"Cardinals for Others"

Our Christian Service Program for St. Michael Students

There’s a story of a Cathedral in France that was bombed during World War II, destroying most of the Church. However,  in one corner of the Church stood a statue of Jesus, mostly in tact, except that his outstretched hands had been blown off by the bombing. A soldier, after praying before this statue, took out a piece of paper, wrote on it and laid it at the feet of Jesus. What he wrote became a great comfort to the people of that Cathedral and rallying point for visitors. It said simply, “Now my only hands are yours.”

We are excited to begin our "Cardinals for Others' program this year! Here are the details: 

• Sophomores, juniors and seniors are asked to do 20 hours of service, total. Freshmen are asked to do 10 hours. 

• Students have choice over service to school, service to Church, or service to an outside agency of their choice.

• Any combination of hours of service to school, Catholic parish or outside agency will count to the ten or twenty hour requirement. If families are concerned about sending their children to outside agencies, they could elect to have them do the entirety of their service with the school.

• Confirmation of service to school or Catholic parishes will be through the “Volunteer-Get Connected, Galaxy Digital” app that all students have been given. 

• For service to other Churches or outside agencies, students are asked to complete a verification form and have those hours confirmed by parents (see form below)  Please complete a form each time service is given rather than over a period of time. These forms are available on line below or in the office. 

• Once a completed “outside service” is form is given to our program director, those hours will be added to each child’s Galaxy account. In this way, students will have an up to date record of their service hours (and may use their account to print out for future resumes or college applications). 

• The school is not scheduling the service work with outside agencies That is an arrangement between the student and the agency with the approval of the family. However, service to a family member or an extended family member (for example, baby-sitting or visiting a relative) doesn't count.  

• Seniors must complete their twenty hour requirement by the end of the third quarter. All others must completed their requirements by May 15, 2022. 

• Twenty percent of the 4th quarter grade in students’ theology classes will be an “A” if the student meets this deadline. Students missing the deadline will be given a grade of “I” until the service is completed, but the grade will be negatively impacted, depending on how much longer it takes the student to complete. Please note—an “I means that a student will not receive credit in theology, a core class,  until the service is completed.