Families In Faith at St. John Bosco

Families In Faith at St. John Bosco formed a few years ago with the focus of the need to expose our children to more service.  Placing a can in a collection box  is great, but there is no connection between the child and where  that can is going.  Collecting cans, boxing them and delivering them to the pantry would have more impact.  Our goal is to involve our children in hands on service activities to reinforce what they are learning in faith formation and hopefully, re-establish our faith community while we're at it!

We have three service activities each year.  A movie night, a bake sale and one that changes from year to year.  In the past we made Keep The Faith Boxes, of which we received about 22 boxes, that benefited Brandon's Forever Home.  We have also gathered together to cook and serve dinner at Divine Providence in Hazleton.  With 200 students enrolled in our Faith Formation Program we are excited when we think of all the things we can do!  We need more involvement though.  Children between ages 5 and 10 are often the most eager to volunteer.   They love being a part of something.  The younger children are when they start to volunteer, the more likely they won't gasp at the 40 service hours required for Confirmation!  The idea is to serve because you want to, not because you have to.  The more they volunteer through their church, the larger our faith community can grow which is something that is dwindling everywhere.  All churches' futures depends on our children and that's why it's important to volunteer at church functions. 

Time.  It's the one thing we are all short on right?   Each of us work and have kids.  The last thing we have is more time to give.  We FEEL ya!  However, we need to lead by example and what we are doing really doesn't take up much time!   We meet during Faith Formation  once a month.  We keep our service activities to three throughout the entire year.   We HAVE  to keep it simple.   To help keep you informed, outside the Faith Formation Office is the SJB Service Center Board.  The service board is updated a few times during the school year and lists upcoming service activities.  Check it out!

As Catholics we believe in faith and works.  The benefits to volunteering are numerous. Gaining confidence, making a difference, meeting new people, being a part of something, learning something new, and having fun too!   If you would like your kids to participate in more service projects but you don't have a lot of time, this is the perfect opportunity.

Please stop by one of our meetings, we would love to have you. The meeting dates are announced in the bulletin or you can check with Maureen in the Faith Formation office.  Hope to see you there. 

Contact:  Maureen Ciavarella (570) 788-1997, ext. 6