Careers
In 2002 Saint John Paul II spoke these words to millions of young people at World Youth Day in Toronto:
“A new generation of builders is needed… you must be those builders ”.
Saint John Paul was calling for a new generation of missionary saints, who were motivated to take the clear and simple Gospel to all corners of the globe. CCO is strategically and intentionally answering this call.
On each of our campuses we proclaim the Gospel clearly and simply, equip students to live their faith and the mission, then commission them to go out and do the same.
What matters most to us is that Jesus be proclaimed; it is what brings us joy! Is God calling you to join us on the front lines? Do you have what it takes to become a builder?
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for individuals who share our mission vision, men and women who are passionate about reaching university students with the message of the Gospel, and multiplying into leaders who will go on to renew the world. In order to work for CCO you also need to deeply identify with our three Core Values. These are the DNA of a CCO missionary; they are what make us, us!
Abandonment and Providence
CCO missionaries are willing to go, do or say whatever God asks of them in order to further the mission. And we rely completely on God’s providence in all aspects of our lives.
See and seize
CCO missionaries are hard working and highly motivated. We are always on the lookout for the opportunities to evangelize that the Lord places before us.
Holy Goofiness
While we take the mission seriously, we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Our lives are full of joy, laughter and freedom.
Discernment Resources
While not everyone is called to be a CCO missionary, we know many people are being called. These resources will help you hear whether or not God is calling you to work for CCO.
Are you thinking about CCO staff, but don’t know where to start? Builders will give you direction and answers to your most pressing questions. What do missionaries do? Who is CCO looking for? What about support raising? And much more.
Many people struggle with discernment. Using Ignatian principles, co-foundress, Angele Regnier, will walk you through a two week discernment process. By the end of two weeks you will have peace, courage and clarity on where God is calling you.
This podcast is an essential companion to the Prayerful Discernment Guide. Join Angele Regnier as she discusses the proper attitudes and skills necessary for proper discernment. This podcast also includes a link to Angele’s 2 hour audio workshop on Ignatian Discernment.
Career Opportunities
We’re now hiring for campus and headquarters positions.
Campus
HQ
CCO has many different programs you can apply for. Each program is unique and has different benefits. If God is calling you to CCO, you then need to discern which program He is calling you to. Take a look at the descriptions below to get familiar with the programs CCO offers.
Formation Year
This is our most robust work program. Become a full-time CCO Missionary, and in your first year receive world-class training in Evangelization through our Formation program.
MISSION YEAR
Commit 1 year of service to the Lord through CCO. This could be a gap year or a way of discerning a longer term call.
Headstart
Essentially a head start into an Formation Year. This program allows you to get to campus or HQ one semester early.
Apply
The world needs a new generation of builders who will reach, one person a time, the future leaders of our world with the message of Jesus. Applying is the first step in discerning a call with CCO. What are you waiting for? Apply today.
"Be not afraid." — St. John Paul II
If none of these postings seem like the right fit, you’re welcome to contact us at hr@cco.ca to learn more.
Check out these frequently asked questions:
CCO has received official canonical recognition as a private juridic person of diocesan right. The Ultimate Relationship booklet and CCO’s faith studies have received the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur.
In 2002, the movement was honoured to receive a letter from Pope John Paul II (now Pope Saint John Paul II) on the occasion of our 15th anniversary. Our movement has also participated in many initiatives connected to the broader Church. In recent years, our executive team gave an intervention at the Gathering of Lay Movements convened by the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization. In 2019, our Founders were invited to give a keynote address at a gathering organized by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization (PCPNE) to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Evangelii Gaudium.
In 2015 our founders were awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal, which is one of the highest honors the Church bestows on lay people for outstanding service to the Church.
Each CCO missionary has the privilege of completely relying on God’s providence. You might be thinking, “There is no way I can support raise this amount. This is crazy!” You are not alone. This has gone through the mind of almost every single person who has applied to work with CCO. However, all of our over 100 missionaries, as well as nearly 30 years of CCO history are living witnesses to the fact that this is possible.
CCO has an excellent support raising training program that teaches you not only how to raise funds effectively, but also instills the key attitudes and mindsets that drive our paradigm of living by providence. This training takes place after you have been hired, in preparation for you to begin your role in CCO (whether it be on campus or in the national headquarters), and includes weekly coaching sessions with a support raising coach throughout the summer of support raising.
