Christian Service
What is Christian Service?
Service by definition is “the action of helping or doing work for someone.” Christian Service means being Christ for those you serve and seeing Christ in those you serve. There is a difference between Christian Service and simply volunteering your time to do something nice. Christian Service requires you follow Christ’s example of engaging with your community to make an impact on God’s creation.
Virtual options for Christian Service during the pandemic:
- Contact a local nursing home and get the names of all the residents from a wing of their center – write them each a personal note of encouragement and support and mail them.
- Create hygiene kits and mail them to a homeless shelter.
- Contact a grade school that is also shut down and see if you are able to offer virtual tutoring to any of their students.
- Sew masks for area hospitals - there are plenty of how-tos online, and Jo-Ann Fabrics is even willing to donate fabric for the cause!
- Write Letters to Troops.
- Send a card, letter or note to someone undergoing chemotherapy.
- Make snack packs for the Ronald McDonald House.
- Make tie blankets to be donated to a homeless shelter or nursing home.
- Contact the organization where you were doing service hours and see if they have any specific needs. You can create a virtual drive and ask people to donate. (example: If you were volunteering at a school, ask people to send you school supplies or if it was at an animal shelter, ask people to donate pet food.)
What are the objectives of Christian Service?
Your Christian Service hours are more than just a graduation requirement but an opportunity to become a woman of faith and responsibility. At Bishop Conaty - Our Lady of Loretto, we graduate women who put their faith into action through Christian Service. This is one of the many differences between attending Catholic School and public school. Our Christian Service program offers you the opportunity to grow in your faith while also gaining valuable life experience in your community. Your experience and service will look great on your college applications and could also benefit you on a job interview.
Guidelines:
As part of your graduation requirement, you must complete 100 hours of Christian Service. Each year, 25 hours must be completed and finished paperwork must be turned in. Twenty hours are to be served at one specific location. This service site must be approved by the Christian Service Committee. The other 5 hours can be completed anywhere else. Below are guidelines for acceptable and unacceptable service locations.
Acceptable Service Activities:
- Aid to the elderly, ill or disabled in a hospital, senior center or nursing home
- Tutoring program
- Community cleanup
- Religious education leadership
- Assistance to one’s church (i.e. altar serving, ushering, choir, involvement, etc.)
- Food, clothing, and gift distribution to the needy
- Camp counseling for youth (for a non-profit organization)
- Animal shelter work
- Teaching assistance in elementary schools working directly with the children
- Approved service to Bishop Conaty-Loretto High School (i.e. teacher supervised tutoring)
Unacceptable Service Activities:
- Work within a for-profit institution
- Clerical work in an office (i.e. answering phones, filing papers, etc.)
- Childcare within one’s own family/friend circle
- Household chores
- Any work where you are paid or otherwise rewarded
More Information:
Additional hours may be performed at your approved location or other locations that meet the above guidelines. We encourage you to do more than your required 25 hours. All Christian Service forms are to be turned in to your Theology teacher. Hours will be tracked through the Campus Ministry office.