Campus Ministry
OFFICE OF CAMPUS MINISTRY SERVICE PROGRAM
NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL
OFFICE OF CAMPUS MINISTRY
2008 – 2009 CHRISTIAN SERVICE EXPERIENCE
“'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?' [Jesus] will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’”
- Matthew 25: 44-45
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,’ but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
- James 2:14-17
“Do little things with great love.”
- Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
“This is what the Lord asks of you, that you act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with your God.”
- Micah 6:8
CHRISTIAN SERVICE RATIONALE
Jesus taught, healed and reached out to all people with love, yet he touched in a special way the poor, sick, oppressed, weak and needy. The belief in the dignity and worth of each person is essential to the gospel and the social teaching of the Catholic Church. As disciples of Jesus, we hear the call to continue his mission and ministry, and proclaim the Gospel in our world today. We are called to live the faith passed on to us through Jesus Christ.
Notre Dame High School provides its students the opportunity to concretely live out and celebrate their faith through service. Founded upon the mission to form young men of faith, scholarship, and service, the Christian Service Experience complements the school’s curriculum by providing experiences that assist students in recognizing the broader perspective of community and their unique roles in building Christian community. Christian Service challenges students, faculty and staff alike to learn about their community and its needs, and then to respond in loving service in order to transform the world in the name of Jesus. All students participate in the Christian Service Experience.
GOALS OF CHRISTIAN SERVICE
The goals are based on the Mission of Notre Dame High School to educate young men within a Christ-centered community of faith, always striving for excellence in furthering the construction of a world where justice and peace and love prevail. The Philosophy of Education is such that a Notre Dame education consists in the formation of the minds and hearts of young men. A holistic education is essential, since society has a great need for people who lead lives of scholarship and social responsibility based upon Christian values. It is never enough to educate a student only in the classroom. Notre Dame seeks to ensure that its students emerge as young men with a commitment to uplifting the human spirit, to reaching out in their daily lives to those in need, discovering in their hearts an ever greater desire to serve. The service requirement has been designed to achieve the following goals:
- Gospel Values. To give each student the opportunity to reflect on the gospel of Jesus Christ in relation to how it calls each person to love and serve others.
- Justice. To challenge each student to respond to those gospel values that are at the heart of the church’s teaching on social justice.
- Community. To invite each student to active and responsible participation in the life, mission and work of the Catholic faith community.
- Self Knowledge. To provide the opportunity for each student to experience many types of service in order to clarify each student’s particular gifts and talents.
- Service. To emphasize to parents and students the importance Notre Dame High School places on service to people who are in need.
- Reflection. To give students the opportunity to reflect on their service experience and how it relates to what they are learning in the classroom and how it relates to their lives.
- Skills. To provide an opportunity for students to develop skills in working with people that will help them in future career planning.
- Self-Worth. To encourage each student’s sense of self-worth that comes with making a difference in the world in which they live.
- Growth. To encourage each student to meet and accept new challenges.
THE 2008 - 2009 CHRISTIAN SERVICE EXPERIENCE
The Christian Service Experience will run from June 1, 2008 to May 15, 2009. Every student must complete 25 hours of Christian Service each year. “Front-loading” service hours is not permitted.
We realize that students may complete service hours above and beyond the minimum of 25 hours each year. When this occurs, we ask students to turn in documentation of all their service hours so accurate records are kept. Although all service hours are recorded, only 25 hours per academic year will count towards a student’s graduation requirement.
Along with the completion of the minimum number of Christian Service hours, students will participate in Theological Reflection each year. The Theological Reflection Paper is a required part of the Notre Dame Christian Service Experience. Information about the Theological Reflection Paper will be distributed to all students at the beginning of the Second Semester.
Freshmen
Within four years at Notre Dame, students in the Class of 2012 are required to complete 100 Christian Service Hours. These hours are to be completed in the following categories:
30 hours with the Marginalized
20 hours with Notre Dame High School
20 hours within a Parish/Church Community
15 hours within the Civic Community
15 FLEX hours of the student’s choice in any or all of the four categories.
While students must complete 25 Christian Service hours every year, they may complete those hours in any category, any year. For example, a student may choose to complete:
- 10 hours in Marginalized, 10 in Parish/Church, and 5 in Civic Community within one year, or
- 25 hours in any one category within one year.
The total hours in each category must be fulfilled by the time the student graduates.
Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors
Students in the Class of 2009, Class of 2010, and Class of 2011 are required to complete 25 Christian Service Hours each year during their remaining time at Notre Dame. At least 10 of these hours must be completed in the Marginalized, Parish/Church Community, or Civic Community Category. No more than 10 hours can be earned for a single service experience, without prior permission from the Director of Christian Service or the Director of Campus Ministry.
Any student who did not complete their Christian Service hours during the 2007 – 2008 school year must complete these hours in addition to the 25 hours required for the 2008 – 2009 school year.
WHAT IS CHRISTIAN SERVICE?
