Welcome
to our Program

We recognize parents as the first and foremost educators of their children and the first to communicate the faith to their children. Our program has the fundamental task of complementing, reinforcing, and extending the family’s efforts, and uniting the heart of the Church with the heart of the home.

The objective of catechesis today is a developmental and formational experience that leads to transformation. More emphasis should be placed on process rather than program, as catechesis is truly an ongoing, lifelong journey. Our Faith Formation program seeks to reflect this transformational experience by providing opportunities for families, adults and children alike, while deepening their understanding of their Catholic faith. Our belief is that adults should feel empowered to effectively live a life of faith that is passed to and shared with their children through action in our parish, and in the world around them, as the Body of Christ. Children, in turn, emulate the faith their family shares and are equipped as they grown to live their faith in the world.

A comprehensive faith formation program includes both systematic catechesis and sacramental preparation. Together, these two religious education component make for Total Catechesis. Our classes offer systematic catechesis for Grade 1 through high school youth as well as sacramental preparation for Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation. Classes cover basic doctrine, prayer, Christian morality, liturgy and Sacraments at an age-appropriate level.

Outline
of our Program

Deep Dive Requirements

• Required for Grades 7 & 8
• Of the 4, 1 must be Adoration Evening
• Of the 4, 2 must be attended as a family
• for each Deep Dive completed, youth are asked to turn in a reflection sheet (see below)

Deep Dive descriptions, Deep Dive sign-ups, etc. can be found on the Deep Dive page by clicking here. Once a Deep Dive has been completed, a reflection should be completed and submitted. The online reflection can be found at the bottom of this page.

Mass Tickets

Each week at Sunday Mass all youth in faith formation are asked to fill out a Mass Ticket and place it in the basket during Offertory. The purpose of these Mass tickets is twofold. First to communicate to those who do attend Mass that their presence is an important gift to our faith communities. Second to help those who are not already in the habit of weekly Mass attendence work towards regular attendance by providing some accountablity.  Mass Tickets can be found in the entrances to the church and 7&8 Tickets are green.

Encounter Online

Families who would like to follow along with what their children are learning in class are welcome to watch the videos we use in class each month by using the online video access provided by Ascension. Follow the directions below to brush up on you Bible knowledge along with your youth.

Video Access Directions to Encounter Videos
 

1. Click on the above ASCENSION image 
2. Click on SIGN IN button in top right corner of the page
3. If you already have an account, login using your email and password
4. If you do not have an account, create one by clicking on 'BECOME A MEMBER' on the left side
5. Using the MENU dropdown on the top right corner of the page go to My Dashboard
6. If you have already registered for this year's Encounter study, click on Your Library and then chose Chosen - St. John & St. Mary Church
7. If you have not registered for this years Encounter study, click on JOIN A STUDY, then click on REDEEM CODE and enter EYTBVM
8. Once in the Encounter study, click on the appropriate week's videos to view 

Parent Participation

We are asking parents to attend ONE Encounter session with their child over the course of the year. At this session, parents may be asked to step in and help lead a group of young people or they may be with a group of other parents. To sign up for a session, please click on the appropriated below.

St. John
St. Mary

Make-Up Work Directions
For each class missed, please follow these directions to make-up the class:

1. Find the Session missed in your Encounter Workbook (Session numbers can be found in the class calendar below, use calendar view to see things in the past)
2. Read the introduction to the Session
3. Watch the Video for the Session (see directions above)
4. In the dicussion section of the Session Videos, make at least 3 brief comments- comments can be an observation you have, something you learned, a question that arose for you from the video, etc.

Volunteer Requirements
of our Program

Protecting God's Children Workshop
All volunteers 18+ must have completed the VIRTUS Protecting God's Children workshop. If you have not, please refer to the below:

Local Upcoming (CAP) Workshops

From the drop down menu, choose Boston, MA (Archdiocese) and ENTER. Scroll through the offerings until you find one that fits your schedule.

---

Other Required Forms

The CORI form needs to be completed annually

2022 CORI Form                    

Both the Volunteer Code of Conduct and Sexual Harrassment Policy need to be distributed and 'returned' only once.
Volunteer Code of Conduct
Sexual Harrassment Policy  

The Intent To Teach form is to be filled out by those who wish to help our Faith Formation  team carry out the education of our children in the upcoming/current Faith Formation year. Intent to Teach Form              

---

Inclement Weather Policy

The announcement of canceled classes due to inclement weather will be announced through the parish office automated phone voice mail system call (978) 256-2374 or (978) 251-8571, option (6), the collaborative website and Flocknote email notification* as well as being broadcasted on the following weather channels:

• Channel 4/WBZ                
• Channel 5/WCVB             
• Channel 7/WHDH

The decision to cancel  classes will be made Saturday evening or Sunday by 6:30 am. In the case of mid-afternoon storm, the decision will be made by 1:00 pm.

As the weather in New England can be somewhat unpredictable, please know that we respect and expect parents to use their own prudential judgment in regard to the safety of transporting their family members during periods of inclement weather.