Preparation Timeline

Click here for a printable checklist.

Reach the conclusion of your event without missing a beat!

As soon as you have set a date for your intergenerational parish event:

• Share your plans with the parish staff to avoid scheduling conflicts or duplicate programs.
• Reserve the required spaces/rooms on the parish calendar.
• Contact maintenance personnel for setup and cleanup (such as unlocking and locking outside doors, and positioning chairs and tables).
• Recruit volunteers.

For general organization and setup, you will need

• one or two people to organize and oversee the event.
• one or two people to take pictures at the event.
• a suitable number of people to assist in setup and cleanup.

For the Presentation and Take-Home Kit, you will need

• one person to lead the presentation and play the role of “Host” in the interview skits.
• four actors to portray the saints and blesseds in the interview skits.
• one or two people to coordinate the costumes for the interview skits.
• one or two people to prepare the Take-Home Kits.

For the Meet Your Match Activity Center, you will need

• two or more people to create the posters and saint cards before the event.
• two or more people to set up and facilitate at the event.

For the Saints Posse Activity Center, you will need

• one or two people to collect and coordinate the research material before the event.
• two or more “research librarians” to assist participants at the event.

For the Saint Clip Activity Center, you will need

• volunteers to coordinate and assemble the saint clip kits beforehand.
• volunteers to answer questions and replenish supplies on the day of the event. (The number of volunteers you will need will depend on your parish size.)

For the Trail Mix Activity Center, you will need

• one or two people to gather ingredients and prepare bags before the event.
• one or two people at the event to manage the supply of ingredients and bags.

For the Prayer Service, you will need

• one person to prepare a sacred space.
• one person to lead the prayer service.
• two readers.
• musicians, liturgical dancers, or any other artists who would like to contribute their gifts.
• Arrange to meet with volunteers to explain their responsibilities.

In the weeks leading up to the event:

• Contact the people responsible for your parish mailings to ensure that notice of the event and the invitation to participate are sent to families.
• Prepare fliers (PDF or MS Word) advertising the event for distribution throughout the parish—on paper or by e-mail and through the parish Web site.
• Submit an announcement for inclusion in the parish bulletin. (See sample provided.)
• Send a flier and a copy of your bulletin to local newspapers as well. They may wish to include the information in their community calendars and may even write an article on or take photos of the event.
• Download the handouts and resources and use the document index to determine how many of each document will be needed.
• Meet with volunteers to allocate tasks and share information, including materials lists and document masters. Maintain a list of volunteers and their contact information.
• Encourage the person in charge of the Saints Clip Activity Center to practice making a clip ahead of the event.
• Make sure the actors portraying the saints receive their scripts and meet with the costume coordinator.
• Provide tax letters and instructions to people making purchases for the event.
• Provide a diagram of event areas to those in charge of setup.
• Establish an area where materials and resources for the event will be stored.

A few days before the event:

• Check with volunteer leaders to be sure that all is ready.
• Instruct leaders to check with their volunteers.
• Touch base with the maintenance personnel and volunteers responsible for setup and cleanup.
• Arrange to meet with the entire team one hour before the event for coordination and last-minute instructions.
• Pray that all goes well.