Working at a parish office

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littlerose1

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Hello,

I just have a quick judgment question for some of you who are wiser and more experienced than I am. šŸ™‚ Would it be ok for me (Iā€™m 17) to talk to my parish priest about getting a volunteer job in the parish office? I have no idea if they need any help, but would it be appropriate to ask? And, for those of you who are parents, would you be okay with your teen daughter holding a position like that at the church?

I really feel this is something for me, and I would like to ask my parents and then my priest, but I wanted to get your opinions first.

Thank you and God bless.
littlerose1
 
littlerose1 said:
Hello,

I just have a quick judgment question for some of you who are wiser and more experienced than I am. šŸ™‚ Would it be ok for me (Iā€™m 17) to talk to my parish priest about getting a volunteer job in the parish office? I have no idea if they need any help, but would it be appropriate to ask? And, for those of you who are parents, would you be okay with your teen daughter holding a position like that at the church?

I really feel this is something for me, and I would like to ask my parents and then my priest, but I wanted to get your opinions first.

Thank you and God bless.
littlerose1
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Sure, you can ask. Parishes often need help with things like stuffing envelopes, applying address stickers, sorting out RE materials, directing phone calls, etc.

Do keep in mind, though, that you will see the ā€œinner workingsā€ of a parish office as well as some rather interesting parishioner personalities. It can be veryā€¦interesting. You will not view things and some people in church the same again.
 
Are you good at keeping things in confidence? Those in the office need to be able to deal with confidential information. The parish offices always need good help, sometimes the parish will require you to be 18 so you can have done Virtus or other safe environment training first.
 
Catholic90 said:
It can be veryā€¦interesting. You will not view things and some people in church the same again.
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Interestingly, this might also include your parish priest(s). Prepare for an eye-opening experience.
 
All our after regular hours receptionists are teens. They work from 5-8 weeknights and from 9:30 - 5 on Saturday (sometimes two kids work 9:30 - 12:30 and 12:30 -5). Basically they answer phones but since it is slow at night they often have the chance to do homework or study. Sometimes we give them work to do if we have it , like filing, stuffing envelopes, calling people to remind them of a class, etc.
 
Great, thanks so much. Our parish office isnā€™t open on Saturdays or after 4 on weekdays, so Iā€™m not sure if they need help with the regular office hours or not, but I think Iā€™ll ask about it (Iā€™m able to work weekdays around my class schedule, so that shouldnā€™t be a problem). I just wanted to make sure I wasnā€™t totally off base. šŸ™‚ Iā€™m really nervous about bringing it up with my parents nowā€¦

Thanks again,
littlerose1
 
Even though itā€™s volunteer work, make it a habit to show up regularly at a predictable time, prepared to work. Even if it turns out to be just an hour a week from 9-10 am on Tuesdays, being predictable will go a long way with good references and positive recommendations. šŸ™‚

It can be chaotic if the office is expecting a volunteer (and sets aside some work for the person to do) and then they donā€™t show up for whatever reason. Someone always ends up having to work overtime that day.
 
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