Volunteer Information

Volunteers are the backbone of our PREP Program. If we had no volunteers, we would have no Religious Education Program. We count on the faith and dedication of our Catechists, Catechist Assistants and all those who make possible our program a success. Please see below for the many opportunities available. You do not have to have a child in PREP in order to volunteer!

What is a Catechist?

• A Catechist is an ordinary person who is extraordinary because he or she teaches as Jesus did.
• A Catechist is a sign of Christian hope in a world turned in on itself.
• A Catechist is an expression of the mission entrusted by Jesus to God?s People.
• A Catechist is the "good news" in flesh and blood in today's humanity.
• A Catechist is proof that someone is still wise enough to care about all the most important things in life.
• A Catechist is faithful to the past, open to the future, but especially dedicated to deepening the faith of the present generation.
• A Catechist is the Bible and the Church in human form.
• A Catechist is St. Paul in modern disguise.
• A Catechist is the gem who makes it possible for priests, sisters and religious education coordinators to sleep a bit better at night.
• A Catechist is the backbone of the Mystical Body of Christ and the guarantee that the Bible will be printed tomorrow.
• A Catechist is the person who makes Christ come alive to the child who never hears of Him at home.
• A Catechist is the busiest person in the parish, who somehow finds time to do those important things which everyone else is too busy to do.
• A Catechist is faith, hope and love attached to arms and legs, aches and pains, family duties and not enough time.
• A Catechist is a person with no time for himself or herself, who finds enough time for other people?s children who need to hear about Jesus.

Please look over this list of volunteer opportunities and consider offering your gifts. Contact Sr. Jeanne Landry in the PREP office at 847.945.0581 for more information or to offer yourself to this rewarding ministry! Catechists are needed every year at all grade levels. Training and lesson planning are offered. Each grade level offers a different learning experience for the adult catechist. Catechist Assistants are needed for grades Preschool through 6th Grade to help in the classroom with materials, and also assist students who may need individual attention. Substitutes are needed on all grade levels to fill in for Catechists who cannot be there to teach. Lesson plans and materials are provided. Hospitality involves helping to serve refreshments after PREP events, including Family Liturgies, Christmas Pageant, Potlucks, and Sacrament Receptions. Special Events involves helping with the Christmas Pageant. Office Help is needed on Sunday morning, Tuesday After School and Tuesday Evening. Duties include checking the attendance folders, answering the phone and photocopying. Babysitting is needed during the Tuesday After School PREP Sessions for our Catechists' young children. Liturgy of the Word for Children leaders are needed on Sunday mornings at the 8:30 Liturgy of the Word for Children. Training is offered to new volunteers.