As a CCO missionary, our support raising is not a means to an end. It is an opportunity to take the gospel to other people. Every person that you encounter, will have an opportunity to hear the Lord’s message through your witness of relying on his providence and being abandoned to Him. We feel called to have every person on the face of the earth, encounter Jesus in a personal way. Our mission field is not only to be on campus proclaiming, but through our visits with potential supporters.
There are many legitimate reasons someone would choose not to apply for staff and we work to make sure support raising isn’t one of them.
CCO is currently serving on sixteen campuses across Canada as well as at our National Headquarters in Ottawa. Missionaries can be sent to serve on any of our campuses, which is an opportunity for our staff to live out our heart of abandonment. Most national roles are based out of our headquarters in Ottawa.
Placements are always prayerfully discerned. Decisions are then made by balancing both the needs of the movement and giving consideration to where staff will best be able to use their skills and talents and grow in leadership.
In applying for staff, ask yourself: Am I willing to go anywhere God asks me to go for the sake of the Gospel?
God uses all things for our good, including life experiences, both good and bad. Depending on where God is calling you in CCO, there’s an opportunity for your degree to be put to good use. This is true particularly in the areas of finance and business management.
Our goal in CCO is that, when people leave staff, they leave better than when they came in. We invest a great deal in leadership opportunities, training, formation, and practical skills for our staff. CCO also provides you with excellent experience in the non-profit sector, which is a very marketable skill.
Many of our staff alumni have gone on to successful careers in the world and are able to say that their experience in CCO has made them better at their current job.
While having a university degree is not a requirement for being accepted to CCO staff, we highly recommend it. This is for various reasons: we encourage people to finish what they started, a degree keeps your options open if God calls you out of CCO, and the skills and knowledge you receive over the course of your degree will benefit your career long term.
Our VINE program offers the opportunity to take a gap year mid-degree. That being said, some people are called to respond to God in a radical way by leaving their degree, and that is where proper discernment becomes crucial. It is not a light decision, and we will often encourage you to finish your degree before applying.
Simple answer: Yes. Many of our staff are married with families and they are thriving.
CCO is a viable option for a long term career. We desire that our compensation be modest and a reasonable remuneration relative to other comparable work in non-profit organizations. We do this to attract and retain talented individuals who have some pre-existing skill, experience, and knowledge. Additionally, we recognize longevity where continued commitment and years of experience are valued. We aim to provide non-salary benefits to enable our staff to thrive.
We desire that our staff can respond wholeheartedly to the specific vocation that they are called to (marriage, single, religious). CCO’s culture can offer unique flexibility, allowing staff to be present to their vocation (i.e. potential opportunities of flex-time, occasional temporary remote work, and generous paid time off can allow staff to be present to care for family while fulfilling their role). Staff member families are welcome at most CCO functions including training, retreats, and celebrations. In addition, full-time missionary staff members and immediate family are also eligible for health benefits as well as specific Taxable Benefits.
Discernment is key when it comes to working for CCO. Afterall, this is not justa job, it is a calling from Jesus. Discernment is a topic most Catholics are aware of, but many young people struggle in discernment. This is mainly due to people not knowing how to properly discern. The good news is there is a method of discernment called ‘Ignatian Discernment’ that will help you clearly and simply hear God’s call on your life. See CCO’s “Prayerful Discernment” Booklet for practical guidance on how to properly discern God’s will. It is easy to use and will be a huge help to you as you bring this to prayer. You can access a pdf version of it here.
We desire that our compensation be modest and a reasonable remuneration relative to other comparable work in non-profit organizations. We do this to attract and retain talented individuals who have some pre-existing skill, experience, and knowledge. For more information about the salaries of Interns and Vine participants, please see the Builder’s Magazine.
As a campus missionary you can share the saving message of Jesus Christ with countless students, accompany believers to spiritual maturity, and train others so they “will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2). Day-to-day, this involves leading small group faith studies, one-on-one accompaniment and leadership development with students, and planning and running large group events to encourage both outreach and fellowship.
Your days will be full, a typical day will have you leading 1 – 2 different faith study groups plus a few extra meetings to catch people up on lessons they may have missed. You may have a few coffee meetings booked with students to accompany them towards Jesus or equip them as leaders. Usually you will have some administrative tasks to do as well, such as emails, faith study tracking, and event planning. Throughout your day you will also run into spontaneous meetings, maybe a student is struggling and needs to talk, or a new person shows up and you take time to welcome them in. See the ‘Builders Magazine’ for an example of a daily schedule of a campus missionary.
