Christian Service

Bishop O'Connell aims to cultivate in our students a lifelong habit of serving and giving to others.

To serve as Christians, we follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ in the Gospels, where He served & encountered others, in particular the poor, vulnerable and marginalized.

Bishop O'Connell students are expected to perform a minimum of 10 hours of service like Christ each school year. To imitate Him through our work, the guidelines for qualifying Christian Service hours at Bishop O'Connell focus on the Corporal Works of Mercy, which are given to us by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.

Annual Christian Service at Bishop O'Connell

10 hours each year: All students are expected to perform 10 hours of corporal works of mercy each school year. See Guidelines below for detail.
- Visit our Opportunities page to explore events and organizations that offer qualifying Christian Service.
- Upperclassmen requirement: At least half of juniors' and seniors' 10 hours must be in direct service of someone in need. This requirement is more than working in person, but rather working with/for the person benefitting from the service.
  - Example: stocking shelves of a food pantry is indirect service. Serving or delivering food to the recipient is direct service.
MobileServe: Students log their service using MobileServe, a third-party platform to track & verify service hours.
- Accounts are linked to students' school email addresses. To log in, use the Google option (no email/password).
- Logs on MobileServe must be verified by an unrelated adult supervisor to earn credit.
Log promptly: Students should log their service promptly. This gives the supervisor timely notice to verify the hours. This also allows Campus Ministry enough time to work with students if there is an issue.
Reflection: Students complete a final reflection based on the Gospel to close out their annual requirement. The reflection can be completed before receiving MobileServe approval.
- Freshmen & Sophomores submit a written reflection via Canvas.
- Juniors will participate in a facilitated discussion during class in the spring semester.
- Seniors schedule an interview with Campus Ministry to reflect on their experience of service over the years.
Christian Service over the summer can count toward the next school year. Time must be spent performing corporal works of mercy (see Guidelines).

More Information

Christian Service Guidelines

To serve like Jesus, our guidelines for qualifying Christian Service are the Corporal Works of Mercy, which we find in the Gospel of Matthew (25:35-36).

Bishop O'Connell students are welcome to volunteer in other ways and are encouraged to become active members in our community. The guidelines should not prevent students from participating in other activities. However, volunteer activities which are not corporal works of mercy will not be accepted as Christian Service, regardless of location.

What qualifies as Christian Service?

Activities that qualify as Christian Service
Activities that do not qualify

Activities that qualify as Christian Service

Activities that perform a corporal work of mercy can qualify as Christian Service.

The Corporal Works of Mercy include:

feed the hungry / give drink to the thirsty
clothe the naked
shelter the homeless / welcome the stranger
care for the sick / comfort the afflicted
visit the imprisoned
bury the dead
pass on the faith (e.g. Vacation Bible School, religious education assistant)

Activities that do not qualify

Christian Service must be a corporal work of mercy for the benefit of a person in need who is unrelated to the student.

The following activities do not qualify as Christian Service:

Work at or for fundraisers does not qualify as Christian Service, even for a charitable cause.
Environmental work and animal care does not qualify.
Helping family members does not qualify, as this is a normal part of being a family. Service with family that performs a corporal work of mercy can qualify.
Christian Service hours cannot be performed/earned at Bishop O'Connell. The goal of Christian Service is to serve others, rather than ourselves.
- This means extracurriculars, bake sales or other club activities will not qualify.
- Exceptions: Peer Mentoring 1016 always qualifies as Christian Service. Service projects planned with Campus Ministry can qualify.
Doing a job without pay does not qualify as Christian Service.
Volunteering free time or participating in an extracurricular activity which does not perform a corporal work of mercy does not qualify as Christian Service.

For Parents

For Service Supervisors

Our students use MobileServe to track their service hours. MobileServe also collects verification from supervisors to confirm that the hours claimed are accurate. To obtain verification, our students will ask for your email address.

If you receive a message from Team MobileServe with the subject "MobileServe Volunteer Verification," this is a valid email! Please do not delete or mark it as junk.

If you are listed as a supervisor, you will receive one email containing a single link from which you can review all pending logs. You will only receive one email for pending logs, even if you are listed as the supervisor for several logs. This should help avoid the spam folder. However, you might receive occasional reminder emails until the logs pending are verified/rejected.

The link you receive is unique to your email address, not to the student's log. If you have received emails in the past, the same link will show you any pending logs. If the link does not display any pending logs, then there is nothing waiting for your verification.

If you are expecting an email from Team MobileServe, but have not received it, please check your spam folder. If you have any issues, please contact service@bishopoconnell.org.

For Incoming Students

Summer Christian Service

Christian Service performed over the summer can apply* toward next school year's requirement! Current students should use MobileServe to continue tracking their Christian Service. Incoming students can use the offline log until their accounts are ready (late summer).
*Students who finish the 2024-25 school year without completing their annual requirement must complete Christian Service over the summer before beginning the next school year.

Resolving Incomplete Christian Service for 2024-2025
Christian Service for 2025-2026

Resolving Incomplete Christian Service for 2024-2025

Students who did not complete the annual Christian Service requirement by the end of the 2024-2025 school year must resolve outstanding issues before beginning the new school year. These students have access to resources & assignments via Canvas throughout the summer on the Christian Service - SU25 course. Review the instructions and complete all tasks as soon as possible.

Christian Service for 2025-2026

Students can start their Christian Service for the new school year over the summer. To qualify for Christian Service credit, service hours must be a corporal work of mercy. All hours must be verified by an unrelated adult supervisor from the service site before hours will be approved by Bishop O'Connell for credit. Summer Christian Service must be logged no later than September 15.

Students can continue to log Christian Service hours using their DJO-linked MobileServe account. Incoming students who do not have an account yet can track their service using the offline Christian Service log.

Do you have an opportunity for our students?

We are always in need of opportunities for our students. Please email service@bishopoconnell.org to provide information about your event & your need. Thank you for considering Bishop O'Connell!

Christian Service Coordinator

Miss Katie Hofer

service@bishopoconnell.org
703-538-3307