Over the past decade, PREPARES (Pregnancy and Parenting Support) has demonstrated something remarkable: it has become far more than a family support program. It has become a bridge between parish life and Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington, reconnecting parish communities to the agency and reminding Catholics throughout the diocese that the work of charity is not separate from the work of the Church—it is the Gospel lived out.

As Catholic Charities continues to serve the diverse communities of Eastern Washington, we have an opportunity to build upon this momentum by creating a parish engagement coordinator position dedicated to strengthening relationships between parishes, volunteers, ministries, and Catholic Charities across our entire service area.

Challenge or Need

Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington serves a remarkably diverse region encompassing 13 counties. Within those counties are urban cities, farming communities, rural mountain towns, tribal communities, and culturally diverse populations, each with unique strengths, traditions, and needs.

Many rural parishes desire to offer ministries like PREPARES but simply lack the financial resources, volunteer base, or population to sustain them independently. These communities often feel isolated despite their commitment to serving their neighbors and often have the most need. A parish engagement coordinator would help ensure that geography, parish size, and limited resources are no longer barriers to ministry.

Rather than expecting every parish to build every ministry on its own, this position would identify opportunities for collaboration, allowing the gifts of one parish to strengthen another while honoring the unique identity of each community.

Why It’s Innovative

A parish companion model for the diocese:

This role would establish a “parish companion” structure modeled after the PREPARES Family Companion Program. Larger or more established parishes with successful ministries could intentionally partner with smaller or rural parishes, creating meaningful, long-term relationships rooted in accompaniment, mutual learning, and shared discipleship. This partnership would also include areas of individual parish service interests and match accordingly with another parish that shares a common mission of service.

These partnerships could include:

• Shared PREPARES volunteers
• Joint service opportunities
• Faith formation and educational programming
• Resource and supply sharing
• Volunteer mentoring and leadership development
• Donation drives tailored to community needs
• Prayer partnerships
• Collaborative parish events

Rather than simply sending resources, partner parishes would come to know one another’s stories, cultures, and communities. Relationships would replace transactions, and ministry would become an expression of communion across the diocese.

This reflects the church itself: many members, one body.

Program Impact

While we have developed the role, we have not yet implemented this initiative. We are currently in the hiring process. We have learned that distance can make volunteers feel disconnected from the larger mission.

The parish engagement coordinator could establish a diocesan-wide online faith community for PREPARES volunteers, parish ministry leaders, donors, and supporters.

This virtual community could include:

• Monthly prayer gatherings
• Faith formation rooted in Catholic Social Doctrine
• Volunteer spotlights and shared testimonies
• Guest speakers
• Fellowship across county lines
• Sharing best practices and ministry experiences
• Prayer intentions for families and volunteers
• Celebrations of parish successes and impact

Volunteers serving in communities hundreds of miles apart would discover they are part of one ministry serving one church. This sense of belonging encourages long-term volunteer engagement while strengthening the spiritual foundation of Catholic Charities’ work.

Lessons Learned

While PREPARES provides the natural foundation because of its parish-based model, the impact of this position extends far beyond a single ministry.

The parish engagement coordinator would strengthen Catholic Charities by developing sustainable volunteer networks, increasing parish ownership of ministry, identifying future leaders, expanding donor engagement, and fostering stronger collaboration throughout Eastern Washington.

As parish relationships deepen, support naturally grows for Catholic Charities’ broader ministries serving families, older adults, immigrants and refugees, individuals experiencing homelessness, and neighbors facing poverty. Rather than ministries operating independently, they become connected through parish life and united in mission.