Service at Geibel
Catholic Christian Community Service is part of the spirit of what it means to be a student at Geibel Catholic Junior-Senior High School.
View the Service Hours log sheet.
Service Requirements
1. Students are required to earn 24 service hours for the year. You may earn as many hours as you wish to complete the requirement at any time. See the two examples below:
Example 1: Susie earns 24 service hours during the summer before school begins. She has fulfilled her requirement for the year.
Example 2: Johnny earns 206 service hours during the school year. He has fulfilled his requirement for the year.*
*Even though Johnny went far above and beyond his “required” 24 hours, Johnny cannot “roll over” the extra hours for the following school year. In other words, each school year, service hours are set back to zero and students must earn 24 service hours for the new year.
2. Parents/guardians may not sign for their own child’s service hours. For example, parents cannot sign off on their child’s altar serving, etc. Students must obtain the signature of their pastor, parish secretary, etc. Exceptions may be made to this policy
3. Service hours are due by May 15 each school year. Students who do not turn in their service hours, or who do not turn in enough hours each year, will owe those hours before graduating from Geibel Catholic.
Where to Serve
Parish/Church – You can apply the following ministries/duties to your service requirement:
- Altar server
- Lector
- Cantor
- Usher
- Worker for parish picnics and festivals
- CCD or Faith Formation assistant
- Church office worker
- Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) volunteer
- Vacation Bible School volunteer
- Other opportunities as available at your parish/church
Community – Service to the community at large, especially to the poor, sick, elderly, and undereducated will qualify:
- Soup kitchens
- Tutoring
- Big Brother/Big Sister
- Habitat for Humanity
- Nursing Home volunteer
- Hospitals (volunteer, candy striper, etc.)
- Animal shelters
School – Service opportunities will be announced at school throughout the school year. Examples include:
- Volunteering at Mass (lector, cantor, eucharistic minister, minister of hospitality, altar server, etc.)
- Being a Student Ambassador
- Attending March for Life
- Helping with Bucket Brigade during the summer
- Assisting teachers as needed (washing boards, helping with miscellaneous tasks)
- Volunteering at Special Olympics (held at Geibel Catholic on Saturdays during the school year)
Approval of Service Work
All hours must be performed for a non-profit charitable organization that can include your parish/church, Catholic and non-Catholic charitable organizations, CYO and other youth sports organizations, and community organizations outside of the school. No work can be done for organizations whose mission is contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church. See your religion teacher for clarification.
Students cannot receive any form of payment for service hours.
All Christian community service must be for an organization outside of your home. This service should, in some way, make the Gospel message of Jesus Christ visible to you, as the servant, and those whom you are serving.
If you are uncertain if a project will be accepted for hours, please ask your religion teacher before you commit to or complete the project.
Service for Family
This is the simple rule: If the task is part of what you are expected to do as a member of your family, then it is not service. If your jobs at home include washing the dishes and cutting the grass, then these jobs are not service. You are part of a family, and being part of a family means helping out the family.
This is the EXCEPTION to the rule: If the task requires you to go above and beyond the ordinary day-to-day living as a member of your family, then it can be considered service.
Example: Your Aunt Tillie is 97 and lives alone. You drive (or have your parents drive you) to her house once a week to cut her grass. Your “payment” is a glass of lemonade and a hug from Aunt Tillie. This is an example of service for family.
Please ask your religion teacher if you need further clarification.
Activities NOT Approved for Service Hours
- Work done for immediate family members (grass cutting, babysitting, cleaning, etc.)
- Paid work of any kind
- Volunteer work for a non-profit company
- Paid or volunteer work for a political candidate or campaign
- Youth Ministry meetings (Exception: Service projects done by the youth group are permissible.)
