Volunteer Opportunities in the Parish

Epiphany

The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.’

There are many gifts that we can bring to the Child in the manger: The gifts of our time and our talents. Below is a list of some of the activities in the parish where we need your help on a regular or occasional basis. Please consider them and email trishbonnett@rcdow.org.uk to offer your services for the benefit of our parish. Your gift.

Altar serving and MC – serving at Mass on a Sunday or during the week, MC (Master of Ceremony) – setting up for the Mass and supervising and supporting other altar servers. Weekly Commitment

Candle Wax removal – ironing carpet with newspaper to soak up spilt wax around the Paschal candle and also wax removal from the floor around the votive candle stands in the side altars. Occasional commitment

Catechist – assisting Sacramental Co-ordinator with First communion, Baptism and Confirmation preparation of candidates. Occasional commitment

Children library upkeep – Tidying up the children’s library area regularly, removing old and tatty books and arranging to get new ones (budget in parish to support this or donations from other parishioners) Occasional commitment

Children’s liturgy – helping on a monthly basis as a leader of the children’s liturgy at the 10.30 Mass on a Sunday or as a helper to support the leader. Training is available. All materials required are provided. (Disclosure and Barring service checks are required for this role) Monthly Commitment

Choir – singing at the 10.30 Mass on the 1st, 2nd and 5th Sundays of the month, Christmas and Easter supporting the liturgies. Practice on Tuesday evening at 7.50pm. Other chances to sing occur also. Ideally you need to read music but support is given for those who sing by ear. Weekly Commitment

Church Cleaning – cleaning the church and porch areas on a Saturday or Monday as part of a small team, once a month, to ensure our church is beautiful for the Lord and those who come to worship. Monthly Commitment

Fogging church after Mass – to sanitise the church after every service. Done on a rota basis 2-3 Weekly Commitment

Counting collection Monday morning – work as part of a small team once a month to count other monies (eg collection boxes, Mass stipends, record and bag up money ready for banking. Three – Four weekly commitment

Eucharistic ministry – to support the Priests during the Mass by distributing communion. Taking communion to those who are in residential care or housebound. Training provided. . Monthly commitment

Flowers in church – arranging the flowers in the church for ordinary time and special seasons of Christmas and Easter. Working as part of a team. Checking flowers are watered. Occasional commitment

Fundraising activities –  this can vary according to what activities are in place but currently need someone to monitor the Easyfundraising website activities and also we would like to start selling parishioner donated items on ebay to raise funds. Ideally someone who is an experienced ebayer could take this on. Occasional commitment

Gardening Team – to maintain the gardens and grounds which also includes mowing and leaf raking. Part of a team. Occasional commitment

Hall Maintenance – to keep on eye on the hall (to support the volunteer hall manager) to ensure it is tidy, chairs are in right place and kitchen has been left clean and tidy. Occasional commitment

 Library upkeep – to be part of a team to tidy adult library area, and keep books in order and ensure they are seasonally appropriate. Occasional commitment

Ministers of the Word – to support the liturgy of the Word during Sunday and daily Mass  by proclaiming the Word of God. Training provided. Six weekly commitment

Music group – provides music at the 10.30 Mass for the 3rd and 4th Sundays of the month. Any instrument welcome. Twice monthly commitment

Newsletter editing and printing –  as part of a team compiling, editing and printing the weekly newsletter on the 5th Saturday of the month and holiday cover for other team members. Occasional commitment

Noticeboard upkeep – to keep the noticeboards tidy and up-to-date. Weekly commitment

Parish Maintenance Team – to help as a handy person as part of a team to maintain the church and hall. Occasional commitment

Pastoral Parish Council – to support the parish by being a member of the council, attending 6 meetings per year and taking on responsibility for an area of interest for the parish. 4 vacancies at present which need to be filled as soon as possible. Bi-monthly commitment

Organists/keyboard players –  to support the music at the 8.30 and 10.30 am Masses Occasional commitment

Snow clearing team – to clear paths and provide a path across car park before weekend or daily Mass when snow falls to ensure parishioners can attend Mass safely. Occasional commitment

Sound system set up on Sunday – to set up sound equipment for 10.30 and occasionally 5pm Mass and control sound output from main console. Training provided. 2-3 weekly commitment

Transport for parishioners – to help parishioners who are without transport get to vital places eg hospital and doctor appointments. Occasional commitment

Transport to Mass – to help parishioners who are without transport to get to Sunday Mass. Weekly Commitment

Visiting housebound – to visit housebound parishioners so they do not feel lonely and have contact with someone from the parish. Occasional commitment

Stewarding – to greet people as they come to Mass and take details for track and trace purposes. Working as part of a team. 2-3 Weekly Commitment

Youth Ministry – to support  youth events in the parish.  Occasional Commitment