Our catechists are the backbone of our elementary formation program. They teach, lead, and hand on the sacred traditions of our faith and beloved Bible stories to our Kindergarten-5th grade students. Catechists coordinate closely with Lance Pikaart, Director of K-5 formation. Ideally, there are two catechists per grade. This allows them to assist each other, provides schedule flexibility, and provides diversity in teaching styles. Catechists are assigned to their preferred grades by request and availability. They may also request a specific classroom assistant. If catechists have children enrolled in any of the formation ministries they are given a 50% discount on their family’s enrollment fees as a way of saying thank you.

Catechists are given as much direction or freedom to run their classrooms as possible. However, we do ask that they stay within the bounds and scope of the parish curriculum. Our curriculum, Word of Life, has an effective pedagogical structure and is designed to be catechist-friendly. All the materials, resources, and information needed to teach the class are built in to minimize the preparation time required. Additional crafts, activities, and games are welcome but should be approved by Lance Pikaart, the Director for K-5 formation, before being implemented. The Parish provides a variety of classroom and crafting supplies free for use. Additional materials can be obtained by a request to the Director.

If a volunteer wants to be a catechist but is unsure about getting into the classroom, we offer catechist training and support systems to help him or her feel equipped. These include being paired with an experienced catechist, one-to-one mentorship/meetings with the Director, online classes, in-person classes*, Word of Life training hosted by the Director and/or a representative of the curriculum*, periodic training sessions and certification offered by the Diocese, etc. The training offered to catechists is as in-depth as they need or want it to be.

(*requires a minimum of 2 individuals to host)

Additional requirement: A catechist and/or classroom assistant will be asked to set up an online account with Word of Life and have a phone/computer set up with the classroom T.V. to access the curriculum digital media. This process is not difficult and is managed by the Director.

A classroom assistant is a teacher’s aide. An assistant may wish to be present in the class to help with classroom management and activities, but not want to teach. The classroom assistant may be asked to cover for the catechist if they are comfortable doing so but will never be expected to. This is a great position for a teen looking to get service hours for confirmation prep or for a parent who wants to be in the classroom with their child.

Additional requirement: A catechist and/or classroom assistant will be asked to set up an online account with Word of Life and have a phone/computer set up with the classroom T.V. to access the curriculum digital media. This process is not difficult and is managed by the Director.

The Youth Group needs helping hands and Small Group Leaders. These positions move away from the catechetical classroom style of teaching to a mentorship style.

Small Group Leaders will facilitate groups of older teens who have already completed their confirmation. These groups are gender-specific, all-male or all-female groups, and require men and women of faith who are willing to help guide discussions about growing into a Catholic identity. Ideally, there are two small group leaders for each group. This allows the leaders to assist each other, provides schedule flexibility between them, and provides multiple relational and leadership styles.

A youth group leader or volunteer is someone willing to help set up, clean up, manage games/events, and occasionally lead/teach in the youth group. The youth group primarily consists of preteens and younger teens and is a bit more high-energy. The youth group is primarily run as one large ‘class’ making a youth group leader’s primary job to assist the Youth Coordinator, Maria Obradovich, and help foster relationship-building between the youth.

Each year, the formation program looks for 1-3 individuals to act as hall monitors. Hall monitors are essential for meeting the Diocesan safe environment requirements when we have classrooms with one catechist. In such cases, the classroom door must stay open so the hall monitor can survey the classroom activity when he or she passes by. Hall monitors direct and assist parents, parishioners, and children who are looking for directions and act as hospitality. Occasionally, a catechist might ask the hall monitor to retrieve some supplies from the craft room or be on the lookout for a late child. The hall monitor’s presence also provides a layer of security as they prevent any suspicious activity that might occur in the halls. There is a need for only one hall monitor each week; if there are multiple hall monitors, they will be placed on a rotating schedule.

Hall monitors will wear a vest to distinguish them and carry a walkie-talkie to communicate with catechists and the Director when needed.

This position requires a Safe Environment certification because of its proximity to children and because the hall monitor needs to be trained to look for specific behaviors/signs.

Helping hands are individuals who regularly contribute by setting up donuts/snacks and coffee, distributing handouts to each table, making sure specific classrooms have the requested supplies before class, and helping with any clean-up that is out of the ordinary. Volunteers for this position know they are going to be at a family formation almost every Sunday and are happy to be put down as willing to help or adopt a task like setting out coffee each week. While their role might not seem monumental, having a few stable helping hands smooths out the program by freeing up the Director to attend to other tasks. This is an informal position and does not require any special training.

It is helpful if some volunteers for this position are able to arrive earlier and/or leave later depending on what they are helping with.