Youth Ministry/Religious Education
Under the direction of Gail Jaskal, we are making every effort to implement an overall youth ministry program which has a major component the religious education of our grammar school and high school youth.
The 9am Mass on Sundays is a family/children oriented Mass in which the Scripture readings and the homily are geared toward the children. Immediately following Mass, our catechists break the children into small groups for faith instruction. The Scripture theme, for that particular Sunday, is carried through by the catechists in their individual instructions. An effort is also made to introduce a service component at an early age; thus having the children see the relationship of faith to service of one another.
Our catechists put in a great deal of time and effort in bringing. Christ to the children of the parish and we thank each of them most sincerely: Carol Clegg, Karen Hayes, Norma Murphy, Amy Vasquez, Joanthan DeSousa, Bridge Reilly, Lynn Brogan, Jolanta Cai, Sarah DeSuosa, Leda DeSousa, and Joanna Ercolani.
Our high school student program, and confirmation prep program is coordinated by Gail Jaskal. This program also lays heavy emphasis on faith and service, and to this end many of the high school students have been engaged in various efforts in making a difference in peoples' lives.
Ministry to the Homebound
We are blessed to have a wondeful corp of people who extend our parish ministry to the homebound of our parish. With great compassion they combine the bringing of the Eucharist with a friendly visit to many who have few if any visitors.
This ministry too is an image of the early church. The bishop would celebrate Mass, and individuals from the worshipping community would then take the Eucharist to those members of the community who were unable to participate at Mass. Besides visiting the homebound in this way, nursing homes are also part of this ministry. We are most grateful to Aline Wright, Jennie Keville, Simonne Grenier, Bill Frappier, and Kathleen Rourke. Their commitment to this ministry is inspiring.