Service Requirements

Central Catholic Freshmen will complete the following:

First Semester

• Seven (7) Hours in the area of engagement: health, education, & faith formation.
• Three (3) Hours of solidarity work/awareness-raising.

Second Semester

• Seven (7) Hours in the area of engagement: environmental stewardship.
• Six (6) hours of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Liberation.* 
• Three (3) Hours of solidarity work/awareness-raising.
• Service reflection in theology class.

Each Freshman will be introduced to the service program at the start of their year. This introduction will cover the areas of engagement and how they can work toward completing their service each year leading toward graduation.

The first semester they will get a chance to dive into service through the area of engagement of health, education, & faith formation. This area provides low barrier service like Catholic Youth Organizations & other forms of coaching, altar serving, tutoring at their middle school, Special Olympics, service of presence with the sick and elderly, etc.

The second semester students will build on their developing excitement for service by serving in the area of engagement of Environmental Stewardship. This will get our freshmen out in God’s Creation finding their path in service to the environment.

Each semester, students will engage in three hours of solidarity work/awareness-raising. This can take several forms. It can be going to and then reflecting upon a community engagement activity like a social justice march or fair; a cultural or religious event outside of their own tradition; or watching a documentary about a social-justice issue. Ideally the solidarity/awareness-raising work will relate to the service they do that semester (though it does not have to).

Central State of Mind

*Six (6) hours of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Liberation will be earned through attending Central State of Mind each year. If a student is unable to participate in Central State of Mind, those hours will have to be earned outside of school hours.

• Seven (7) hours in the area of engagement: houselessness and hunger
• Three (3) hours of solidarity work/awareness-raising
• Service reflection in their theology class

• Seven (7) Hours in the area of engagement: diversity, equity, inclusion, and liberation
• Attend Central State of Mind*
• Three (3) hours of solidarity work/awareness-raising
• Service reflection in theology class

Central Catholic Juniors and Seniors will complete the following:

• A service proposal and plan of action.
• Thirty-hours (30) of direct service to one agency (completed by the end of first semester senior year).
• A service journal related to their 30 hour service placement.
• Ten (10) hours of social justice work (2nd semester senior year).
• Twelve (12) hours of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Liberation* 
• A Senior Service Paper during second semester senior year.

At the start of Junior Year students will explore agencies that they will want to serve at for 30 hours. After reaching out to agencies and discerning their service options, students must submit a proposal and a plan of action that will detail their process for engaging in service from the start of Junior year to the end of first semester Senior Year.  Over this time period each Central Catholic student will complete service and reflect on their experience through a guided journal.  

Then during their second semester Social Justice course, students will be asked to complete 10 hours of justice related service.  This can include but is not limited to: advocacy work, letter writing campaigns, working with community organizing groups, & community education programming.  Service this semester will be in conjunction with students’ Social Justice theology class.

The students will culminate their service at Central Catholic with a Senior Service paper. This paper will provide students with the opportunity to reflect beyond the name of the organizations with which they partnered and the specific things they did when serving and invites students to explore how their service experiences of past and present have shifted who they are and their worldview. This essay is a required component of the second semester Christian Service grade and is worth 20% of students’ theology grade that semester.

Central State of Mind

*Six additional hours of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Liberation will be earned through attending Central State of Mind each year.  If a student is unable to participate in the Central State of Mind, those hours will have to be earned through other opportunities students will need to find for themselves in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, & liberation.  The hours earned during the Central State of Mind are hours above and beyond the minimum standards.  This means that by the end of sophomore year students will have earned a minimum of 13 total hours in the area of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Liberation.

What is direct service?

Direct service is working first hand with people.  This is an opportunity to engage with the people who benefit directly from the service you offer to the agency.  Direct service does not include office tasks, working on a computer, 

Who are vulnerable and/or marginalized populations?

Vulnerable and/or marginalized populations are groups that experience the highest levels of socioeconomic exclusion. Groups that can fall into these categories include: women, elderly, people experiencing houselessness, people with disabilities, members of BIPOC communities, refugees, and migrants.