Campus Ministry & Christian Outreach
Service
At the very core of Gabriel Richard Catholic High School's existence is its Catholic Christian identity. Our school is rooted in Christ and his mission of compassionate love and service to others. We recall the words of Jesus:
"The spirit of the Lord is upon me for he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and sight to the blind, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord's year of favor." Luke 4:18
As followers of Jesus, we too reach out to bring good news to the poor and the downtrodden, and freedom to captives. Our church teachings remind us that:
The joys and hopes, grief and anxieties of the people of this age, especially the poor or those in any way neglected, those are the joys, hopes, grief, and anxieties of the followers of Christ. -- Church in the Modern World, Vatican II
Gabriel Richard Catholic High strives to live this Christian call and over the years has provided numerous service outreach opportunities for our students. We now formalize our commitment to Christian service by asking our students to engage in 6 hours of service each semester, beginning with second semester freshman year. This graduation requirement begins with the class of 2010.
We recognize that Christian service has two aspects: charity, which attends to immediate needs, such as providing food or shelter; and justice, which attempts to repair underlying causes of the problem, such as writing to legislature to enact laws that bring a more just situation into being. Our bishops have said in their document Justice in the World:
Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world appears to us to be a constitutive element of the preaching of the gospel.
Thus, students may earn service hours by engaging in either acts of charity or acts which promote justice.
Requirements
Six hours of service per semester are required for graduation, beginning with second semester freshman year. (Realizing that freshmen might need time to adjust to high school and its academic and social challenges, service is not required first semester freshman year.) . Service must be completed and validated at least two weeks before each semester's end. A total of 42 hours over the course of the 4 years are needed for graduation. At least 20 of these 42 hours must be direct service to the needy or working for justice. Direct service to the needy would include working with the elderly, the mentally or physically challenged, refugees, the homeless or hungry. Working for justice would include work with Lifespan, or writing to legislators to encourage more just systems around poverty issues, or writing on behalf of prisoners of conscience or on behalf of endangered species.
Service must be pre-approved and post-verified on the Ministry Approval and Verification form. This form, plus a ministry reflection sheet, must be submitted within 1 week after completion of service.
A directory of possible outreach projects is provided and many service opportunities, such as those listed below, are provided through our Campus Ministry Department. Students, however, are not limited to those listed in the directory or offered through school.
Summer service will be counted toward the next fall semester's requirement. A Ministry Approval and Verification Form must be submitted for pre-approval by June 1, and resubmitted by September 1 with the service site's contact person's signature and number of hours served.
SAMPLING OF SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES PROVIDED THROUGH CAMPUS MINISTRY
- ADOPT-A-GRANDPARENT Students choose a resident at Rivergate Convalescent Center whom they visit weekly.
- CIRCLE OF SERVICE Students assist elderly with yard or household chores.
- SNOW ANGELS Students assist elderly with snow shoveling.
- MAPLEGROVE CHILDREN'S DAY CAMP Students work with children whose lives have been impacted by chemical dependency, mental illness or family stresses.
- ANGEL TREE CHRISTMAS PARTY Students assist at St. Elizabeth's Christmas party for youth whose parents are incarcerated.
- VIP SOCCER Students buddy up with challenged youth who learn to play soccer.
- RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Students teach or assist in religious education classes in nearby parishes.
- FREEDOM HOUSE Students spend a day at Freedom House, a refugee shelter in Detroit, where they share with people fleeing persecution and seeking asylum.
- OUTREACH TO THE PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY CHALLENGED Students interact with the challenged adults through Downriver ARC's program of bowling, basketball, swimming and dances.
- SOUP KITCHEN Students serve meals to the hungry at soup kitchens in Detroit.
- CARE Through lunch-hour bake sales, students raise funds to educate youth in our sister village in Morazon, El Salvador.
- HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Students assist with painting, construction, and yard work at a Habitat for Humanity site.
- AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Students write letters monthly on behalf of prisoners of conscience throughout the world.
- CROP WALK Students participate in the annual Downriver CROP Walk to raise funds to help alleviate hunger at home and promote development overseas.
- BETHANY MISSION IN APPALACHIA Students spend a week at Bethany Mission in Pennsylvania, living simply, sharing in prayer and community, and reaching out to the elderly or those in economic need.
- CHILDREN'S HALLOWEEN PARTY Students assist at Oakwood hospital's Halloween party for former pediatric patients.
- EARTH'S FRIENDS Students help earth by recycling paper.
