct service (primarily nutrition and meal outreach) as its primary tool to “build relationships, and walk with those who are hungry, homeless, or suffer the consequences of society's unjust structures, honoring the dignity and worth of all.” Through reflection on service Midnight Run seeks to create men and women of service and develop agents of positive social change.

In step with the University’s mission, “care for the person,” Marquette University Law School (MULS) offers the Restorative Justice Initiative. The Initiative has fostered exceptional community connections in Wisconsin and continues to strive for excellence in the field of public service. Under the leadership of former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske, Distinguished Professor of Law, the Initiative has brought community focus to the law school by providing the students with substantial leadership training in addition to their considerable technical legal education. The Initiative has become a resource for other restorative justice organizations in the state, formed partnerships with local community groups that work with criminal justice issues, and has been providing victim/offender dialogues for crimes of severe violence through the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC), Office of Victim Services and Programs.

MICAH organizes/advocates around issues such as neighborhood drug trafficking, urban schools, drug punishment and rehabilitation, affordable housing, and urban sprawl. This church-based organization is grounded in the principles of empowerment through the Gospel, education, advocacy and action. The Gesu MICAH Core Team leads parish actions in this interfaith, multi-racial organization to empower people to achieve structural change for justice and peace in the innercity.

On the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Saturdays, the Gesu/Midnight Run Soup and Sandwich Meals are offered in the Fr. Herian Parish Hall to the hungry, the homeless, the elderly and the needy in the parish and the neighborhood.

Spring and Fall Break Service Immersion Trips

The St. Vincent de Paul Gesu Conference established in 1913 provides home visits and direct assistance to parishioners and neighborhood residents with emergency needs due to economic hardship.

Breakfast Bags for the hungry are provided at the Parish Center entrance each Sunday Morning from 8:30 a.m. until gone.