Faith Formation Volunteer Opportunities
We need catechists, assistant catechists, hall monitors, and substitutes for each Faith Formation session. Below is information for each position. Thank you for sharing your time and talent with our Faith Formation students!
General Volunteer Information
Volunteer Qualities
- A practicing Catholic, baptized and confirmed in the Catholic faith.
- A desire to grow in and share the Catholic faith.
- An awareness of God’s grace and the desire to respond to that grace.
- A commitment to the Church’s liturgical and sacramental life and moral teachings.
- A generous spirit, respect for the dignity of every student, providing a welcoming environment.
Volunteer Requirements
- Complete diocesan mandated paperwork for background check.
- Complete Virtus training.
- Attend Catechist Training Meeting and other prayer, hospitality, and formation opportunities.
- Advise Faith Formation team of substitute needs at least one week in advance.
- Maintain safety and privacy of students.
- Communicate needs or concerns to the Faith Formation team.
Time Commitment
- Attend training at the beginning of the Faith Formation year.
- Approximately one hour of at-home class preparation (catechist only).
- 90 minutes for the session, (including prep, teaching, cleanup time).
Catechists and Assistant Catechists
Faith Formation teachers are called ‘catechists.’ A catechist (from the Greek word “to echo”) is someone commissioned by the parish to hand down the Catholic faith and traditions. Co-catechists work as a team and shares the responsibilities for the catechetical session.
Supported by Faith Formation Staff
- Grade level catechist manual, yearly syllabus, and materials.
- Hands-on classroom resources, including materials, calendars, prayer guides, etc.
- Mentoring and support from Faith Formation staff and other catechists.
- Textbooks from Our Sunday Visitor, Alive in Christ, supported with video, art, and online resources.
Knowledge and Skills
- Basic understanding of Catholic teaching, Scripture, and Catholic Traditions.
- Honest and caring relationships with the age group being served.
- Promote and model a faith-filled lifestyle and commitment to the church’s teachings.
General Expectations
- Attend Mass regularly.
- Foster an environment of prayer each week to include a variety of forms.
- Arrive 10 minutes early to set up classroom.
- Restore and clean classroom at the end of each class.
Catechist
- Prepare lessons in advance, considering the developmental level of the grade.
- Work as a team with co-catechist, assistant catechist, substitutes, room parents and other volunteers.
- Incorporate a variety of techniques (visual, verbal, musical, physical) to facilitate varying learning styles.
Assistant Catechist
- Support the Catechist by leading the Sign In/Out process, classroom setup, retrieving supplies, etc. as agreed upon between Catechist and Assistant.
- Record and turn in attendance forms.
Hall Monitor
A Hall Monitor assists in maintaining order and safety in the hallways during faith formation sessions. The monitor welcomes students and their family as they arrive and depart the session, serves as a visible presence in the hallways, ensuring a positive and respectful environment for all attendees. The monitor supports the well-being of students.
Knowledge and Skills
- Honest and caring relationships with the age group being served.
- Promote and model a faith-filled lifestyle and commitment to the church’s teachings.
Expectations
- Work as a team with catechist, substitutes, room parents and other volunteers.
- Collect attendance folders.
- Aid children needing to use the restroom and get them back to their classroom (Remain outside the restroom door to monitor the restroom door).
- Monitor students making sure to maintain proper pick-up procedure.
- Monitor doors to ensure only authorized people are in hallways.
- As children arrive, ensure parents are not leaving their children where a Catechist/Aide is not present.
Substitutes
- Substitutes are needed for all positions.
- Substitutes will generally be given advanced notice of need.
- Substitute catechists will be provided with lesson plans and all information needed to run class.
All substitutes must complete diocesan Safe Environment paperwork and attend a VIRTUS session.