Author: diocesan-reston
ESOL Teacher Registration
The English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Program at St. John Neumann is looking for additional volunteer teachers for the Spring Semester of 2025. Currently, the program has 15 teachers working with 30 students, both online, using the ZOOM program, and in-person in classes held at St. John Neumann. Since Fall 2022, our new classes have all been in-person classes on Thursday mornings and evenings.
Requirements
Teaching English to speakers of other languages requires only a true interest in helping students learn English and patience since English is a difficult language to learn. Being fluent or knowledgeable in the native language of the students (mostly, but not exclusively, Spanish) is helpful, but not required.
Textbooks and Curriculum
We are using the Oxford University Press’ Step Forward textbooks and workbooks for these classes, so there is a curriculum to follow for each one of the five levels of English proficiency. Each teacher is provided with a hard copy of the textbook and workbook for their teaching level, a digital copy of the textbook, and access to the online Teacher Resource Center (provided by OUP for each teaching level) that provides additional teaching resources and a method for measuring student progress throughout the year. We have a teacher orientation meeting in September, prior to the start of the Fall Semester.
Classes
We have reserved classrooms for English classes on Thursday mornings (10 a.m. – 11 a.m.) and Thursday evenings (7 p.m. – 8 p.m.). Volunteer teachers should indicate their preference and availability to teach during one (or both) of these two periods each Thursday. Class size varies each semester, but generally, the Level 1 classes attract the largest number of students. If there are more than five students in a class, we try to assign two teachers (subject to availability) to that class to teach as a team. Historically, our courses have the highest student attendance early in the semester. Our students are busy, working adults, and most have families and the many obligations and uncertainties that go along with both. Consequently, we lose some students over a semester or full academic year. Nonetheless, many students are able to persevere and continue to learn English throughout the full academic year, and this is the opportunity that we strive to present to each student.
If you are interested in serving others as an ESOL program teacher, please complete the below registration. Any additional questions can be directed to esl.stjohnneumann@gmail.com.
To Register Now
Please download the fillable PDF Student Registration Form, complete, save a copy to your device, and email as an attachment to esl.stjohnneumann@gmail.com.
Pastoral Plan 2021-2024: Outreach
OUTREACH OBJECTIVES
Responding to the call to be a people of mercy and justice through compassionate service, we commit to incorporating Catholic Social Teaching as a living part of our faith and service, bringing the Gospel to bear on the issues of the day and to the challenges of our community through:
- Integrating Catholic Social Teaching (CST) into the Sunday Liturgy
- Linking the community to opportunities that will put CST into action
- Offering educational opportunities on how to advocate on issues that call us to be disciples
Lead Agents: Jo-Ann Duggan, Director of Outreach, and the St. John Neumann Social Justice Committee
PASTORAL OBJECTIVES
2021-2022
- Integrate CST into the Liturgy through homilies and Prayers of the Faithful
- Offer service opportunities that contain an education component on CST to help parishioners better understand the connection between what they are doing and why
- Highlight advocacy issues (bulletin, website, after-mass presence) that align with CST and offer opportunities for parishioners to participate
2022-2023
- Continue CST integration into Sunday Liturgy – Prayers of the Faithful and homilies that connect CST with the Sunday readings
- Continue prayer services that focus on racial justice and other issues related to CST
- Offer interfaith service activities and connect it to CST
2023-2024
- Write series of bulletin articles on the seven themes of CST and connect each with service opportunities
- Offer Lenten Soup Supper series that will focus on CST, and why we are called to love God and love and serve our neighbor
Pastoral Plan 2021-2024: Community
COMMUNITY OBJECTIVES
Living up to our faith and our Parish motto “All Are Welcome,” we seek to create a more inclusive community where all feel welcome through:
- Providing services and programs to our cultural communities
- Enhancing initiatives to welcome new parishioners, including inactive Catholics
- Offering community-building opportunities for families
- Promoting racial justice through education, advocacy, and ecumenical engagement
Lead Agents: Jo-Ann Duggan, Director of Outreach; Fr. Joe Brennan, OSFS, and the St. John Neumann Pastoral Council.
PASTORAL OBJECTIVES
2021-2022
- Establish a “Cultural Exchange” Committee composed of parishioners from diverse cultures
- Offer “micro-volunteering” opportunities for families, young adults, and those who may be “too busy” for longer-term commitment
- Continue to offer Racial Justice Ministry programs, as well as the JustFaith modules that focus on issues of racial justice
2022-2023
- Offer programs, events, and celebrations that bring together our Anglo members and our Hispanic and other parishioners from diverse cultures, including events that are family-friendly (These can be planned by the newly-established “Cultural Exchange” Committee.)
