The Archdiocese of Boston is calling on parishes to embrace a new vision of faith formation – one that supports parents in their role as the first teachers of the faith, facilitates lifelong faith formation for all generations, encourages missionary discipleship in addition to catechesis, and engages the talents of the whole parish community.
We have a particular sense of urgency in embracing this vision. Last year, the Archdiocese lowered the ordinary age of Confirmation from around the age of 16 (or grade 10) to around the age of 13-14 (or grade 8). This change was made to increase and strengthen the role of parents in the faith formation of their young teens, and to allow for a much-needed renewal of high school youth ministry – one that goes beyond sacramental preparation.
This past spring, 234 young people in grades 8-12 received the Sacrament of Confirmation in our parishes, exponentially increasing the number of high school teens who need a robust youth ministry program to accompany them during this time of great transition and growth in their lives. Being ready to accompany these newly-confirmed teens on their journey and helping them stay connected to their faith, their parish, and each other is vitally important – for them, for our Collaborative, and for the Church.
Our Pastoral team, in partnership with our Children’s Faith Formation and Youth Ministry teams, is working to develop a unified approach to faith formation, ministry, and liturgy that builds bridges between the programs, invigorates our liturgy and worship, and renews the engagement of our young children, teens, and families in the life of the parish, especially Sunday Mass. We will continue to share information and updates about this work over the coming weeks and months as we embark on this journey of renewal as a Collaborative.
As we go through this process, we will need to reorganize our teams and reallocate our resources to align with our mission. At this time, we want to thank Christina Messore for her many contributions to our Collaborative as a member of the Religious Education and Youth Ministry teams. Christina was instrumental in facilitating Religious Ed’s shift to online learning and community-building during the pandemic, and has been a key contributor to our sacramental preparation programs. We know you join us in wishing her the best in her future endeavors, and we’re grateful that as a life-long parishioner she remains part of our Collaborative family.