Volunteer for RE Formation

Religious Education Formation Volunteers

Our St. Damian Religious Education Formation is looking for volunteers to assist in our program. We gather for class approximately three Mondays a month. The hours for volunteering are from 6:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Our program will begin on Monday, September 11, 2023 to May 1, 2024.

Volunteer Catechist: We are looking for faithful, reliable, and responsible adults 18 years or over to teach our faith to our students in levels 1^st to 8^th. You will be responsible for teaching every Monday night session. You will work with the CRE on additional material for your class. If you are interested and wants to share your faith with our students, we are asking for you to join us.

Office Aides: Aides will help the RE Assistant in our office. This will consist of distributing letters or notes to teachers, picking up our attendance, and helping with sorting materials that are needed for our classrooms.

Hall Monitors: You will be stationed at designated areas in the school. Monitors will assist in keeping the halls clear and quiet. This also includes watching our entrances/exits so that no child or stranger enters or exits while classes are in session.

Teacher’s Aide: You will be responsible for helping the teachers in their classrooms. As an aide, you may take attendance, help with crafts, or help with other activities in the classroom.

Drop off/Pick Up Assistants: We will need your assistance in guiding the safety of the entrance and exiting of our RE students and families. You will be located outside during drop off and pickup times. We need your help with making sure everyone follows the entering, exiting, and parking requirements.

All these positions are very gratifying and will help our program to continue to be strong. If you are interested in volunteering for any of the above positions, please contact Mrs. Cheryl Plesha at 708-687-7778 or [email protected]

Need a little nudge? Read this reflection from catechist Sandy Katula:

"The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of your time." If you grew up in the Katula household, you would have heard this hundreds of times throughout your childhood. But what can you give your Saint Damian family as a gift? Sure money is always welcome but a gift of your time is equally appreciated. While there are many ministries to choose from, I would encourage you to consider participating in the Religious Education program. Not only will you be giving a gift of your time but you will also make many new friends and grow in your own catholic faith along the way.

My journey began one Monday night after I dropped Tessa off at RE. What was I going to do to fill the time before I picked her up? The trips to Menards and Home Depot were getting to be quite expensive. It was time for me to walk the talk. "The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of your time." The next year I signed on as one of the 6th grade RE teachers. It did not take long for me to realize that time was not my gift to give but was the gift my students gave me. Every week we discussed the role God had played in their lives. Their insights were thoughtful and genuine. Each week I left with a greater appreciation for the small things God shares with us on a daily basis.

Why didn't I volunteer sooner? That's an easy question. I did not feel I knew enough about my catholic faith to teach it to students. I learned a lot that first year. And I continue to be a work in progress. There were plenty of times students asked me questions I could not answer. A little research and I was prepared to answer that challenging question the next week.

Did teaching impact my family? Sure it did. We have resorted to scrambled eggs, soup or waffles on Monday nights so I can be ready for RE class after a long day of work. My lessons have become part of our family discussions around the dinner table. It has allowed us all to grow in our faith. But most importantly it has helped us experience the embrace of our extended St. Damian family. Often at mass we hear that St. Damian is our home. St. Damian has been my home for over 50 years. It took teaching RE to feel the embrace that comes with being a participating member of the St. Damian family.

Our parish has so much to offer. I found my niche in the Religious Education program. Please consider joining me for the upcoming school year. Sandy Katula

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CatechistClassroom AideOffice AideHallway MonitorPick up/Drop off HelpI need more information, please contact me.
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All Volunteers must create an account on Virtus.org and complete all the Archdiocesan and State of Illinois compliance requirements before being in the presence of children.

For assistance please contact Compliance Site Administrator, Connie Swidergal at 708-342-8527, [email protected].

https://www.virtusonline.org/virtus/index.cfm

Go to First-Time Registrant and it will walk you through all the steps that you will need to complete to volunteer for our program. For location, choose Archdiocese of Chicago first, then find St. Damian Parish. If you are already certified on virtus.org please let us know.

Protecting God's Children video training module.
Continuing on-line training bulletins.
State of Illinois Mandated Reporter Training - https://mr.dcfstraining.org/UserAuth/Login!loginPage.action
A completed on-line name based Criminal Background Check (through virtus.org).
Code of Conduct is signed electronically on the virtus.org website.
Complete State of Illinois DCFS CANTS form, to be signed at our RE office.

St. Damian Church

Volunteer for RE Formation

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