For 2024-25, our 7th/8th grade and high school group will now meet on Sundays once a month at the Parish Center, Oak Bluffs, from 10:30 am-12 noon.
Sessions will be offered weekly to be completed at home, with a monthly gathering at the parish center. Sunday Mass attendance is mandatory (sign-in book at main entrances begins Sept 7/8) along with responses to questions about the weekly Gospel and Father’s homily on our website https://goodshepherdmv.com/student-sunday-mass-questions/.
We are in Year Three of the Eucharistic Revival calling all Catholics across the US, to be healed, converted, formed, and unified by an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist—and sent out in mission “for the life of the world.” (See USCCB Eucharistic Revival begun in June, 2022.) If families are off island, the student is expected to bring a bulletin signed by the priest at off-island Church with same 1/2 page responses. Students (ideally with his/her family) will be expected to come to the Sacrament of Confession at a minimum during Advent/Lent, Stations of the Cross at least once, spend time in Eucharistic Adoration and give some time in service to the parish and/or community. Video links and worksheets (for both students and parents) will be provided at first in-person session and/or emailed weekly.
Symbolon for Teens 7th/8th Grade Schedule 2024-25 In-Person: 10:30-noon Parish Center; or at St. A’s
Week # Sunday Date: Weekly Lessons
2024
- September 22, 2024 The Creed. Episode 1: Trinity, Faith & the God Who Is Love
- September 29, 2024 The Creed. Episode 2: Divine Revelation: God Seeking Us
- October 6, 2024 The Creed. Episode 3: The Bible: God’s Love Letter to Us
October 13, 2024 Columbus Day weekend — no lessons
- October 20, 2024 The Creed. Episode 4: The Story of Salvation
- October 27, 2024 The Creed. Episode 5: Who Is Jesus?
- November 3, 2024 The Creed. Episode 6: The Paschal Mystery
- November 10, 2024 The Creed. Episode 7: The Holy Spirit & the Life of Grace
- November 17, 2024 The Creed. Episode 8: Why Do I Need the Church?
- November 24, 2024 The Creed. Episode 9: Mary & the Saints
December 1, 2024 Thanksgiving Weekend – no lessons
- December 8, 2024 The Creed. Episode 10: What Happens after We Die?
- December 15, 2024 at St. A’s Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and Confession; Test
December 22, 2024 Christmas Break – no lessons
December 29, 2024 Christmas Break – no lessons
2025
- January 5, 2025 Living the Creed. Episode 1: Baptism & Confirmation
- January 12, 2025 Living the Creed. Episode 2: The Eucharist
- January 19, 2025 Living the Creed. Episode 3: Walk through the Mass
- January 26, 2025 Living the Creed. Episode 4: Penance/Anointing of the Sick
- February 2, 2025 at St. A’s Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and The Rosary
- February 9, 2025 Living the Creed. Episode 5: Matrimony & Holy Orders
- February 16, 2025 Living the Creed. Episode 6: A Catholic Moral Vision
February 23, 2025 School Vacation Week – no lessons
- March 2, 2025 Living the Creed. Episode 7: Discovering Authentic Love
- March 9, 2025* no lesson– *at St. A’s TUES. 3/11 6PM* — Stations of the Cross and Confession
21. March 16, 2025 Living the Creed. Episode 8: God’s Plan for Sexuality (Includes annual Safe Environment Lesson)
- March 23, 2025 Living the Creed. Episode 9: A Civilization of Love
- March 30, 2025 Living the Creed. Episode 10: Dignity of the Human Person
24. April 13, 2025 at St. A’s –PALM SUNDAY: Holy Week Reflection (The Triduum) and final test
Lessons must be completed each week, both videos & worksheets.
Sunday Mass attendance is mandatory. Sign in at the main entrance at either St. Augustine’s or St. Elizabeth’s every week. Remember to fill out the 3 Questions form online, regarding that Mass, and submit by Tuesday of same week. If off-island, bring in a Church bulletin, signed by the priest there. Also, answer if/why you missed Mass.
Sacrament of Confession mandatory at least one time on Tuesday evenings during both Advent and Lent (scheduled).
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, outside of Sunday Mass is mandatory, minimum of 2x (scheduled).
Stations of the Cross mandatory at least one time during Lent (scheduled).
Community Service mandatory whether through our parish (Halloween, Xmas tea, food pantry, Mass greeters/baskets/clean pew areas after Mass, atrium, Tisbury St Fair), or out in wider island community. 10-20 hours
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Confirmation is currently celebrated in ninth grade. The diocesan requirement is 2 years of preparation prior to receiving the Sacrament, which is typically in the spring of freshman year; otherwise Confirmation will be delayed until obligations are met.
2024-25 Registration fees: $100/child or $200/family maximum.
