Service Opportunities

The ESL program offers English classes on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The program has six different levels ranging from Introductory to Advanced Conversation. All our teachers are volunteers.

Volunteer Responsibilities: teach twice a week (or once a week if team-teaching) on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

Commitment: One year (from September through May).

Requirements: Previous teaching experience is not required. Training and instruction materials will be provided.

If you are interested in serving through this ministry, please fill out our Volunteer Application Form or  contact the Social Services Volunteer Coordinator.

Volunteers can help mentor children at one of the following Spring Branch ISD campuses: Nottingham Elementary and Northbrook Middle School.

Volunteer Responsibilities: Mentors do not tutor the students, but rather, they are meant to be positive adult role models and a friend to a child “on the brink of success.” They usually meet with the student at his or her school during the student’s lunch hour.

Commitment: Once weekly during the school year, for about 45 minutes each time.

Requirements: A SBISD application must also be submitted each year for every volunteer and includes a criminal background check and a volunteer approval check in the SBISD Raptor system. Once approved, new mentors will need to attend a 1.5-hour Mentor Training session.

If you are interested in serving through this ministry, please fill out our Volunteer Application Form or contact the Social Services Volunteer Coordinator.

Under the direction and guidance of the Archdiocese, Respect Life Advocates raise awareness and advocate for the sanctity of life from conception to natural death. Volunteers seek to raise awareness through events and activities throughout the year. Volunteers stand together at various events to pray, united in love to witness and build a culture that honors the life and dignity of every human person.

Volunteer Responsibilities: Varies, but may include participation in various ways through one or more of the following group events and activities:

• Help organize and participate in the Blessing of the Crosses and Rosary for Life in January and praying a Novena for Life to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in October (Respect Life Month). 
• Organize new activities that offer service opportunities that benefit people in vulnerable situations, such as children in foster care, the sick, the homeless, the mentally ill, the elderly, pregnant and parenting women and families, and immigrants, among others.
• Help organize special presentations on issues such as bioethics, care for the elderly and mentally ill, navigating end-of-life care, guidelines for celebrating Catholic funerals, euthanasia, etc.
• Support the Archdiocese’s Office of Pro-Life Activities’ events, retreats and ministries, such as St. Joseph Foster Care and Adoption Ministry, Jerome’s Hope, Rachel’s Vineyard, etc.

Commitment: Flexible.

Requirements: None.

If you are interested in serving through this ministry, please fill out our Volunteer Application Form or  contact the Social Services Volunteer Coordinator.

This pro-life, pastoral ministry supports mothers faced with a difficult or crisis pregnancy. Volunteer Angels provide spiritual support and Christian witness to mothers in need, as well as practical advice and help.

Volunteer Responsibilities: There are 3 different ways to help:

1. Trained “Angels” share their gift of love to support another woman and accompany her through her pregnancy with love, friendship, and emotional support. They also work with SJV Assistance Ministries volunteers to help locate needed community resources.
2. Layette Makers organize and inventory baby supplies and prepare baskets of baby items for newborns.
3. Phone Volunteers support moms in need by answering calls from pregnant mothers.

Commitment: For Angels, it is flexible, depending on the timing of the assignment and the mother’s due date, but usually once weekly or alternating weeks throughout the pregnancy. For Layette Makers, it is flexible. For Phone Volunteers, the commitment is 4 continuous hours per week on a weekday (Monday through Friday) and can be done from home.

Requirements:

• Angels receive training or coaching from the GP Coordinator. 
• Phone Volunteers receive training and coaching from the Archdiocese and require familiarity with email and Google Maps.
• For all, this is a spiritual commitment requiring prayer time, living a life of faith, and being in good standing with the Church and its teachings.

If you are interested in serving as an Angel or Layette Maker, please fill out our Volunteer Application Form or contact the Social Services Volunteer Coordinator. Phone Volunteers should contact Cathy McConn, GP Archdiocesan Coordinator to arrange training through the Archdiocese.

The Gathering Place is a joyful, welcoming ministry that offers a safe and stimulating environment for those experiencing memory loss or dementia due to Alzheimer’s, stroke, or other form of cognitive challenges. It meets the third Friday of each month from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm in the Activity Center Dining Room.

The Gathering Place is a partnership between SJV and CarePartners Texas.

