Service Opportunities

Following the death of a loved one, this group of compassionate volunteers extends care and the concern of the parish community to the grieving family. This care includes praying for the family, contacting them via telephone, notes, or visits, and inviting them to the annual memorial Eucharist held in November. In addition, St. Anthony Parish provides an ongoing “Grief Support Group” for parish members as well as the community who have lost a loved one through death.

No matter the age, it is always fun to receive a birthday card in the mail! Join us in celebrating the birthdays of our parishioners that are 80 years of age or older. Volunteers spend time each month writing greeting cards to our parishioners to help them celebrate these worthy milestones!

Are you capable of lending an extra hand? This group of men and women lend a helping hand as needed to take care of various odd jobs and small to big projects. They also keep the grounds looking their best and communicate problems or issues with the parish office. Requirements: a good sense of humor and willingness to improve the St. Anthony church and school grounds.

The mission of Catholic Charities is to extend to all the healing and empowering presence of Jesus. This mission is enfleshed in the work and dedication of the staff and volunteers of Catholic Charities on a daily basis. Our call is to serve all those in need. Compassion is indiscriminate. The call is heard not only by our highly skilled staff, but also by the many volunteers, advisory board members, and donors in our local communities. The Mission cannot be fully served without the critical contributions of every one of our devoted individuals. If you would like to make a difference as a volunteer or donor, contact our Effingham Catholic Charities to learn more.

Our Cemetery Committee pays respect to our dearly departed through the attention they give to cemetery grounds. This group is responsible for assigning and preparing plots for burial. They also ensure burials are properly registered with the Diocese of Springfield. In addition, this group takes good care of the cemetery with regular mowing, trimming, and maintenance of the grounds.

St. Anthony Parish invites all parishioners to participate in the ministry of cleaning our church. On Saturday mornings, our church families maintain the cleanliness of our church without most of us even knowing it happens. The schedule places families on an approximate three-year rotation. Families are invited to help out every weekend for their assigned month. Bring the whole family! It is easy work and a rewarding ministry! Monthly assignments are listed in the parish bulletin.

As long as parishioners continue to support St. Anthony Parish through their generosity, St. Anthony will continue to need Collection Counters. Counting occurs after 9:15 Mass on Sunday mornings. Become one of the select few that helps maintain the integrity of accounting for the offering. Teams are scheduled on a rotation and generally assigned a specific Sunday every month.

The Corvette Raffle has been in place since 1998 and continues to be a key fundraiser for St. Anthony schools. Our Corvette Raffle Committee is broken into two teams. Our planning committee develops and oversees the raffle each year. This team determines the model and features of the Corvette. They work with the car dealership to plan the logistics of delivery. They also communicate with Mid-America Motorworks to participate in FunFest Weekend to sell tickets and hold the raffle drawing. If you’re a car enthusiast or “gear head”, this is the team for you! Our order entry team is in charge of processing orders in our Corvette Raffle database throughout the year, running reports, and preparing mailings for the raffle. If you are detail-oriented and have a few hours a week to spare, this team is for you!

Our parish provides servers, doorkeepers, and Eucharistic Ministers for funeral Masses as a service to grieving families. Offer your respects to our dearly departed by serving those families. If you are a retired parishioner with a few hours of available time in the mornings, consider giving your time and talents to this ministry.

The Knights of Columbus is an international Catholic men’s fraternal organization, open to men 18 years of age or older. The Knights are dedicated to Christian leadership, fraternity, and charity. Knights volunteer through a variety of programs, support our area Catholic churches and schools, provide support for vocations, offer scholarship opportunities, among many other great ministries. Please consider joining the Effingham Knights of Columbus.

Volunteers are periodically needed in the parish office to perform a variety of tasks, including clerical work, preparing mailings, stuffing bulletins, and other various office projects. Enjoy time with other parishioners a few hours a week and become part of our volunteer parish office team!

Two days in August, not exactly! St. Anthony Parish Picnic planning is 3-5 months of planning with multiple chairperson positions. Getting involved in the preparation of this two-day picnic is another great way for parishioners to jump right in and get involved with parish life. Join us and help plan and implement the largest St. Anthony- sponsored activity that all of our parishioners, school families, and alumni talk about.

Do you enjoy watching the fun around the Parish and Schools? Are you pretty good with a camera? We need your help to document the activities of the Parish and Schools through photographs. No special talent is needed, just a willingness to carry a camera and snap pictures of people at St. Anthony events.

Whether you are a parishioner or school parent, you are invited to spend a few hours a day, a week, or a month in our schools in a variety of volunteer roles! Our schools are a mission of our parish and to fulfill our mission, we rely on our many volunteers to support our faculty and staff in the many aspects of our daily routine. Your time and talents can be used in a variety of ways at either our grade school or high school. Join us to help with lunch and playground duty, copy duties, reading with students, assisting in the computer labs and library, hospitality, legislation, grant writing, public relations, etc. The list goes on! If you have a skill, we likely have a fit for you!

High School students and young adults from St. Anthony Parish have been attending mission work camps for over six years. Led by a dedicated team of adult parishioners, these young adults are given the opportunity to spend the week with communities across the United States offering their skills in jobs such as painting, gardening, and light construction. Along with the work projects, their days involve time for worship and devotion with the evenings ending in group programs and activities. Become part of the mission work camp leadership team and help our young adults grow in their faith.