Works of MERCY & service

Living our our Catholic Christian faith includes a commitment to be of service to others, not just within our Church, but also in our communities. 

As you prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation, you should know that you are required to perform Works of Mercy and Service before you can be fully received into the church.

To learn more about your options for Works of Mercy and Service, click on the tabs below.

"Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which to look out Christ's compassion to the world; yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good; yours are the hands with which he is to bless people now."

-St. Teresa of Avila

Option #1: Participate in a "love begins here" mission trip & 5 hours of community/parish service

Love Begins Here is a transformative spiritual and service experience that occurs every summer within the Diocese of Madison. These mission trips are open for all students who have completed 6-12th grades and meet the necessary requirements for enrollment. There is a small cost for students to participate, but there is financial aid available for those who qualify. 

To find out more about Love Begins Here, click here.

option #2: Complete 40 hours of community/parish service

Of these 40 hours, a minimum of 10 must be completed community service, 10 for parish service, and 5 for service at home; the other 15 hours are up to the discretion of the family. See below for definitions of each type of service. Both parents and sponsors are encouraged to participate in all service activities along with you.

When you complete the service work, you are required to submit a Service Hours Completion Form for each activity that you did. Please click here to view a downloadable Service Hours Completion Form.

Community service

Consists of service to the broader community of our towns, state, country or the world. It involves contacting a non-profit organization and scheduling times to volunteer. Examples would be helping with the Community Meal, St. Vincent de Paul, CropWalk, Habitat for Humanity, Hope House, American Way, Nursing Home or Assisted Living, River Haven, Park or highway cleanup, etc. Be creative and try to find something unique and interesting that would help others. 

Parish service

Consists of service at one of our two parishes and volunteering your time to help service the parish community in some way. Examples would be attending a committee meeting, singing in the choir, be an altar service or usher, reading at Mass, helping at Best Fest or some other event, helping at Vacation Bible School, being a faith formation aide, helping with chores or tasks in the office or on the parish grounds, etc.

Home service

Should be a service that you don’t already do on a consistent basis. This is about going above and beyond what you normally do. Step outside the box and find something new that you can do to serve your family.