Dolores Mission became a parish in 1945, after twenty years as a mission for nearby
St. Mary's Parish. By then, public housing had become a fixture of the neighborhood.
In 1980, the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) came to the parish in response to a
request from Cardinal Timothy Manning, the archbishop of Los Angeles at the time.

serves a rural area in Madison and Yancey counties

after school and tutoring programs, alumni community service, Arts and the community, business education assistance, community scholars program, Habitat for Humanity, Hand-in-Hand, immersion programs, MANNA, outreach, peer meditation, PRIDE, SJU staff service project, Thanksgiving dinner dance, and visitation programs for sick and elderly.

The ILAC Center in the Dominican Republic is an international, Catholic, Ignatian-inspired, collaborative health care and educational organization that exists to promote the integral well-being and spiritual growth of all participants.  It is built upon the values of Ignatius of Loyola, Founder of the Jesuits (Society of Jesus). All of Creighton's ILAC programs emphasize the importance of global vision and understanding in the process of educating well-rounded individuals. To this end it offers dental, medical, nursing, pharmacy, law, physical therapy and occupational therapy, undergraduate and high school students, and also to faculty-led groups, medical/surgical teams and other colleges the opportunity for service-learning and immersion experiences in the rural Dominican Republic.

Current Projects:

Service Learning Opportunities in the Following Disciplines:  Law, Water Quality, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Medical School Electives, Encuentro Dominicano.

Annual Summer series of four weekly five-day retreats for low-income families from northeastern cities between Boston and Washington DC.

provides meals, fellowship and outreach every day of the week to homeless and addicted.

Nativity Fellows are full-time members of the Nativity staff. They teach an average of 2-4 class periods per day while serving as advisors, tutors, proctors, coaches, nurses, janitors, drivers, monitors and all other responsibilities that promote the success of the students’ well-being.

Casa Maria is the community house where fellows serving in Worcester's Nativity School reside.  Life in Casa Maria is an opportunity to form community and to engage in the tough work of sharing responsibility with each other for the myriad details which make life together possible and worth the effort. It is also a unique opportunity to engage in “simple living. ”Simple living" offers Nativity Fellows a chance to “feel” what life on a tight budget means, particularly as the overwhelming majority of Nativity families struggle to make ends meet. The Casa Maria Community attempts to gain a deeper sense of the difficult conditions from which Nativity students come.

Proyecto Pastoral at Dolores Mission was founded in 1986 by community residents and the California Province of Jesuits. It has grown into a highly effective community - building organization. Proyecto Pastoral is committed to involving local community members in the planning, design and implementation of its programs. One third of the Proyecto Pastoral Board of Directors is comprised by local community residents responding to community identified needs enabling Proyecto Pastoral to make a significant impact in the lives of local families. Anticipating the needs of the community enables Proyecto Pastoral in being an ever evolving organization that whose success lies not only in being dynamic but understanding the real issues. Proyecto Pastoral serves over 2,500 children, youth and families annually through its five programs.

Saint Vincent de Paul Society

The Immaculate Conception conference of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society provides individuals and families with either rent or utility assistance. Volunteers conduct telephone intake interviews at the parish offices downtown and schedule home visits to those who ask for assistance. At Thanksgiving Saint Vincent de Paul members also assemble and distribute food baskets to those in need. Currently there are eleven volunteers who focus primarily on residents of Central City and the Lower Garden District. Additional volunteers and material assistance are always welcome.

The membership of this society is made up of Gesu parishioners whose work is to assist the needy of our par­ish family and support the diocesan efforts to help the poor of the city. The Society is a small group of people who respond to the Pastor’s request for assistance.

runs January to May, giving out Warm clothing, coffee and donuts. Has physican assistant on hand, and a Jesuit offers counseling daily.