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High School and Young adult Retreat: October 11th 7:45am - 12:00noon
Home>> Catechists >> Join The Team
To join the team call the parish office at: (909) 822-4732 ask for the Religious Education Ministry
Please leave your name and contact information.
Thank you in advance for your consideration and interest in assisting the Religious Education program! Even if your just curious, thank you for stopping to take a look.
Religious Education as a ministry here at Saint John XXIII, is an opportunity for you to share your gifts of time and talents with the Body of Christ to serve one another. This minitry encourages others to meet and develop a closer relationship with Our Lord, develop a greater appriciation of the faith or Begin a new life as a Catholic. This service is offered to Him for the building of His kingdom here on Earth.
Being a catechist, volunteer or an assistant in the ministry, whether great or small, offers exciting challenges for helping the families of the faithful with their duty and their promise to raise their children according to God's commands. It may be assisting adults with learning more about thier faith, helpinh them complete their sacraments or even joining the Body of Christ as a new Catholic. It is with selfless giving and God's grace you go forward to teach and share God's divine plan of salvation for all persons. Through this ministry you grow in Christ's love through your commitment and you encounter Christ in a special way.
Team members
So, what kind of volunteer position below seems interesting to you?
Class Room Aide
Volunteer
Jesus Christ gives this command in Matthew 28: 20 ".. Teach them to observe all that I have commanded you. ...." In this Jesus is not speaking only to bishops and priests but he is speaking to all Baptized Catholics. In Baptism we a baptized in the body of Christ as "Prophets." It is every baptized persons obligation to profess through word and deed the gospel "Good news" of Jesus Christ.
Saint Paul in 2nd Timothy 4:5 exhorts the church to "do (perform) the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. " With equal resolve as those given by Jesus Himself is st. Paul wields the call for all to "evangilize."
The Catechetical Ministry is one the building blocks in the parish. As such it forms a smaller faith community within the larger community in the parish. In it there is support, fellowship and edification.
Catechist or catechist teams of 2 or more are assigned to a particular grade level to teach a 1st year curriculum, 2nd year curriculum for children or youth or an adult curriculum.
New Catechists are provided materials and continued training and guidance in order to present the prescribed curriculum. This is a ministry where growth both personal and spiritual is on going.
Continued education on the points they teach is also provided in order for the Catechist to continue their own faith formation.
This group works closely with the Director of Religious Education and or Religious Education Coordinator for all instructional endeavors.
Catechists must be 18 or older, be fully initiated into the Church (Received Baptism. First Holy Communion and Confirmation), a practicing Catholic and in full union with Rome. Must have completed some formation and instruction as a Catechist.
Commitment: usually one (1) 2-hour commitment per week.
There is an exception to the commitment when it involves OCIA and OCIC catechists. In addition, a 30-minute time period is needed for students on Sundays from November to Easter. Also attendance in the various rites.
The Catechetical Teaching Assistant or T/A for short, assists the Catechist with the presentation and coordination of the curriculum.
This is an excellent entry point for anyone wanting to become a full fledge Catechist!
Like the Catechist the T/A ministry is where you grow both personal and spiritual as an ongoing formation. There is continued education on the points being taught in order for the T/A to continue their own faith formation.
Catechetical T/A must be 18 or older, be fully initiated into the Church (Received Baptism. First Holy Communion and Confirmation), a practicing catholic and in full union with Rome. Must have completed some formation and instruction as a Catechist or is currently enrolled in a catechetical instruction.
Commitment: usually one (1) 2-hour commitment per week. OR every other week as scheduled.
The Classroom Aide assists the Catechist and Catechetical T/A by providing support and assistance for the curriculum activity.
This is another excellent entry point for anyone wanting to become a full fledge Catechist!
The aid typically offered may be with helping students find their way through the curriculum, assist with student gaps in reading and spelling, and/or for small group activities.
The Classroom Aide must be 18 or older, be fully initiated into the Church (Received Baptism. First Holy Communion and Confirmation), a practicing catholic and in full union with Rome. OR may be between 15 - 18 of age and completing or have completed their confirmation. They should have received Baptism and First Holy Communion, be a practicing catholic and in full union with Rome.
Commitment: usually one (1) 2-hour commitment per week. OR every other week as scheduled.
The role of a witness is essentially a Parish community representative, but not in a formal sense. The witness is literally a face in the community. The witness’s presence is a testimony for those who are attending the session to know that the Parish as the Body of Christ is supporting and praying for them. This usually occurs in the adult classes.
The witness can attend one or more session for students and parents. Generally, the witness introduces themselves and informs the group in the session that they are being prayed for. The witness lends a powerful testimony to the session that the parish is joyfully interested in the students/parent’s faith formation process.
The witness becomes a prayer warrior for the whole ministry and an assigned list of students. The witness can volunteer to assist in other activities such as retreats and ministry functions.
Sometimes a witness may be asked to be a proxy for one of the students. Sometimes it is hard to find qualified Godparents or the Godparent is too far away to attend some of the Rite or activities. In which case a witness can be asked to help in such situations and serve as a "Proxy."
Must be 18 or older, be fully initiated into the Church (Received Baptism. First Holy Communion and Confirmation), a practicing Catholic and in full union with Rome.
Commitment: usually a few sessions in a "school" year (September - May). And it is usually never more than 30 minutes for a children’s sessions (It is usually much less) and 1 hour for parent or adult sessions.
The Angel Guard offers their time to be an extra set of eyes on the campus during Religious Education class sessions and religious education Activities such as retreats or functions.
For lack of a better term this position is a "Hall Monitor." But, important all the same. Sometimes during certain periods, the action can be a bit harried. Therefore, an extra eyes to ensure safety, hands to assist teachers coming and going, and even providing directions for class room assignments is greatly appreciated.
The Angel Guard can volunteer to assist in other activities such as retreats and community functions.
Must be 18 or older, be fully initiated into the Church (Received Baptism. First Holy Communion and Confirmation), a practicing Catholic and in full union with Rome.
Commitment: usually one (1) 2-hour commitment per week. OR every other week as scheduled.
The Pilgrim serves as support for activities such as retreats and community functions. Al though there are only a few activities and functions, they are important for small faith community development. The pilgrim group along with other groups support and lead volunteers to do the various assigned tasks for a given function.
Must be 18 or older or in Confirmation formation between the ages of 14 and 17, have received Baptism. , practicing Catholic faith.
Commitment: usually up to eight times a year, anywhere from a 3 - 7-hour commitment for an activity. You can commit your time and talents to one or all of the activities and from 2 or more hours per function. Many individuals at this level find it rewarding and are compelled to offer more in other areas in the Religious Education Program. The Pilgrim may even help with setup, logistics, takedown and instructions to those attending tan activity or function.
The Liaison is just that, a communicator link between the Director of Religious Education or Religious Coordinator to the assigned group or groups. The Liaison helps fill communication gaps. They may also help organize and coordinate aspects of the various functions for certain activities.
Must be 18 or older, be fully initiated into the Church (Received Baptism. First Holy Communion and Confirmation), a practicing Catholic and in full union with Rome.
Commitment: As assigned. As little as once a month up to twice a week. Often times this may simply be offsite communication. But for activities it will be onsite. The commitment for functions and activities is similar to that of the "pilgrim." They may even help with setup, logistics and instructions to those attending an activity or function.
Volunteers are those who through programs such as Confirmation, volunteer to assist at whatever is assigned to them to do. The volunteer usually falls under the auspice of Confirmation service, community service program, or similar programs. This is not the only case. There can be those offer assistance for various events and work in the periphery of these events. Their functions can be similar to that of the Pilgrim or Liaison (See above).