Religious Ed

Welcome to the Saint Mary’s Religious Education page! We hope this page will be a source of inspiration, encouragement, and support for you and your family as you grow in faith. We expect this page to be under constant development so please check back often. We hold Religious Education classes for children in Kindergarten through 10th grade. We have an amazing team of catechists who volunteer to teach and help make the material come alive for our students. Whether you would like to enroll a child in our program or you feel called to teach our youth, we are delighted to welcome you to St. Mary’s parish family.

Religious Education at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish is deeply rooted in its community life. We believe that coming to know and love Jesus Christ occurs in many ways, such as through prayer, reflection, Christian service to one another, regular worship and celebration of the Sacraments, and through study of scripture and Catholic teachings.  

If a parish is really alive with the Spirit of Jesus Christ, it must reflect God’s generous love in its community life. “See how they love one another” was the reputation the early church had among their neighbors. While it can be challenging to live out this call to love, working through these challenges together with the love of Christ in our hearts is what makes us a family of faith.  

The goal of our religious education program is to help foster a love for Jesus Christ in children and adults in order to empower active disciples of Christ. While we are blessed to have so many adults who have answered the call to teach or catechize our youth in our parish programs, we recognize that families are where children primarily learn their faith in Christ. We also recognize that our life experiences affect our faith and offer ongoing formation for adults.

• Fill the void in your child’s life

• Develop reverence

• Grow spiritually

• Experience true friendships

• Develop the next generation

• Form virtuous and pious young adults

Liturgy of the Word – Liturgy of the Word is offered during the 10:30 Mass on Sundays. Children, ages 5 through grade 4, are invited to experience the readings in a way that they can relate to, allowing them to make the Mass their own. Liturgy of the Word breaks for the Summer and resumes after Labor Day.

Vacation Bible School – VBS is held for every summer and is always a huge hit. Our adult and teen volunteers work hard to make this a memorable week for our children, full of games, crafts, and –of course—the message of God’s love for all of us. Vacation Bible School is $40 per child, with a family maximum of $80.  The theme for 2019 was 'Roar!-Life is Wild, God is Good!' an African safari adventure.  Planning for 2020 has scheduled the Vacation Bible School for June 26 to re.    

Edge/Life Teen – Edge and Life Teen programs are implemented in our middle school and high school youth ministry groups. Each group meeting consists of a game, teaching, small group time, and time to be with friends.  Each ministry group begins a new year in September. The middle school group meets on Monday nights alternating weeks between two parishes from 6:30 to 8:00 PM.; Sacred Heart, Milford on the first Monday of the month and here at St. Mary's on the third Monday of each month.  The high school group's meeting day is still to be determined for the September, 2019-2020 school year.  Please check back for updated calendars in September.  

Young Neighbors in Action – YNIA is a service oriented group that takes a mission trip for one week every summer to help communities in need. This year's team will travel to Washington, DC from July 8th to 12th.  They will sponsor fundraising for their efforts on June 2nd with a Bottle & Can Drive at the Redemption Center in the Big Y parking lot from 9 Am to 1 PM and also that afternoon from 1 to 5 PM at JJ's Ice Cream Shoppe on Route 140 in Upton.  A percentage of your purchases druing that time will be donated to our YNIA group.  Registration is closed for this year's team, but new members can join in August.

*We are looking for adults/young adults who love working with teens and willing to lead some of the youth ministry group meetings. Please call the Religious Education office if you are interested in getting involved with any of the Religious Education programs* (508) 478-7440