Q. What is St. Patrick’s School Father’s Guild? 

The St. Patrick's School Father’s Guild is a vibrant and compelling service organization committed to developing positive, engaging support to our children through dedicated service to building our School Community.

Q. Who can belong to the Father's Guild? 

Every Father/Grandfather of current students enrolled at St. Patrick’s School can be a member of the Father’s Guild and is welcome to attend meetings and participate in all activities. Membership is also open to Alumni Fathers interested in supporting the Father's Guild’s mission with Executive Board and Pastor approval.

Q. How do I sign up for Father’s Guild? 

We would like to invite all Fathers to be part of the Father’s Guild and ask that you complete a Registration Form so that we may include you in our database and add you to our electronic distribution list. You may register at a meeting or complete the form available on the website.

Q. What are the membership dues and what are they used for?

Membership dues are important to support the ongoing initiatives of the Father's Guild. As the Father's Guild is intended to be a social club, in addition to our services duties, we intend to host events for the Fathers to get to know each other throughout the year, starting with a Kick-Off Event in September. Dues will be used to provide food at certain events and key meetings for participating Fathers. Some events and activities with the children may also be sponsored by the Father's Guild, which will be subsidized to the extent budget allows. Finally, a Father’s Guild shirt and ID card will be provided to all members.

Members will discuss all upcoming and proposed events with a request for funding. The decision to fund an event will be made by the Board and approved by Msgr. Camp.

As we are just kicking this off for the 2024-2025 School Year without a fully defined schedule of events, an unknown number of members, nor a strong indicator of the level of commitment required, the intent is to estimate a reasonable fee for the first year. As we build out the membership, the board and leadership team, and identify events to support and/or sponsor, we will have a better idea on what a true annual operating budget will look like.

Dues for the Inaugural 2024-2025 School Year will be $125 per Father/Grandfather, regardless of how many children attend St. Patrick's, except for those whose youngest child will be in 7th or 8th grade for this upcoming school year. They will only be asked to contribute $65.

These are not annual dues – the $125 is expected to be a “Lifetime” fee per Father for the remainder of the tenure of your children attending St. Patrick's School.  

Note, however, that as we operationalize the Father's Guild next year, there may be some adjustments made to ongoing costs and future dues increases. To be fully transparent, this will be presented to members at a meeting and voted on by the Board and approved by Msgr. Camp.

Dues are collected as members join and/or are due at the beginning of the school year prior to the first event.  

*Anyone is invited to contribute more than the minimum amount to support the Father's Guild.

**No pro-rata calculations will be made during the year nor will refunds be provided for those leaving the school before 8th grade graduation. 

Q. How will the Father’s Guild be identified?

Members will receive a Father’s Guild shirt which should be worn at all events.  Additionally, members will receive an ID badge allowing them to get into the school.

Q. Do I have to be VIRTUS certified?

Yes, St. Patrick's School follows the Diocesan Policy for the protection of children and young people. CYO Coaches, Religious Education Catechists, Boy/Girl Scout Leaders, all Parish/School Volunteers, and all St. Patrick’s School Parents are required to attend a VIRTUS training class.

The Diocese of Rockville Centre requires all Clergy, Employees, and Volunteers to participate in the Safe Environment Guidelines as established by the Charter for the Protection of Children/Young People (2002) and outlined in the Diocesan Child Protection Policy.

Instructions to Complete the Safe Environment Requirements: Log into: www.Virtus.org

Q. When and where does The Father's Guild meet? 

The Father’s Guild meets for monthly meetings on the third Tuesday or Thursday of each month. These meetings provide significant value by providing an opportunity to meet and get to know other Fathers. In addition, we will always have a guest speaker from the St. Patrick's School Leadership Team speak at our meetings on topics regarding our children. Father’s Guild Meetings are normally held in Murray Hall and run from 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm.

 Q. What is my job with the Father's Guild at School Events?

The job of the Father's Guild at most events is to act as an ambassador for parents and children to come for help to ensure the safety and security of our students. We do not act as security but will help to address and diffuse a situation and to contact security and/or the administration as and when required in the most expeditious way possible. Protocols have been established and are available to all members for how to handle different types of situations.

Q. Does the Father's Guild support charities and offer community service opportunities for Fathers and Children to do together? 

Absolutely this is a possibility. Any ideas or suggestions should be brought to the table at anytime. There should be ample opportunity to build broader community service through the Father's Guild which could allow for service hours for volunteer service hours for our students and an opportunity for Fathers to share in this together. This is something we could look into in the future as membership becomes more established.

Q. How do I contact someone at the Father's Guild to make recommendations or to be considered for a Board or Leadership Position?

Email inquiries to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.