Helping out at Church

[tektonik]

Hi… I’m not very involved in my Church. I just go to mass and leave right afterwards. If I ask the priest for some volunteer work… or if he needs help around the church… is this okay to do? I’d love to do something outside of going to work and sitting at home. I don’t want to be paid for anything, I just want to devout some time to Jesus other than prayer and helping out at Church sounds nice. Do any of you do anything for your Churches? What kind of stuff goes on besides mass?

 

[MaryT777]

I’m sure the priest would love to have some help and if he doesn’t have anything in mind he can put you in touch with people who would know, I have taught CCD, helped decorate the Church during liturgical seasons, helped with Christmas nativity show, stuff envelopes for special mailings and things like that. I know people that iron linens as well.

I’m sure you can find soomething that works with your schedule.
God bless.
Mary.

 

[ServantPD]

Some more hands in the dirt always helps your fellow farmer. So it is with the priest in his work at the parish!

I’m a teenager, so I go to youth group meetings, in which we’re asked from time to time to help in certain events, wheter to sing in the place of our choir or doing our own prayers in the chapel, and having a ton of fun afterwards. Wheter you can do this or not depends on your age group.

Another thing I do is I serve at the altar as an acolyte: being there closer to the Eucharist, helping the priest and deacon in seeing that everything’s in place for Mass to run smoothly, and doing more things and be more disciplined during the sacraments than I would if I was just sitting in the pews. And this works for all ages, requiring only your willingness to serve God in this way.

It really goes down as to how involved you want to be, or have time to be. There’s a spectrum that goes from minor and occasional contributions to full time work at the parish. But if you want to help, the first step is really to ask your priest how can you help. And that on its own is a step that many don’t even bother to do.

 

[jmcrae]

Hi… I’m not very involved in my Church. I just go to mass and leave right afterwards. If I ask the priest for some volunteer work… or if he needs help around the church… is this okay to do? I’d love to do something outside of going to work and sitting at home. I don’t want to be paid for anything, I just want to devout some time to Jesus other than prayer and helping out at Church sounds nice. Do any of you do anything for your Churches? What kind of stuff goes on besides mass?

Depending on the size of your parish, there could be all kinds of opportunities - for example, helping to bring groceries to the poor, or sponsoring a new Catholic in RCIA, or leading a Bible study, or serving at the Altar as an Altar Server, or helping to do the dishes at a fundraising dinner, and many more.

 

[Avila123]

Hi… I’m not very involved in my Church. I just go to mass and leave right afterwards. If I ask the priest for some volunteer work… or if he needs help around the church… is this okay to do? I’d love to do something outside of going to work and sitting at home. I don’t want to be paid for anything, I just want to devout some time to Jesus other than prayer and helping out at Church sounds nice. Do any of you do anything for your Churches? What kind of stuff goes on besides mass?

Please, please, please emigrate to the UK and move to my parish, we would welcome you with open arms and great joy? You can do anything (other than be the Priest of course). We are so short of people who will help and I would love to have one day a week free for chores and/or relax selfishly. (Noting that I have service during, before and sometimes after mass and Sunday family obligations).

PS. If the same people are doing a number of things, it means that your parish is desperate for volunteers (most people only multitask out of necessity).

 

[mikeeh]

I’m an Extraordinary Minister, Confirmation teacher, youth group leader, Knights of Columbus, 3rd grade Catechism assistant, and because of my age I’m always welcomed with the young adult group. The Knight of Columbus at my parish does a lot. We’ve cleaned the floors of the hall twice and the church once this year. We want to clean the floors to the classrooms next and eventually remodel the small building next the the church to make a small conference room. Your priest will probably tell you who to talk to to see if there is help needed with the maintenance of the parish, but I would ask around with the other groups. They’re more likely to know what help they need for their group.