Being a CCO missionary, no matter the context, takes hard work, lots of energy, a see and seize attitude and a total reliance on God. It is also super fun and life-giving.
CCO uses a four step application process to best facilitate discernment on behalf of the applicant and CCO. Our goal at each of these stages is to evaluate a fit with CCO as well as the attitudes, skills and knowledge necessary to thrive as a CCO missionary.
- Application
- Police background check: Vulnerable Sector Check
- Interview
- Reference checks
At each of these four steps, CCO evaluates for suitability for the role being applied for and whether to continue the process.
CCO looks for people who are motivated by the mission of proclaiming Jesus clearly and simply. We want people who will be willing to work hard to spread the good news of the Gospel and to multiply missionary skills, knowledge and attitude into others. Campus applicants should feel called to work with university students as a strategic age group of future leaders.
We take great joy in our work, even when it means moving beyond our comfort zones. Our joy comes from having hopeful hearts that God will do more than we can ask or imagine in all situations. We are willing to do whatever needs to be done, say whatever needs to be said, and go wherever we need to go in order to fulfill our mission. Our missionaries must be highly motivated to seek opportunities to meet new people and allow others to feel welcomed in their presence.
Our staff must also deeply identify with our Core Values and Tenets (See Builders Magazine for more information).
CCO conducts our mission in an intentional manner and so we are serious about training our missionaries to best meet the demands of ministry. All first year staff attend an orientation and training week called CCO 101 mid-August. First year staff in the internship program then continue with an eight-month weekly training program. Second year staff attend further training (CCO 201) to prepare them for greater leadership within the movement. Apart from these set programs, our staff have many opportunities for ongoing missionary and spiritual training and formation, such as yearly attendance at National Staff Gathering, retreat days, spiritual direction and various conferences.
Formation Year is a three year commitment to CCO. Each Formation Year is specific to the position you are applying for. You will take part in a week-long support raising boot camp at the beginning of your Formation Year to learn everything there is to know about support raising. The goal for each missionary is to raise $3300 in monthly support. You will be a professional at support raising after boot camp. Each Formation Year missionary will work closely with the CCO Formation Year Specialist who will assign various assignments to be completed in order to help each Formation Year missionary grow in their leadership skills and grow as a missionary.
For more information on the Formation Year program see the ‘Builders Magazine’.
Each Mission Year opportunity is specific to the position you are applying to (ie. Campus or National Headquarters). The Mission Year program is designed for people who are looking to take a gap year or are not yet sure if they are ready to commit to an Internship and would like to get a feel for what it is like to live as a full-time missionary. Each Mission Year missionary will support raise $3,200 in monthly support.
For more information on the Mission Year program see the ‘Builders Magazine’.
Our Headstart program is a 3.5 year time commitment. Each Headstart position is specific to the position you are applying for. You would start working for CCO in December, essentially giving you a semester headstart into the Internship program. After completion of your Headstart semester, you join the other interns in May. This program is great for students graduating in December, who don’t want to waste a semester that could be used to reach more souls. It is also available to graduates and alumni.
For more information on the Headstart program see the ‘Builders Magazine’.
Yes! CCO can offer you a co-op opportunity that can cater to the program you are currently in. Each co-op is specific to the position you are applying to, but is only within CCO’s National Headquarters. CCO does not offer co-ops for campus ministry. Working in a placement at CCO HQ will give you an opportunity to put into practice the skills you are acquiring through your education and will give you the unique opportunity to grow in your faith and your missionary identity in the process.
For more information on the CO-OP program see the ‘Builders Magazine’.
We strive to create an excellent workplace culture, and provide many non-salary benefits which allow staff to thrive in their vocation and serve for their career with CCO. Full-time missionary staff members and immediate family are eligible for health benefits as well as Specific Taxable Benefits. Eligible staff can also join our group saving RRSP plan. These benefits are designed to be a blessing to you and your family.
Anyone! Whether you are graduating soon, recently graduated, or already established in a career, God may be calling you to join us.
We value and recommend previous CCO experience, though it is not always necessary.
Are you a working professional longing to do something more? Or perhaps you are a retiree with the skills and experience we need! We are looking for skilled, highly motivated individuals who want to put their specific training and experience to work for the Great Commission. Your skill set is needed in a variety of positions at our National Headquarters in Ottawa.
Did you know CCO is a certified Best Christian Workplace?
Certified since 2016 by the Best Christian Workplace Institute.
