Service
Service is part of the fabric of Bishop Fenwick High School. The Catholic Christian nature of the school invites students to live out Jesus’ teachings through words and actions. Service is one of the foundational principles at Fenwick and is in fact one of the four Talons that is consistently taught. The hope is that through the service program, students will become more others-centered, deepen their faith in God, and become transformed by their encounters with the most vulnerable members of our community. Students are also encouraged to become life-long contributors to the good of individuals and society.
Fenwick Christian Service Program Overview
“Our love should not just be words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.” 1 John 3:18
Service Hours
Fenwick students are required to do a minimum of 10 hours of service per semester, but many go above and beyond that requirement. Service hours are recorded and verified through X2VOL, an online service tracking program, which allows students to create and maintain a service profile. Students also engage in a critical reflection component each semester that helps to process their experiences and connect their service work with the teachings of our faith.
To expose our students to a wide range of service experiences, students complete what are known as GOLD and RED hours. Gold hours are loosely based on the Corporal Works of Mercy, and involve direct service with the most vulnerable members of our society – those who are poor, sick, young, elderly, disabled, etc. Red hours involve volunteering at church, school, or community events, or helping others indirectly at other non-profit organizations. A minimum of 5 of the 10 required hours of service per semester must be gold. The rest may be either red or gold hours. Please go to our FAQs and Gold and Red Service Ideas pages for more details.
Other Service Opportunities
Magnified Giving Program: The Magnified Giving Program is a philanthropy program that students engage in during their senior religion classes. This program educates, inspires, and engages students in philanthropy as they research social justice issues and the agencies that help. For more information on the program, please click here.
Shantytown: An overnight, retreat-like experience in October that brings awareness and new insight to the issue of poverty and homelessness in our area. Through various activities that challenge and broaden students’ perspectives – culminating in sleeping outside in a cardboard box – Shantytown sheds new light on the reality of homelessness and fosters compassion and empathy for people who experience it.
More Schoolwide Service Opportunities:
- Faith Flock Service Projects – every Thursday, students are offered opportunities to engage in various service projects, in collaboration with local charities, to help those in need in our community
- Falcon Go Days – during select times of the year, students meet up as a small group and go out together to serve those in need with organizations like Hope House Mission, Broken Bus Ministries, and Bickford Senior Living
- Canned Food Drive
- Toy Drive in December
- KEY Club Fundraising events and service projects throughout the year
Summer Mission Trip 2024:
Join us for a Service-Learning Trip June 1–5 to Campton, Kentucky. This trip will be full of outdoor adventure and learning! It is designed to provide students with a deeper understanding of how the dignity of the individual aligns with our call to care for creation and be responsible stewards of what we have been given. While reading excerpts of Pope Francis’ Ladato Si’, we will learn about the impact coal mining has had on the environment, the economy, and the health of the people in the Appalachian region. We will be hosted by the Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd and will be serving and learning from their community along the way. The trip is estimated to cost about $275 per student. This price includes all lodging, food, transportation, and activities. Students are encouraged to apply here. Ten students will be selected.
“Serving is the way that mission is carried out, the only way to be a disciple of Jesus.” – Pope Francis