How are you invovled with your Church/Parish?

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mkipp

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I was just confirmed at Easter Vigil. The Priest early that day told us how important it is to get involved with the parish and the Catholic community. He said that more we are involved the more our faith can grow, and we can give back to the Catholic community. I am not sure how to get involved. I was wondering what you do in your parish or Catholic community to stay involved or to help out.
 
Well, my wife and I both sing in the choir.
In addition, I bring Communion to homebound and help teach my daughter’s CCD class, and my wife is deeply involved with RCIA.

With all this, and choir practise a few nights a week, it seems that we are at the church almost every day for one reason or another. I can tell you it is GREAT!
 
This is something that I am quite convicted of. We were confirmed Easter 2008 and I have not yet committed to doing anything yet. Before our service someone will lead the rosary. This is something I would love to do. Why I haven’t sought out the person to tell them that I don’t know. We don’t have a choir; although I guess I could help lead music on a Sunday. I’m just not sure I have the confidence for that yet.

Pray about it and ask the Lord to direct you with the talents He has given you. There is a place for everyone in the Church!
 
CCD teacher
RCIA team member
CYM volunteer
Library volunteer
Rosary Making Club leader
Adorer
very occasional cantor

DH teaches CCD, is an Adorer and drives the van that picks up the elderly.
 
Are any of you in the SOCIETY OF ST. VICENT DE PAUL? I was told by my Priest that this was a possible way to get invovled. But I am not sure what they do.
 
In Australia, St Vinnies (as they’re affectionately known) run a kind of op-shop with second hand clothes. They also distribute food and other items to the poor. It is certainly a very hands-on way of living the gospel.

I’m not actually a St Vinnies member 'cos I’m just too busy during the working hours they’re open. However, at weekend Mass, we are on rosters for reading, offertory, prayers of the faithful, organ (me), altar serving (children) and money collection (hubby). We also help out with organising the powerpoint presentation displaying the hymns. Too much actually.

I think that firstly, though, you should cement your relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist. Attend Mass as much as possible, daily if you can, to make sure that you are making the most of the graces you receive from the Eucharist. Ask him to let you know what He wants you to do - you might be surprised by the answer! God has always led me.
 
Teach R.E.

RCIA

Hubby and I help clean the Church once a month…we are called God’s housekeepers:D

DD1 is in the children’s choir

organize the soup supper

help with garage sales

lead a “Why Catholic” group

run our military out reach program

Hubby is a member of the K of C

We really do whatever is asked of us
 
We’re always looking for people for the music ministry…no experience required, just a willingness to work hard and praise God! Its been great having my daughter involved in that as well. My wife is on the annual festival committee which is our primary fundraiser and our family is involved in the Little Flowers/Blue Knights.

We’ve been involved in youth ministry, faith formation, EMHC’s, and whatever we’ve been called to do. We’ve backed off many activites since having child# 3 but are still as involved as we can be.

Discern where your gifts and talents lie and try to find an activity/ministry that fits you. By the way, in which diocese in MA are you?

Welcome home!
 
mkipp said:
Are any of you in the SOCIETY OF ST. VICENT DE PAUL? I was told by my Priest that this was a possible way to get invovled. But I am not sure what they do.
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Oh, yeah, I almost forgot 🙂 I am! We are a very small group, we have to limit what we do to “emergency assistance” - utility bills, meds, other special financial needs.
 
Many of you are involved in multiple areas and do a lot for the Church. I agree that it’s important to get involved with your parish and the Church, but I would caution a newly initiated Catholic from over-extending himself/herself. I have seen people “burn-out” by doing too much, and I know people who almost seem to neglect their prayer life while serving the Church. Remember your first relationship is to God. While we can serve God by serving others, maintain your relationship with God first and let your service flow from your relationship to God.

I have been more heavily involved in parish life in the past, but now I only volunteer in a couple of areas. Much of my volunteering is limited to one-day obligations. Most events need people to help do simple things that don’t require major commitments. My husband is a more involved, but as we have several children we can’t both be gone at the same time as we have an obligation to care for our children.
 
I also help with the laundering of the altar linens. That might be something that you could volunteer with. It’s not a difficult process – in fact, I put in a movie and watch TV while I’m ironing them.

