Faith

Service

- Saint Francis de Sales

“There is nothing small in the service of God”
Jesus proclaimed to his disciples, “Whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). Throughout their high school years, the students of Mount de Sales Academy strive to live out this Gospel message and encounter Christ in the hearts of those in most need. Students discover their gifts and the joy of giving as they practice the spiritual and corporal works of mercy within the Mount de Sales community, in the surrounding region, and even beyond our borders.

Each student completes a minimum of 75 hours of person-to-person service to the underserved and underprivileged by the time of her graduation. The goal is to cultivate a lifelong commitment to Christian service in imitation of Jesus who went to the margins to serve the most poor and vulnerable.

List of 4 items.

  • 2021 Summer Service Requirement

    Mount de Sales Academy Summer Service Requirement – Summer 2021
    This summer each Mount de Sales student in 10th-12th grades will be required to complete summer service hours. This requirement will help to reduce the number of hours required in the midst of an academic year and create a smooth transition as we align our service program with the state of Maryland’s requirements.

    Each student must bring her total number of hours earned while at MDSA to the following total:
    ·       Rising Sophomores - 15 hours of service earned since June of 2020
    ·       Rising Juniors – 35 hours of service earned since June of 2019
    ·       Rising Seniors – 55 hours of service earned June of 2018
     
    Summer service hours must be logged in X2Vol by August 31, 2021 for a grade in religion class.
     
    If your daughter has already earned the required number of hours, she will not be required to complete any additional hours over the summer.  Those students who wish to go beyond the summer requirement may earn up to 10 hours toward their 2021-2022 academic year hours.  All hours earned this summer should be logged in the “Summer 2021 Hours” category in X2Vol.
     

  • Summer Service Opportunites

     
    MDSA Service Camp
    This camp will run from 9am-noon June 21-24th. Each day will bring a unique opportunity for students to serve the MDSA community and beyond. Students will earn 12 service hours by the end of the week by participating in each day’s activities. Please sign up by Monday, June 14 using the link found on canvas or on our Mount de Sales website. Space is limited.
    Activities will include: sending mail to incoming freshmen (Admissions), organizing the fourth floor, tidying the campus, assisting the Parent’s Club with preparations for the Christmas bazaar, and more!
     
    Vacation Bible School
    Many local churches host Vacation Bible School each summer. This is a fantastic opportunity to share your love of Christ, have some fun, and earn lots of service hours to boot! Consider reaching out to your church to see if they are hosting VBS, or contact one of the parishes on the Catholic Review website.

    At this link you will find a list of over 40 local parishes who are offering VBS this summer.
    St. Agnes has particularly asked for MDSA volunteers, so please reach out to Ms. Peggy Mrozek now at pegmrozek@comcast.net if you would like to help on June 28- July 2.
    NOTE: Just because a parish is on the list does not guarantee that they are still in need of volunteers. Please reach out to the contact person directly (and well in advance of the camp dates) to ask if they need your assistance.
     
    MDSA Summer Camps
    Contact your coach or Mr. Nate Guest nguest@mountdesales.org for more information about helping at one of our MDSA summer camps. Camps include Basketball Camp, Dance Camp, Drama Camp, Soccer Camp, Tennis Camp, Volleyball Camp, Lacrosse Camp, and Field Hockey Camp.
     
    Other Covid-Flex Opportunities
    This year we have been accepting “Covid-Flex” opportunities for service. These opportunities include service to people in need outside of one’s own family. We will continue accepting this kind of service until August 31, 2021.
    Consider looking at the Baltimore Catholic Charities website to see local opportunities for service over the summer. Their “Volunteer Portal” has many creative ideas for service!

  • What is service?

    At Mount de Sales Academy, we define service as person to person ministry outside of one’s immediate family.

  • Why do service?

    Service to others draws us out of ourselves and teaches us to respond to Christ’s call to “Love one another as I have loved you”. Serving others gives us the opportunity to put our faith into action and discover who we are through making a sincere gift of ourselves. As our mission statement says “Mount de Sales Academy forms young women in the spirit of Saint Francis de Sales and in fidelity to the Sacred Scripture and the Sacred Tradition of the Roman Catholic Church through a college preparatory education that nurtures the whole person. Anchored in faith, the community of Mount de Sales Academy is committed to academic excellence, lifelong learning, moral responsibility, service to others, and the dignity of the human person.”

List of 1 members.

  • Photo of Madison Bolesta

    Madison Bolesta 

    Campus Minister
    University of St. Thomas - M.A.
    Franciscan University of Steubenville

Guidelines

  1. Christian service is first and foremost service to the human family. Service to animals or the environment is good stewardship. However, one must first form the habit of service to one’s fellow man. Therefore, service to animals or the environment will not count for the MDSA service curriculum.
  2. Christian service is an expression of Christian charity, which is informed by the wisdom of God as given to us in revelation. Consequently, any activity not in accord with Catholic teaching is not Christian service and will not be given credit.
  3. Signature for service completed should be obtained in a timely manner (the day of or within two weeks of completing the service).

Service Hour Due Dates

It is encouraged to turn in any service hours as soon as they are completed. All service is turned in to religion teachers by 3pm on the due date. Service hours due dates for the 2021-2022 school year are to be determined.

Mount de Sales Academy

Academic Excellence in the Catholic Tradition