Common Ground is a free caregiver support program held at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in partnership with CarePartners Texas.  Common Ground meets simultaneously with the Gathering Place to offer caregivers emotional support, encouragement and self-care tips.

Volunteer Responsibilities: Each volunteer is assigned to one participant per meeting and is responsible for helping with the scheduled activities for the day.  

Commitment: Flexible.

Requirements:

• Complete the CarePartners Texas training, which consists of two videos.
• Shadow a team member during a Gathering Place event.

If you are interested in serving through this ministry, please fill out our Volunteer Application Form or contact the Social Services Volunteer Coordinator.

The Service Missions to Eagle Pass focus on home repairs for the elderly or handicapped poor, home visits of the poor and homebound, community outreach and evangelization, and mission spirituality. Lodging for the team is provided at a Benedictine House run by Sister Ursula Herrera. SJV offers two Service Mission Trips for adults, one in the Fall and one in the Spring.

The team also works on ad-hoc local projects throughout the year. These projects usually last a few days, so the time commitment is more flexible.

Volunteer Responsibilities: Team members are expected to help with construction activities or home visits, trip logistics and work performed by other missions in the area.

Commitment: 3 to 7 days per mission trip.

Requirements: A signed release. Construction experience is not required. Spanish is not required but is welcomed for those doing home visits.

If you are interested in serving through this ministry, please fill out our Volunteer Application Form or contact the Social Services Volunteer Coordinator.

SJV partners with Habitat for Humanity Northwest Harris County (HFHNWHC) to help families in need to build a new home. SJV provides funds to pay for construction materials and volunteers to build the homes.  

Volunteer Responsibilities: Participate in the construction activities required for the construction of the new house. The volunteers will meet on Saturday morning from 8:00 am-2:00 pm.

Commitment: One Saturday build date as available. To view available Build Days and to sign up to volunteer with the SJV Habitat Team, click here.

Requirements: Two signed releases, one from SJV and one from HFH. Volunteers must be 16 or older to participate. If a minor, they should be accompanied by an adult. Construction experience is not required.

If you are interested in serving through this ministry, please fill out our Volunteer Application Form or contact the Social Services Volunteer Coordinator.

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The Disaster Relief Ministry helps SJV parishioners and others in our community affected by disasters such as weather-related events or individual home disasters, such as a house fire.

The team works on an as-needed, on-call basis on local projects throughout the year. These projects usually last a few days at most, and the time commitment is flexible and often depends on availability of volunteers.

Volunteer Responsibilities: The Disaster Relief Ministry has two sub teams that embody the Works of Mercy: 

Corporal (physical) sub-team helps with manual labor or construction activities (such as demolition work, mucking, and gutting after floods).

Spiritual (compassionate care) sub-team assists survivors by:

• Connecting them with social support networks and community resources
• Supporting them emotionally through the experience
• Helping them cope with the disaster through practical assistance, such as identifying and addressing immediate needs of the survivors and ways to meet those needs

Commitment: Flexible. Volunteers will be placed on an “on-call” list for disasters as the need arises. They will be contacted only when an emergency or disaster is anticipated or has happened.

Requirements: A signed release form and will be provided when needed. Construction experience is not required.

If you are interested in serving through this ministry, please fill out our Volunteer Application Form or contact the Social Services Volunteer Coordinator.

The year-round Community Garden provides fruits and vegetables to Magnificat House and to local pantries in the community.

Volunteer Responsibilities: Help with all garden activities including plating seeds, weeding, collecting the harvest and other maintenance-related projects. The main team meets Mondays through Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM but volunteers can come and work in the garden at any time.

Commitment: None.

Requirements: Previous gardening experience is not required.

If you are interested in serving through this ministry, please fill out our Volunteer Application Form or contact the Social Services Volunteer Coordinator.

Social Services has teamed up with the Ballard House to provide a monthly dinner to their guests on the fourth Monday of every month.

The Ballard House provides year-round temporary housing at no cost to more than 2,300 patients and their families each year. The Ballard House is partnered with Houston’s world-renowned hospitals, providing comfortable accommodations for patients traveling to the Houston area from across the US and beyond. Guests usually have chronic medical problems, such as cancer or other grave diseases. The Ballard House is a beautiful facility where they can stay and encounter the love of Christ when far from home.