I also do an hour weekly in Adoration.
 
mkipp said:
Are any of you in the SOCIETY OF ST. VICENT DE PAUL? I was told by my Priest that this was a possible way to get invovled. But I am not sure what they do.
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Yes, the St. Vincent de Paul Society is wonderful and there should be a group at every parish. Acc to your priest, there’s one at yours. Members meet about twice a month, maybe after a Saturday a.m. Mass, often meeting the rectory. There are a few common prayers and a brief agenda. The point of the group’s existence is to assist the poor at every parish. Lots of variety in how that’s done; often in the form of grocery vouchers, vouchers for furniture, help with referrals for social services. It’s a wonderful group and requires much sensitivity but very little commitment of time. Most often, one might be asked to assist in home-visits for an hour or so on Saturdays or weekday evenings.

St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!
 
Also remember that if you are married/have children, that is your FIRST vocation. Any and all parish activities have to fit in around those obligations and not take away from your ability to meet the needs of your family.

I am currently a Lector and teach an RE class. I am not feeling that my calling is really in the teaching… though I might do this class again if asked. I would really like to join the choir, which I used to be in at another parish and have been missing badly. I just have to find a way to get to the practices without shortchanging my family too much. I already work part time on top of everything else I do.

My DH, between work and National Guard obligations, and caring for kids while I work, feels he should not add any activities. He’s stretched already, and he might end up just disappointing the ministry he was serving.

DD1 is an altar server and helps out with younger children at summer bible camp.

We all help serve donuts and coffee at the parish about once a month.
 
As my forum name implies, I’m a catechumen in the RCIA and as far as the parish is concerned, this seems to fall in the “good enough” category, aside from things like attending Mass of course. But given that I have a certain amount of expertise from working in the funeral service industry, I’ve already been approached about helping with the parish bereavement ministry. I’m somewhat reluctant, if only for the fact that I’m not grounded well enough in Catholicism to do even simple things like lead a Rosary prayer or comprehend ecclesiastic nomenclature. (My Latin is rudamentary at best.) On the other hand, if these things aren’t quite necessary then I’m sure I’ll be good to go.

On down the line, I intend to look into other ways to help out and fill what spare time I have. The Knights of Columbus seem eager to have me in their ranks, though I’ll have to wait a year till my confirmation to join. (I already have an RCIA sponsor from among their ranks though!) I’d also like to help with the parish’s wedding ministry; it would be a happy change of pace from the usual routine of death and grief. Moreover, I know that I can plan a pretty opulent wedding in about two days flat, while most folks take months to do the same. 👍
 
When my husband was received into the church in 2006 and I was confirmed, we made the decision that this was a lifestyle that we were committing to. So, we were asked to teach RCIA, he is a Catholic school teacher, I am an EM and lector, and I attend daily mass and help lead morning lauds. We host soup supper during lent, my oldest son is an alter server, husband is also in KofC, and I am in YLI. We also help decorate the church at Christmas and Easter. There are many ways to be involved with the parish, you just have to ask and I am sure that you will be snatched up. Oh, I forgot to mention that DH was MC at Easter Vigil for the last two years.

God Bless!
 
I am a lector and altar girl, and help the St-Vincent-de-Paul Society collect donations in my neighborhood during Christmas time.
 
Hi there!

I am on the Liturgy Committee, the Reading Roster, and the Spring Fair Committee! I just love it! 🙂
 
I am a catechist with RCIA and I am, jokingly, the ‘Parish Drunk’ - in other words, they have my name and if someone ever needs to talk to a sober Catholic they get my number!
 
I don’t have a specific parish I go to. There’s about 3 church’s I visit depending on my schedule for the week. I just go to Mass and that’s it. No groups I’m interested in.
 
When I was growing up, I was an alter server and then a reader.

Now I’m an usher! Depending on your parish, this can be a fairly challenging job… one which never has enough people.

At my downtown cathedral, we:
  • seat people who come late
  • do “host watch” to ensure people don’t leave without consuming the host
  • keep homeless people from disrupting Mass (homeless people not causing problems are welcome to stay)
  • administer first aid to parishioners who need it (call 911 as needed)
  • organize the collection, get a family to take up the gifts, children’s liturgy, etc.
  • and a lot of other things that I could list forever here
And ladies, don’t exclude yourself! I used to think it was a “man’s job” but in my parish it’s not. I’m a woman and I’m the head usher at the Mass that I attend! 😉
 
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