"How we educate the mind will change with the times; how we cultivate the heart is and will remain timeless." Blessed Basil Moreau

Catholic education is about more than simply acquiring knowledge. It involves the formation of the whole person. Academic knowledge only reaches its fullest impact when the mind is integrated with the heart and students can use what they have learned to help the world around them. Therefore, service to others is an essential part of Catholic education, as students use their intellect to recognize and uphold the dignity of all human beings.

Service is a part of every student’s experience at Christ the King. From the moment they enter pre-kindergarten, students engage in service to others. By the time they graduate as 8th graders, they have served in a variety of settings and have been exposed to many populations, including the elderly, the developmentally disabled, the poor, and those facing unplanned pregnancies. The Student Service Program is structured so that students receive a strong foundation for service and gradually assume more individual responsibility as they mature. By the time they graduate, we hope that they have acquired the heart of a servant, which inspires them to a lifelong commitment to service.

Pre-Kindergarten 3 through 6th Grade

Each grade partners with a local service agency throughout the school year, including:

• In-class activities to benefit the agency
• Class presentations given by agency representatives to educate students on the underlying issues served
• Regular prayer for those they serve

Pre-Kindergarten 3’s & Pre-Kindergarten & Kindergarten serve at Wellbrooke, a senior living community offering rehabilitation and long-term care for the elderly.

1st Grade works with the St. Joseph County Pet Refuge; learning to care for God’s creation is an important aspect of Catholic Social Teaching.

2nd Grade works with REAL Services, assisting with their Meals on Wheels Program.

3rd Grade works with the Women’s Care Center, which serves women facing unplanned or crisis pregnancies.

4th Grade works with Healthwin, a skilled nursing care facility.

5th Grade works with St. Vincent’s DePaul

6th Grade works with the Cultivate Food Rescue, which rescues perishable food to provide nourishing meals to those in need. 

7th and 8th Grade students take responsibility for performing individual service hours at sites of their choosing.  

7th Graders perform 10 hours of service. They are encouraged to perform these hours at a variety of different sites so that they may be exposed to different needs within the community. Their service may include volunteering at Christ the King Parish.

8th Graders perform 20 hours of service. They perform all of their service at one agency of their choosing. This allows them to develop a deeper relationship with that site, as well as a deeper understanding of the related social issues. Currently, 8th graders perform their service at Healthwin, Wellbrooke, Reins of Life, Hannah & Friends, and many other locations.

Students in 8th grade also have the opportunity to participate in the Service Immersion program.  In this capstone experience, students spend the year learning about Catholic Social Teaching in all of their classes. They learn to apply this teaching to the world around them by seeing how it intersects with Social Studies, Science, Literature, Math, and Religion. This culminates in a three-day service experience in Indianapolis, where students work at a variety of service agencies and have the opportunity to engage in theological reflection on their service experience.