Christian Service comes in many forms. The expectation is that students will complete meaningful service with people, not for people. The service experience should provide the student with a broader experience of life. As much as possible, service should involve direct interaction with people. Ideally, the service should be something to which the students can make a firm commitment. The following offers examples of each category:
Marginalized
Notre Dame places an importance on service with the marginalized of today’s society. The marginalized are those who are often on the fringes of society or who are members of an often forgotten group of people. This may include people who are materially or economically poor. It may also include people who are poor in spirit, or who have given up hope. Some examples of people who may be on the margins of society today are (but are not limited to):
- Elderly
- Homeless
- Physically or Mentally Ill
- Economically Disadvantaged
- Hungry
- Persons with Disabilities
Notre Dame High School
Student volunteers help make ND events very successful. Their assistance is invaluable and preserves the family atmosphere throughout the school year. Some of the scheduled events at school include:
- Open House
-
Mardi Gras
- Fashion Show
-
Dinner Auction
- Kairos
Parish or Church Community
As Christians, we are called to be active members in our church community. Parishes offer many opportunities for service including, but not limited to:
- Teaching Religious Education Classes (CCD)
-
Volunteer at a Grade School
-
Altar Server,
-
Lector
-
Eucharistic Minister
-
Youth Group Service Activities
- Coaching a Parish Grade School Sports Team
-
After School Tutoring Programs
Civic Community
As members of our local, state, national and global community, we are called to “give back” to the community. This is perhaps the broadest category. The potential service opportunities listed here are just a few of the many opportunities your community may offer:
- Work at Charity Events (Walk-A-Thons, Special Olympics, etc)
- Environmental opportunities
- Park District Festivals
- Habitat for Humanity
- Misericordia
- Jelly Belly Days
- Volunteer at Public Library
HOW DO I KNOW IF THIS IS CHRISTIAN SERVICE?
- If you can honestly answer “ TRUE” to all of the statements, then your service hours are probably acceptable to fulfill the Christian Service Experience. If you answer “FALSE” to any statements, or have any questions, please stop in and see the Director of Christian Service or the Director of Campus Ministry.
- I am making a difference!
- I am not receiving monetary compensation for my service hours.
- My primary motivation is not to receive any recognition or award.
- I am filling a need for a person or group (family members do not count).
- I am going outside of my “comfort zone” when I do my service hours.
- I am reaching out to help people that I did not know before I started.
- I am performing an activity or learning a new skill that I never did before.
- I am going to a place that is outside of my familiar, everyday world.
(You should be able to answer yes to at least one of these three)
- I am performing my service hours willingly and with a positive attitude.
- I am contributing to the Notre Dame High School legacy of service.
- I am engaging in a service opportunity that reflect one or more of the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy:
Corporal Works of Mercy
- Feed the hungry
- Give drink to the thirsty
- Clothe the naked
- Visit the imprisoned
- Shelter the homeless
- Visit the sick
Spiritual Works of Mercy
- Admonish the sinner
- Instruct the ignorant
- Counsel the ignorant
- Comfort the sorrowful
- Bear wrongs patiently
- Forgive injury
- Pray for the living & dead
WHAT DOESN’T COUNT AS CHRISTIAN SERVICE?
- Student’s or parent’s place of employment
- Babysitting for family, friends, or neighbors
- Walking a neighbor’s dog; working at an animal shelter
- Shoveling driveways or raking leaves
- Volunteering for a politician or political campaign
- Hours for office work, filing, office errands
- Service that is required for membership in any ND club or group (Cross & Anchor, NHS, Ambassadors, etc) does not qualify as Christian Service.
- Any work done for your family. Although helping out family is wonderful, you are expected to serve the larger community through this experience. There are many service agencies in need of volunteers.
RECORDING OF CHRISTIAN SERVICE HOURS
Official records of each student’s Christian Service Hours are kept through Campus Ministry in the Christian Service Office.
Students are required to submit a completed Christian Service Report Form to the Director of Christian Service within 10 days of completing each service opportunity. Click here to download a copy of the Christian Service Report Form.
Late submissions and/or incomplete forms will not be accepted. Blank forms can be found in the following places:
- Under the “Christian Service” section of the Campus Ministry webpage
- On the “Christian Service” page on Edline
- Outside the Christian Service Office
Information about the student’s completed hours will be included on Progress Reports for each Marking Period as well as the Semester Report Cards.
High School Transcript
Since completing Christian Service is part of the Notre Dame High School graduation requirement, the total number of hours completed are recorded on a student’s permanent High School transcript.
VERIFICATION OF CHRISTIAN SERVICE HOURS
On a random basis calls will be placed to the service sites to verify a student’s recorded hours. If a student has falsified his or her Christian Service Hours, the matter will be dealt with as a violation of the Honor Code.
NON-COMPLETION OF CHRISTIAN SERVICE HOURS
Any Freshman, Sophomore, or Junior who has not completed the minimum 25 hours of Christian Service by May 15 th will be ineligible for any extra-curricular activities until the hours are completed. Final Theological Reflection Papers will be due on the date selected by the student’s Religion Teacher.
For Seniors, the deadline for completing service hours is May 1 st. Any Senior who has not completed the minimum 25 hours of Christian Service by May 1 st will be ineligible for any extra-curricular activities (Sports, Prom, etc.) until the hours are completed. Final Theological Reflection Papers for Seniors are to be submitted to the Director of Christian Service on or before May 15 th. Seniors who have not satisfied the requirements of the Christian Service Experience by this date will not be allowed to participate in the Graduation Exercises.
“The most beautiful compensation of this life is that no one can set out to sincerely help another person without helping himself at the same time.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
QUESTIONS
If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Maureen Targosz, Service Program Coordinator, at 847.779.8663 or via email at mtargosz@ndhsdons.org.