- Enhance our Racial Justice programs by collaborating not only with more diverse Catholic parishes but also other diverse faith communities
- Continue direct outreach to new parishioners during their first year of members at St. John Neumann
2023-2024
- Continue to offer events/programs that create opportunities for our parishioners of diverse backgrounds to come together and share their stories
- Engage with inactive Catholics to identify additional ways to welcome them back into the community
Pastoral Plan 2021-2024: Formation
FORMATION OBJECTIVES
St. John Neumann aims to foster and empower each person’s call to disciple Christ through effective faith formation and spirituality. Preparing our parishioners for mission requires a variety of educational and faith formation programs for all ages, including:
- Children’s faith formation
- Youth ministry
- Young adult ministry
- Adult faith formation
- Spiritual formation, missions, and retreats
Strategic Direction: St. John Neumann will foster lifelong engagement and formation that flows reciprocally through all stages of life.
Lead Agent: Jean Lupinacci, Director of Faith Formation
PASTORAL OBJECTIVES
2021-2022
- Welcome and reintegrate to faith formation and the worship space
- Connect baptismal families with the larger communities by inviting them to group gatherings with other young households and providing them with age-appropriate material that supports them as the primary teachers of the faith
- Support the Spanish-speaking ARISE program and support the growth of small faith groups
2022-2023
- Emphasize lived faith in-practice/action in all aspects of faith formation
- Work to connect Salesian spirituality to all aspects of our lived expression of faith
- Reconnect families to liturgical experiences
2023-2024
- Build a relationship between the youth and the parish elders to encourage mutual understanding and accompaniment on the journey of faith
- Create opportunities for middle-aged adults to build community within the parish experience
- Connect Salesian spirituality to our liturgical and sacramental education
Pastoral Plan 2021-2024: Worship
WORSHIP OBJECTIVES
The heart of parish life is the celebration of the Eucharist, from which flows all our worship, sacraments, and prayer. St. John Neumann encourages the full, active, and conscious participation of all parishioners in the sacramental life of the Church. This includes:
- Prayerful Sunday liturgy
- Worship experiences celebrating the liturgical seasons
- Sacramental preparation, including the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
- Invitation and formation for liturgical ministers
Strategic Direction: St. John Neumann will engage all parishioners to fully participate in worship.
Lead Agents: Tricia Russman, CJ Capen, and the St. John Neumann Parish Liturgy Committee
PASTORAL OBJECTIVES
2021-2022
- Continue to expand the livestream production and utilize it to extend our reach to those who cannot attend in person
- Catechize on the importance of the gathered community and the graces that can be had in the Eucharist as parishioners continue to transition back to in-person worship
- Increase a cross-generation of liturgical ministers through intentional one-on-one invitations
2022-2023
- Revitalize Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) & Family Mass to be more family directed and intentional toward that target audience
- Provide Time & Talents surveys and workshops to help parishioners discern where their gifts would best be served, to include engaging those that have recently received a sacrament
- Continue catechesis on the “whys” to the liturgy and ritual elements to enrich personal growth
2023-2024
- Suggest practical applications from weekend liturgies to help worshipers best see how they can be agents of the Gospel during the week.
- Create more worship opportunities where the English and Spanish-speaking parishioners can gather as one body.
- Invite greater discussion about vocations and expand the opportunities for devotional practices.
Pastoral Plan 2021-2024: Stewardship
STEWARDSHIP OBJECTIVES
St. John Neumann commits to being a good steward of the parish facilities, finances, and human resources that enable the community to pray, grow, and serve. Stewardship also involves empowering parishioners to use their gifts and competencies on behalf of the faith community, providing the necessary pastoral formation and support. This includes:
- Parish administration and coordination
- Facilities management
- Financial processes, procedures, and reporting
- Identification of the gifts present in the community
- Genuine and intentional invitation to parishioners to serve in leadership roles
Strategic Direction: St. John Neumann will continue to engage parishioners in our commitment to effective and comprehensive stewardship.
Lead agents: Nelson Alvarez, Facilities Manager; Patty Kwapniewski, Office Administrator, and the Parish Finance Committee
PASTORAL OBJECTIVES
2021-2022
- To engage parishioners in all aspects of parish life by:
- Creating a central repository for St John Neumann volunteer opportunities where adults and families can sign up to “drop in” and share their time and talent
- Showcasing our ministries and increasing the ease of locating other aspects of church life on the St John Neumann website
- To embrace Pope Francis’ seven-year Laudato Si’ Action Plan by developing a multiyear approach to increase sustainability in the holistic spirit of integral ecology
2022-2023
- To encourage exploration of the charisms and gifts by hosting the “Called and Gifted Workshop,” sponsored by the Catherine of Siena Institute
- To implement St John Neumann’s year one objectives in response to the Laudato Si’ Action Plan
- To communicate how contributions are being used to give witness to the presence of God in our midst
2023-2024
- To encourage all who participate in programs at St. John Neumann to feel welcome in and responsible for the facility and those around them
- To implement St John Neumann’s Year Two objectives in response to the Laudato Si’ Action Plan.
Pastoral Plan Survey Results
In March, we asked you to share your opinions about St. John Neumann’s to help us develop objectives that reflect our community as we construct our 2021-2024 Pastoral Plan. We received over 700 responses to the survey, and here are the results from the multiple-choice answers we received. We sincerely thank all who took the time to fill out the survey! Your help has been indispensable to the formulation of our new Pastoral Plan.
