As part of our ongoing commitment to the care and protection of children, all volunteers at parishes, schools and other agencies of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, who are 18 years of age or older, must complete the Safe and Sacred online training program and background check prior to volunteering with children.
To complete the training & background check, or to renew your certification, please select the Safe and Sacred link to the right. The link will take you to the Archdiocesan website where you can create an account or sign in to an existing account. Please follow the prompts to complete the training.
It is helpful if you email our office at rgilly@stbparish.net once you have completed the training so that we can check for your certificate of completion in a timely manner.
Thank you! Ruth Gilly, Coordinator of Religious Education
Please download and print out the Volunteer Information Form, fill it out and drop it by the CFF Office or email it back to us at rgilly@stbparish.net Once we receive it, someone will contact you to discuss Volunteer Opportunities. Thank you!
A Catechist is a Religious Education Teacher for children ages 3 years - grade 6. Classes meet on scheduled Sunday mornings in the school building. Classes are typically divided by grade level, with 10-14 children in each class. The Catechist is the main teacher in the classroom who will be aided by the Assistant Catechist assigned to the class. In the younger grades, there may also be a Teen Helper assigned to the classroom.
While materials are provided, it is the Catechist's responsibility to plan and teach each week's lesson and any cooresponding activities to enhance learning. Catechists are also responsible for keeping their classrooms running smoothly, maintaining classroom discipline, and providing direction to their Assistant and Teen Helper (if one is present), with the support of the Coordinator of Religious Education.
The commitment for a Catechist is a minimum of 1 school year. Training and materials are provided. A volunteer for this position must be a practicing ADULT Catholic, who is living a life that is in harmony with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
An Assistant Catechist is the adult assistant to the Catechist in the classrooms for children ages 3 years through 6th grade, during our Children's Faith Formation classes. Classes meet on scheduled Sunday mornings in the school building. Classes are typically divided up by grade level with 10-14 children in each class.
The Assistant Catechist's main job is to take direction from the Catechist in order to help the class run smoothly. Tasks may include taking attendance, leading prayer, helping with projects, reading Bible stories, helping with classroom management, assisting children, gathering and organizing supplies, and leading a portion of the lesson.
The commitment for an Assistant Catechist is a minimum of 1 school year. Training and materials are provided. A volunteer for this position must be a practicing ADULT Catholic, who is living a life that is in harmony with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
CLOW is Children's Liturgy of the Word. CLOW takes place 2-3 Sundays per month during the Sunday Masses. Each CLOW session is led by a team of Adult CLOW Facilitators. Training, CLOW lessons and materials are provided. CLOW Facilitators on each team rotate through responsibilities: Introduction, Readings, Reflection over the Gospel Reading, leading the Creed and Prayers of the Faithful, Closing.
The commitment for a CLOW Facilitator is a minimum of 1 year, typically 1 Sunday per month during Mass. CLOW Facilitators are asked to commitment to a particular Mass for consistency. A volunteer for this position must be a practicing ADULT Catholic, who is living a life that is in harmony with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
This volunteer position is for a responsible Adult who would help with a variety of office-type work during CFF classtime. Duties may include making copies, getting supplies ready, recording attendance, laminating, occasionally assisting in a classroom etc.
Each year during Lent, Children's Faith Formation hosts dessert sales during the Fish Frys. This year the dessert sales are from 5:30-8:00pm on Fridays Feb. 28, March 6, March 27 and April 3 in the school cafeteria. A Dessert Sale Host is someone who takes responsibility for one of these evening sales. The Host finds volunteers to donate desserts (home baked or store bought) to the sale, is responsible for the set-up and clean-up of our table, and stays during the Fish Fry to sell the desserts. Please contact us for more detailed information.
VBS takes place in June each year. We need a variety of helpers to make VBS happen! Volunteers can help out any number of days or all week! Typically, the roles of Volunteers include:
Group Guides - adults who lead the children to the various activities each day and provide adult supervision
Story Tellers - Adults who present the Bible Story of the day in an exciting way. Scripts, props and helpers are provided.
PreK/K Story Tellers - Adults who present Bible Story of the day in a simple way for little ones. Scripts, props and helpers are provided.
Craft Leader - This adult leads the craft sessions for each age group. All crafts and instructions are provided.
Craft Assistants - Adults who help the Craft Leader to ensure each craft session goes smoothly.
Music Helper - An adult who assists our Music Minister, Dr. Bogdan Minut, run the music portion of VBS. The songs are very simple and we provide a CD and DVD for the helper to learn the songs ahead of time.
Teen Volunteer - see details under Teen Volunteer Opportunities tab below
Throughout the year, Children's Faith Formation has special events when we need Volunteers to help set-up, clean-up and/or help run the event. Some of these events include the Christmas Eve Children's Mass, Family Prayer Box events, Advent Wreath party, various Fund-raisers, First Communion Masses and Cross making. The time commitment for helping with these events vary, but are typically only a few hours to a few weeks. Please contact the CFF Office for more information on ways you can help!
Teen Volunteers are 9th-12 graders who enjoy working with children. Teens are able to help in many ways: as a CLOW helper during Sunday Masses, CFF Teen helper during Sunday CFF classes, VBS Teen helper during Vacation Bible School, and with special events as they arise.
We are happy to sign forms for required service hours once the service time is completed.
Please contact the CFF Office for more information.