Wait…you want me to be involved?
This week was our parish’s Ministry Fair. They have been publicizing this fair for weeks. When we headed over for Mass, we saw a huge white tent on the lawn, the kind you see for wedding receptions, concerts and the like. Along with the tent came cookies, bagels, and lots of hot coffee. The goal was to encourage more involvement in the parish’s volunteer activities, and the day’s slogan was: “An hour is not enough!”
Our parish is vibrant. This is obvious by the packed Masses we attend. It seems that the church is never empty, no matter which Mass you choose. Activities are also well attended. The only piece of the puzzle that seems to be missing is a way for families to participate in parish life together.
Blessed John Paul II once said: “Founded on love and open to the gift of life, the family contains in itself the very future of society.” This concept rings true both in secular life and parish life. Families beget children, who beget more children, who pass on traditions, both secular and religious. My husband and I both grew up “Catholic.” We were altar servers, went to Catholic schools and played on CYO teams. As kids, we both participated in many social activities in our respective parishes. Now, we’re young parents, and would like our son to have the chance to be active in his parish, too.
But not many of our parish’s activities seem to allow us to bring our toddler along. Although we had a great time walking around the different tables and learning a bit about social groups at our parish, my husband and I sometimes feel like we are caught between a rock and a hard place, in a way.
While there are lots of activities for older children and teenagers, there do not seem to be a lot for toddlers to do with their families. While it is wonderful for young Catholic parents to have the chance to be a part of a Bible Study group or some other type of social ministry, signing up almost requires these same parents to find childcare in order to participate. Not only does it require advanced planning (especially when it comes to meals and naps) and possibly a financial cost if other family members are unavailable, but if children aren’t invited, it almost makes the parent choose between enriching their parish life or spending time with their child.
My husband, for one, was considering the parish Men’s Group. But as he later pointed out, meetings and activities with the group would probably take away from the relatively little time he has with our little one, since he works all day and can only spend time with him at night and on weekends. I know in the hubby’s case, he would like to be more active in our church and become part of different parish groups. But at the same time, if forced to choose, he would rather come home and spend time with our little one instead, or go someplace where the little guy can participate. So even though he was thinking about signing up, he didn’t.
Fortunately for us, we found one parish ministry that specifically told us we could bring our little guy to meetings. That sealed the deal for us, since we wanted to volunteer, and there wouldn’t be a problem if our son came along. No babysitter needed. The little one is now (the littlest) member of the parish’s Baptism Prep ministry. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of our family’s parish ministry. together.
5 thoughts on “Family Life: A Call for Volunteers”
Pingback: Family Life: A Call for Volunteers - CATHOLIC FEAST - Every day is a Celebration
I think we’ve all been on this spot. Our participation on various parish groups and ministries evolves as we progress through the stages of life. There is no one-size-fits- solution. Each person and family will find their place where God wants them at the various stages of life. God bless you and your family!
Boy oh boy, this has been a big issue in my family for a long time. I remember once taking our toddler to a talk at a nearby parish and we sat on the floor in the back of the room to let our toddler play with some toys while we listened to the talk. Our toddler made minor noises and the (older) lady giving the talk asked us to leave. So much for going to parish activities. We didn’t have family members in the area and we couldn’t afford a sitter. Fast forward 15 years. We still can’t get to things because of the kids’ sports and other activities which we need to drive them to every weekday evening (which is when our parish offers talks and activities). I wanted to take my oldest, a teen, with me to some educational programs at the parish but the DRE said no because, “the adults need to be able to discuss topics freely” so they couldn’t have kids there. So it’s pretty much adults only in my parish except for the youth group and the school. We homeschool so don’t use the school.
Here is an idea that you might try so you can volunteer or go to some more programs at your Parish. Start a babysitting coop, get like minded parents together and see if you can find someone from the youth group, confirmation class that would be willing to watch your children for the hour the meeting usually takes. They would get service hours and you would get to enjoy the meeting. One of our bible studies groups hires a babysitter for the children and the families split the cost. Or you can start a group in the Council of Catholic Women for your parish with other women with small children, you can meet in your homes and bring your children.
The problem with that line of thinking, I’ve found, is that the work of ministry still needs to be done. If your first devotion is obviously to maximize time with your children while they’re young, don’t come out and try to volunteer for something you won’t put your heart into. See THAT is why marriage and parenting is considered a vocation comparative to ministry. It’s just going to end up with the retired folks getting the glamor roles while we single folks are involved in simultaneously every ministry for lack of dedicated bodies (I’m not *supposed* to be serving two or three roles in each week’s Sunday Mass, but families take impromptu vacations this time of year without a simple warning phone call to get a replacement, if they even take commissioning training in the first place…)