Family Resources
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CONFIRMATION I & II Calendar
April 2020Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 2911:30 FF.SJE Confirmation I4:15p FF.SM Confirmation IMonth View March 29, 202030Month View March 30, 202031Month View March 31, 20201Month View April 1, 20202Month View April 2, 20203Month View April 3, 20204Month View April 4, 20205Month View April 5, 20206Month View April 6, 20207Month View April 7, 20208Month View April 8, 20209Month View April 9, 202010Month View April 10, 202011Month View April 11, 202012Month View April 12, 202013Month View April 13, 202014Month View April 14, 202015Month View April 15, 202016Month View April 16, 202017Month View April 17, 202018Month View April 18, 202019Month View April 19, 202020Month View April 20, 202021Month View April 21, 202022Month View April 22, 202023Month View April 23, 202024Month View April 24, 202025Month View April 25, 20202611:30 FF.SJE Confirmation I4:15p FF.SM Confirmation IMonth View April 26, 202027Month View April 27, 202028Month View April 28, 202029Month View April 29, 202030Month View April 30, 20201Month View May 1, 20202Month View May 2, 2020 -
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
Alana Buckley, Faith Formation Specialist, ext 212
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 Jan. 5th- 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.
Canidate 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 can be 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