SJV parishioners can help make a difference by donating their time and providing a meal for the guests.  In addition to serving them with warm food, you can also be Christ’s hands, feet and face to them through kind words and loving smiles.  The Ballard House is located at 21421 Cinco Park.  Katy, TX 77450.

If you are interested in serving through this ministry, please fill out our Volunteer Application Form or contact the Social Services Volunteer Coordinator.

Casa Juan Diego is a Catholic Worker community committed to serving immigrants, refugees and the poor. The original House of Hospitality for immigrants was founded in 1980. Today, the Houston Catholic Worker community manages 9 houses throughout the Houston area to meet the many different needs.

Volunteer Responsibilities: Assist the staff with different tasks and needs of the house such as making food bags for distribution, preparing hospitality kits, bagging food items, or organizing an activity for the children and/or the women in the house.

This can be a rewarding service opportunity for adults or families with children in middle school or high school!

Commitment: Flexible, according to the individual dates you choose. Each event requires about 3 hours on a Saturday morning, including the drive time from and back to St. John Vianney.

Requirements: Parents must stay with their children at all times if they are younger than 16 years of age.

Casa Juan Diego is located at 4818 Rose St, Houston, TX  77007.

To review available slots and to sign up, please click here.

We show our community SJV’s care and support for our neighbors through a day of service and community beautification.  

If you are interested in participating with us in November, please call 281.752.2400 or contact the Social Services Volunteer Coordinator.

Walking with Moms in Need is a nationwide, parish-based initiative to increase support for pregnant and parenting mothers in need. It works to ensure that any woman who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, or parenting in difficult circumstances, can turn to her local Catholic Church and be connected with the resources she needs. Volunteers walk with moms throughout the motherhood journey, offering them authentic Christian friendship and ongoing support.

• Class Lead – share your knowledge on a topic
• WWMIN Advocate – offer a personal connection
• Meeting Support – provide snacks and other items
• Prayer Partner – pray for the families; receive a monthly newsletter.

For more information, please click here. 

If you are interested in serving through this ministry, please fill out our Volunteer Application Form or contact the Social Services Volunteer Coordinator.

SJV is a member of MAM’s Congregational Council.  SJV supports MAM by providing financial support and volunteers.  MAM has a variety of volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups of all ages. Volunteer opportunities are available during the daytime, evening, and on weekends. Volunteers are needed for the following MAM Programs:

• Employment Services—Job Coach, Computer Literacy, Employment Program Course Instructors, Employment Mentors
• Emergency Assistance—Interviewers, Data Entry, Answer Phones
• Resale Shop—Assist Customers, Sort & Price Donations, etc.
• ESL —Lead Instructors, Assistants, Tutors

For more information about volunteering with MAM, please contact Pam, Volunteer Coordinator, at 713-574-7540 or pshirk@mamhouston.org. Please tell her that SJV sent you. The commitment time varies.

Just as no one lives forever, neither does anyone drive forever, shop forever, or change light bulbs forever. Senior Rides & More provides direct one-on-one assistance to the frail and elderly within our southwest Houston area community.  Senior Rides & More provides volunteer transportation assistance to medical appointments, grocery shopping, and religious services, as well as minor home repairs, and friendly phone calls.

SJV partners with Senior Rides & More by providing volunteers.

To volunteer, please contact their office at 713-772-8181 or info@vic-sw.org. Please tell them that SJV sent you. The commitment is flexible.

Assist Social Services in translating the weekly St. John Vianney bulletin from English to Spanish. The commitment is flexible.  Please fill out the Volunteer Application Form or contact the Social Services Volunteer Coordinator.

For those with experience in Information/Communications Technology, your help is needed to assist with the management, development, and publication of educational and promotional material on our website, through our electronic newsletter and other publications. Additionally, if you like to write and are interested in sharing reflections or reviews related to our Church’s Social Doctrine or the Works of Mercy, we are also looking for experienced writers.  The commitment is flexible.  If you are interested in serving through this ministry, please fill out our Volunteer Application Form or contact the Social Services Volunteer Coordinator.

Parishioners with flexibility in their schedule who would like to be contacted for periodically working on other miscellaneous volunteer projects at the church can ask to be placed on the “On-Call Volunteers” list.  There is no commitment; these volunteers will receive a phone call or email if an opportunity arises and will make a decision at an appropriate time. If you are interested in serving through this ministry, please fill out our Volunteer Application Form or contact the Social Services Volunteer Coordinator.