As we look ahead to the 2026–2027 year, Old St. Mary’s is grateful for the continued growth of our faith formation ministries, and we invite parishioners to prayerfully consider how the Spirit may be calling them to share their gifts with our children, youth, families, and adults. Whether you are comfortable teaching, welcoming families, helping behind the scenes, accompanying young people, or sharing your own knowledge and spirituality with others, there are many ways to become involved. No one does this work alone, and training, materials, and support are provided. To learn more or express interest, please contact Elise Flick, our Director of Lifelong Faith Formation, at elise@oldstmarys.com. Please note that all volunteer work with children requires completion of a background check and VIRTUS training.
Read Scripture with Our Children (ages 3-8)! The readings at Sunday Mass can be a bit wordy and confusing for our youngest churchgoers. On Sundays during the 11am Mass, adult volunteers and a teen helper take the younger children to Donovan Hall to read simpler translations of the day’s Scripture readings and to pose age-appropriate questions in place of a homily. The group returns to Mass before Communion. If you work well with very young children, we’d love to have you join our team! Scheduling is very flexible – we hope you will volunteer at one Mass every 1-2 months.
Chat, Pray with, and Prepare Parents of an Infant Receiving Baptism – We need members of our community to help welcome new parents, and to talk with them about their child’s upcoming baptism and the commitment they are making to raise their child in the Catholic faith. We need volunteers in two categories: greeters and facilitators. Greeters meet the family when they arrive for the Mass and make sure they remember what to do. Facilitators lead our baptism “classes” ahead of time to help parents better understand the sacrament and prepare to raise a child Catholic. All materials and discussion guides are provided for you as the facilitator – your job is to be a friendly face and help parents think through these topics in a casual setting. Scheduling flexible – we hope you can volunteer one weeknight every 1-2 months.
Join our Sunday Faith Formation Team! We’re looking for volunteers to fill all types of roles – catechists, assistant catechists, subs, and admin helpers – on Sunday mornings 9:45-10:45. If you are interested in becoming a catechist but don’t feel ready to take on your own class, you can volunteer as an assistant to an experienced catechist and build your skills in a low-pressure environment! If you are an SFF parent looking to help out, we always need substitutes in the classroom and help with door monitoring and other administrative items during class time.
Join our Youth Ministry Team! The only skill you need is the ability to have a discussion with a small group of 8th-12th graders. Youth Ministry typically meets on Sunday evenings at 5pm (every two weeks) – we’d love to have you join us! Leaders take turns reading Scripture and posing questions to the group (all written ahead of time), and sometimes we break off into smaller discussion groups with one leader each. If you’re comfortable hanging out with this age group, that’s all you need to get started!
Help with Miscellaneous Faith Formation Events – our Sacrament Preparation programs have miscellaneous events throughout the year such as retreats, parent meetings, family classes, and more. If your schedule doesn’t allow you to volunteer regularly, but you would like to help – this is the opportunity for you! We’re building a list of volunteers to help run these events, and we will reach out to see who is available to help as they come up. Responsibilities will usually include greeting/check-in, distributing materials, giving instructions, and other administrative tasks. If you would like to help lead any of these events, that is welcome as well!
Share Your Knowledge or Spirituality with Other Adults! We are looking to offer more faith formation opportunities for adults in the parish – if you are knowledgeable about an area of theology or a specific spiritual practice, we’d love for you to share it with others! This could take the form of presentations, discussions, and/or activities; it could be a one-time event, a short series, or an ongoing commitment if you would like. We can help you outline your program and find supporting resources to share – let Elise know if you might be interested in offering a program for adults.