Family Resources
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CONFIRMATION I & II Calendar
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 25Month View April 25, 202126Month View April 26, 202127Month View April 27, 202128Month View April 28, 202129Month View April 29, 202130Month View April 30, 20211Month View May 1, 20212Month View May 2, 20213Month View May 3, 20214Month View May 4, 20215Month View May 5, 20216Month View May 6, 20217Month View May 7, 20218Month View May 8, 20219Month View May 9, 202110Month View May 10, 202111Month View May 11, 202112Month View May 12, 202113Month View May 13, 202114Month View May 14, 202115Month View May 15, 202116Month View May 16, 202117Month View May 17, 202118Month View May 18, 202119Month View May 19, 202120Month View May 20, 202121Month View May 21, 202122Month View May 22, 202123Month View May 23, 202124Month View May 24, 202125Month View May 25, 202126Month View May 26, 202127Month View May 27, 202128Month View May 28, 202129Month View May 29, 202130Month View May 30, 202131Month View May 31, 20211Month View June 1, 20212Month View June 2, 20213Month View June 3, 20214Month View June 4, 20215Month View June 5, 2021 -
Volunteer Requirements...
From the drop down menu, choose Boston, MA (Archdiocese) and ENTER. Scroll through the offerings until you find one that fits your schedule.
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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/WHDHThe decision to cancel classes will be made Saturday evening or Sunday by 6:30 am. In the case of mid-afternoon storm, thebdecision 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.
* To sign up for Flocknote, please see below. Enter email address OR mobile phone, OR both. The fields you complete will determine the method in which you
will receive Flocknote notifications. -
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Introducing our Faith Formation Staff...
(978) 251-8571/ 256-2374
Heather Hannaway, Director of Faith Formation, ext 226
Courtney A. Callanan, MA, Assistant Director of Faith Formation & Youth Minister, ext 227
Elaine Kindler, Faith Formation Coordinator, ext 216
Lynn Anne LaDuke, Faith Formation Coordinator, ext 240
Faith Formation Office Hours...
Monday - Thursday... 10:00 am - 5:00 pm | Office is closed on Fridays -
Deep Dive Requirements
Deep Dives are required for Confirmation I & II- For both Confirmation I & II, of the 4, 2 must be attended as a family
- For Confirmation I, of the 4, one must be a Teaching Baptism
- For Confirmation II, of the 4, one must be the Candidate Sponsor Night
Deep Dive descriptions, Deep Dive sign-ups, etc. can be found on the Deep Dive page by clicking here. There are additional Deep Dives available only to those in Confirmation prep. That schedule can be found 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
Confirmation II Requirements...
The following requirements are ONLY for youth in Confirmation II.
Sacramental Paperwork
All sacramental paperwork is due by January 5, 2021- Saint Name Form
- Sponsor Form
- Letter to the Bishop
- Sacramental Records (Baptism & 1st Eucharist) on file with parish
Confirmation Retreat
All youth preparing for Confirmation must participate in a retreat. The Chelmsford Collaborative provides two retreats. One at St. John's and one at St. Mary's each year. Teens are welcome to attend at either parish regardless of where they attend classes. To sign-up for a retreat, please use this link. Please note we are in need of adult help with each of these retreats and would ask you to consider helping out for the day.
Candidate Sponsor Night
The role of the sponsor is an important one for those preparing for Confirmation. At this evening sponsors will be invited to help their confirmand reflect and pray on how they can best live out their Christian faith as they prepare for Confirmation and after Confirmation. This evening will be on April 15th from 6:30-8:30pm at St. Mary’s Hall (for ALL Confirmation II). If a sponsor cannot attend, a parent may come in his/her stead.Interview with Fr. Brian
Fr. Brian has requested that all confirmation candidates complete a 15 min. interview with him before receiving confirmation. This is not meant to be an intimidating event. Fr. Brian just wants the chance to get to know the kids in his parish a little better and having an informal conversation with teens preparing for confirmation is one of the ways he does this. Interview will be schedule in the month proceeding confirmation and candidates should come prepared with a question for Fr. Brian.
Mass Engagment...
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 attendance work towards regular attendance by providing some accountability. Mass Tickets can be found in the entrances to the church and Confirmation tickets are red.Mass Reflections
These are aimed at helping those preparing for Confirmation achieve "full, active participation" in the Mass by reflecting on what they have heard in the readings and homily, as well as encouraging them to approach the Eucharist in a spirit of thanksgiving. Confirmation candidates are asked to turn in five complete Mass Reflections over the course of the year. You can download a Mass Reflection Sheet by clicking HERE, or you can find a hardcopy at either church:- At St. John, they can be found by the Faith Formation Desk in the New Parish Center
- At St. Mary, they can be found by the Confessionals in the Church
Chosen 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 do so.
Video Access Directions to Chosen Videos1. Click on the ASCENSION image to the left (or go to ascensionpress.com)
2. Click on SIGN IN button in top right corner of the page
2a. If you already have an account, login using your email
and password
2b. If you do not have an account, create one by clicking on
'BECOME A MEMBER' on the left side
3. Using the MENU dropdown on the top right corner of the page go to My Dashboard
3a. If you have already registered for this year's CHOSEN study, click on Your Library
and then chose Chosen - St. John & St. Mary Church
3b. If you have not registered for this years Chosen study, click on JOIN A STUDY,
then click on REDEEM CODE. Enter 9NKBUM (for Confirmation I) or
SP2WC5 (for Confirmation II).
4. Once in the Chosen study, click on the appropriate week's videos to view
Make-Up Work Directions
For each class missed please follow these directions to make-up the class:- Find the Lesson missed in your Chosen Workbook (Lesson numbers found here.)
- Read the introduction to the Lesson
- Watch the Videos for the Lesson (see directions above)
- In the discussion section of the Lesson 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.
- Read the To the Heart in your Chosen Workbook
- Read the Hero of the Week in your Chosen Workbook
- Chose a Challenge of the Week in your Chosen Workbook
- Read the Taking It Home in your Chosen Workbook