Christian Service

The Christian service program at Bishop O'Connell offers coordinated, varied, and challenging opportunities for students to live out the values of compassion and service to those in need, and respect for others and for creation. Christian service is key to who we are as Catholics in community, Through this program, we learn to be leaders who are responsive to others’ needs throughout our lifetime, and this, like any habit, we learn through practice.

This program is an integral part of the graduation requirement, and part of the promotion requirement for underclassmen/women.

What's NEW for 2010

Report submissions will be only through the school website with a username and password that will be given to you. All the forms are in www.bishopoconnell.org/christianservice under Forms and Examples.

The proposal (in two parts), log, and reflection can only be sent as web forms. The Supervisor's Feedback continues as pdf or Microsoft Word files or printed out as hard copy. The Log is made available as a  pdf file for note taking only and not for submission. Log data would need to be sent through the web also.

Receipt acknowledgements will be sent automatically for proposal summary, proposal activity, and reflection forms, not for the log.  Each log submission is now  for one service session, i.e., for one row of the previous form.

Description of our service program

There is no  grade-specific theme requirement. Instead, within the following framework as explained below, the choice of breadth/depth of experience, timing, and types of activities, is entrusted to the parents together with the student. The hope is that the student, together with his/her parents or guardians, would find activities that fulfill a real need in the community, be challenging, and correlate with increasing maturity (see choosing activities).

Imagine an appetizer tray with four compartments, three around the outside (for different kinds of vegetables), and one compartment in the middle (for dip).

At graduation, a student at O'Connell is expected to have "filled" the four compartments with service.

Each year, a student's tray would include activities in one or more compartments. That is, the annual service plan or proposal would show sufficient quality and quantity to reach the program goal of developing leaders in service to others especially those who are suffering.

The outer compartments represent the three types of service:

- Direct service: face-to-face interaction with someone in need
- Indirect service: supportive, behind-the-scenes service with minimal if any interaction
- Advocacy or work for change: support for a cause, speaking for/with others in need to improve their condition.

The compartment in the middle (the dip) represents the idea of working with a nonprofit organization or agency whose mission relates to social justice, peace, or care for creation. Any of the above three types of service could be performed with such an organization.

The activities (the vegetables in the analogy) are based on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy and Catholic social teaching (see also Examples of Activities):

A. Service with children
B. Service with the elderly
C. Service with the disabled (mentally or physically)
D. Service with the economically disadvantaged, immigrants, marginalized
E. Service with the sick
F. Care for Creation
G. Parish service outreach
H. Collection/fundraising for persons in need or life-threatening illnesses
I. Human rights, peace
J. Extraordinary service to family (appropriate for Freshmen)
K. Service to O'Connell at special events that benefit the school as a whole

The student is expected to submit a proposal at the start of each school year detailing the service commitment for each entity, organization, or individual with whom the student will work. The plan needs to be approved by the Christian Service Coordinator or designated faculty and staff for the activities to count towards the requirement.  Other reports are due in succeeding quarters.

New service opportunities are posted on the bulletin board outside the Service office next to the bookstore or announced in the Daily Bulletin. For questions about a particular opportunity, contact the agency directly or Dr. Sensenig.

For more information about the program, please contact

Dr. Trina Sensenig
Christian Service Coordinator
Bishop O'Connell High School
6600 Little Falls Road
Arlington VA 22213-1211
703.237.1400 x307
tsensenig@bishopoconnell.org