Youth Ministry – Page 2 – St. John – St. Paul Catholic Collaborative

Renewing Youth Ministry at Our Collaborative

In 2024, the Archdiocese of Boston lowered the ordinary age of Confirmation from Grade 10 to Grade 8, to make the grace of this Sacrament available to young people in greater numbers, to strengthen the role of families in the faith formation of their young teens, and to facilitate a renewal in family engagement in the life of the parish, especially Sunday Mass.

As a result, this past spring, 234 young people in Grades 8-12 received the Sacrament of Confirmation at our Collaborative – an exponential increase in the number of newly-confirmed high school teens needing a robust youth ministry program to help them stay connected to their faith during a time of great transition and growth in their lives…

Faith Formation News: A Vision for Children’s Faith Formation and Youth Ministry

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.

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…

A Blessing for Our Seniors – “Go, Not in Fear, But in Faith…”

At the end of our last Sunday 5pm Youth Mass before the summer break, Fr. Lesley called the high school seniors forward to receive a special blessing as they prepare to step into a new chapter of life. After imparting the blessing, he reminded them:

“And now seniors, turn toward the community –
See the faces that have loved you and prayed for you.
Know that as you go forth, you are never alone.
Go, not in fear, but in faith.
Called to be heralds, even amid hardships, always magnify love.”

Our Last 9am Family Mass (and Coffee & Donuts!) and 5pm Youth Mass is this Sunday, May 18

Every year, our Sunday 9:00am Family Mass and 5:00pm Youth Mass programs go on their own “summer vacation” from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend.

This Sunday, May 18 will be our last 9:00am Family Mass (and Coffee & Donuts!) and last 5:00pm Youth Mass until September 7, so be sure to join us!

Collaborative featured in WCVB report: “How Pope Francis changed the lives of these Massachusetts residents”

On Monday, April 21, following the announcement of Pope Francis’ death, WCVB5 Boston produced a report on local reaction to the news – Catholics across Massachusetts mourn pope, praise groundbreaking papacy.

As part of that report, WCVB reporter Ted Wayman reached out to Kelly Meraw, our Director of Pastoral Care and Liturgy, for a video segment: How Pope Francis changed the lives of these Massachusetts residents which appeared on the evening news broadcasts.

They spoke in particular about the Holy Father’s special connection with young people, and about our Collaborative’s pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Portugal in 2023.

April 27: Celebrate the “Jubilee of Teenagers” with the Natick Catholic Collaborative

DID YOU KNOW THE WEEKEND OF APRIL 25-27 IS THE GLOBAL JUBILEE OF TEENAGERS? Let’s join our brothers and sisters at the Natick Catholic Collaborative on Sunday, April 27 for a special half mile Eucharistic Procession around the Natick Common to celebrate the amazing teens who help make our local Catholic community so strong and vibrant. The procession will follow the 11:00am Mass at St. Patrick Church (gather in front of the church at 11:45am.) All teens, families, and parishioners are invited to join the Procession! Rain or shine! Click here to sign up to walk with Jesus!

Questions? Please contact Dawn Sullivan of the Natick Catholic Collaborative: dsullivan@natickcatholic.org

Friday, March 21 at 5:00pm: Teen Reconciliation and Worship Service at St. John the Evangelist Church

An open invitation to all teens – particularly those preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation this spring – to experience God’s love and mercy.

There will be music, a brief reading from scripture, a short reflection, and a walk through an examination of conscience. The Youth Ministry team will help guide you through all the steps to leaving a little lighter and filled with God’s mercy!

Interested, but not sure if you’ll feel ready to receive the sacrament? That’s OK, there will be no pressure – please come to the service anyway, and encourage your friends to come too!

Sunday, September 29: “Night of 1000 Pinatas” Youth Ministry Event

This Sunday at St. John immediately following the 5pm Youth Mass!

All high schoolers are invited to join us at our Welcome Back Youth Ministry event – food, fun, and… PINATAS!!!

Important Informational Meeting for the Youth Ministry “Jubilee of Youth 2025” Pilgrimage

Our Youth Ministry Team is organizing a pilgrimage for students age 16 & up to the Jubilee of Youth which will take place from July 28 – August 3, 2025 in Rome. The preliminary itinerary includes a few days in Florence and Assisi before heading to Rome for the Jubilee. (Please Note: All dates and events are still tentative as we work with our travel agent to finalize the plans.)

All teens (and their parents!) who are interested should plan to attend this important meeting. Registration and commitments for the pilgrimage will happen by the beginning of October…

Our Collaborative Outdoor Mass

Please join us on Sunday, September 22 at 10:30am on the St. Paul Lawn for our annual Collaborative Outdoor Mass and fellowship event!

NEW THIS YEAR! Our SJSP Society of St. Vincent de Paul chapter is sponsoring a cookout after Mass, providing hotdogs, hamburgers, and veggie burgers for all! Please plan to bring a side dish/salad to share if you are able!

So that as many members of our community as possible can join together for this special liturgy and fellowship event, there will be a reduced Mass schedule at the parishes on the weekend of September 21-22…