This time of year, we get a lot of interest in starting a Club either now or planning for the fall. We frequently get asked: What does it take? What do I do first? Starting a Catholic Club is easier than you might think! Here are some general step by step guidelines you can follow:

Discernment: Should I do this?

1. Pray—Is God calling you to start a Catholic Club for your child?
2. Time—How much time do you want to put into the club? You can meet once a week or once a month. All programs are flexible to fit your needs.
3. Place–Do you want to hold it at a Catholic school, parish or in your home? If you want to hold it at a parish facility, you’ll need to get permission from the Pastor, principal and/or Children’s Minister. Clubs should be seen as ministries of the parish like Vacation Bible School, Youth Groups and Bible Studies.
4. Money–There are no chartering or registration costs. All other costs are flexible. Each child should have their own books ($4.50-$5.95 at the online catalog ) Money may be needed for patches, crafts, shirts/vests, snacks or whatever else you wish to add to your meetings. Some leaders ask for a set amount up front and place one order, others have each member get their own supplies and charge a set fee for craft materials. Some are even included in their parish budgeting and have many costs covered.
5. Build it and they will come–Put an ad in your parish bulletin, send a flier home with the religious ed children, have a sign-up after Mass, send out emails to the homeschool community. These are all ways to invite youth to come to Catholic Clubs. Don’t forget to ask for adult volunteers, too. You’ll need them!

What’s Next?

1. Get the materials–See the online catalog tab above to browse all the information available for the Catholic Club you are running. Leader and Member packages are assembled for savings and ease of use.
2. Get even more materials! Don’t forget to check out the Pinterest page, YouTube Channel and connect with other leaders on Facebook and Twitter (click the floating icons on the right)
3. Register Your Club– Register your club at the Registered Clubs site. This is FREE! and you will get a log in to get even more free materials on teaching virtues, saint biographies and more! Registration also puts your group on the map so you can connect with other Catholic Clubs in your area and other interest youth can find you!
4. Plan your meetings. Basic how-tos on planning the meetings are included in the Leader’s Guide for each Club. There are also helpful videos on our YouTube Channel. You can also have each mom plan a meeting so you don’t have to do all of it. Or, you can have one mom be the craft mom, another the music mom, another the badge mom, etc.
5. Enjoy! That’s it! Here’s to a Club that helps you and your kids grow in holiness, one virtue at a time with your Catholic to the Core Clubs!