Fall Registration will be available under Faith Formation Tab on our website starting Aug. 26th-Sept. 19th: nothing to print, just fill out and submit! Or stop by during regular office hours M-W & F 9:30 am – 4:00 pm. Completed forms and payment are expected before sessions begin. Payment can be made under our online giving platform, by check (made out to: Good Shepherd Parish) or with cash. A new medical information/student release form has to be filled out each year, and please upload or bring a copy of the child’s sacrament certificates: if he/she wasn’t baptized here on Martha’s Vineyard, and/or First Communion, if celebrated off island.
Contact the parish office 508-693-0342 for more information; or email Sue Pagliccia, formation leader: sue@goodshepherdmv.com
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Symbolon for Teens: The Creed/Living the Creed 10-part video series www.formed.org
Symbolon: The Catholic Faith Explained is a systematic presentation of our Catholic Faith. It will lead you through the “big picture” of the Catholic Faith and our Creed is the guide. Symbolon brings together some of the most trusted Catholic teachers in the world to guide you through the breadth and richness of the Catholic faith.
Episode 1: Trinity, Faith & the God Who Is Love (15 minutes)
The Bible reveals the mystery of who God is: God is love. God created us out of love, died for us out of love, and invites us on a journey of faith in which we live in his love. In this study, we’ll look at the God who is Love and how that Love shows itself in the Trinity and the Faith.
Episode 2: Divine Revelation: God Seeking Us (16 minutes)
Religion is often perceived as humanity’s search for God, but Christianity is more about God’s search for us. God “unveils” himself to us and reveals his plan for our lives through “Divine Revelation.” But what is this revelation, and how does it impact our lives?
Episode 3: The Bible: God’s Love Letter to Us (19 minutes)
The seventy-three books of the Bible come together to tell the story of God’s saving plan. But is it merely an ancient document or collection of fables? Why do Catholics believe it is “inspired”—and what does “inspired” mean? In this session, we’ll look at the Bible as an encounter in which the God who speaks to us as a Father lovingly speaks to his children.
Episode 4: The Story of Salvation (16 minutes)
Our modern world has lost its story. We don’t know from where we came. We don’t know why we’re here. And we don’t know where we’re going. In this study we’ll see that God wants to draw us into his greater story—one that rescues us from death and leads to an eternal relationship with him.
Episode 5: Who Is Jesus? (15 minutes)
Jesus is more than a good teacher or good example. He claimed to be God. And that claim challenges all of us to make an important choice: Will we accept Jesus as who he said he is?
Episode 6: The Paschal Mystery (18 minutes)
Through Jesus’s Death on the Cross, God reveals himself most profoundly as the God who is love. Christ’s sacrificial love saves us from sin and shows us the pathway to true human happiness. We are made to live like Christ: in total, self-giving love.
Episode 7: The Holy Spirit & the Life of Grace (18 minutes)
One of the most profound aspects of the Catholic Faith is that Christ sent his Spirit to dwell in the hearts of the baptized. But who is the Holy Spirit, and how do we actively invite him to do what he was placed inside of us to do?
Episode 8: Why Do I Need the Church? (23 minutes)
Some people say, “I’m spiritual, but not religious” or “I like Jesus, but don’t need a church.” In this study, we’ll see how one can’t fully love the King while rejecting his Kingdom. Yet loving the Church can be a challenge when it is filled with people just like us.
Episode 9: Mary & the Saints (19 minutes)
Jesus gave his mother Mary to us as our spiritual mother, and she intercedes for us in heaven before her Son. By growing in relationship with Mary—and the rest of the saints—we grow in fellowship with Christ.
Episode 10: What Happens after We Die? (19 minutes)
Deep in the human heart is the question: What happens after we die? Jesus reveals the Last Things—death, judgement, Heaven, and Hell—and what we need to do now to prepare for eternity.
Symbolon for Teens: Living The Creed 10-part video series
Episode 1: Baptism & Confirmation (24 minutes)
Most of us are familiar with the word “sacrament.” We participate in sacramental rites often as Catholics. But do we understand what a sacrament is—and what it means for us and our everyday lives?
Episode 2: The Eucharist (18 minutes)
It looks like bread and wine, yet it is called the Real Presence of Jesus. It is also called the Eucharist, but many Catholics would struggle to explain what that word means. What do Catholics really believe about the Body and Blood, and why has it become the center point of the Catholic Mass?
Episode 3: Walk through the Mass (18 minutes)
Every Sunday, Catholics gather together to celebrate the Mass. But do we understand the deeper meaning of what happens there? Now we can.
Episode 4: Penance/Anointing of the Sick (24 minutes)
Why is the Sacrament of Reconciliation essential—and potentially life-changing—for Catholics? How does the Anointing of the Sick make a difference to those who are suffering or dying?
Episode 5: Matrimony & Holy Orders (26 minutes)
More than merely a contract between two people in love, marriage was created by God as part of his plan for humanity. How we fit within that plan may depend on our view of the Sacrament of Matrimony and its profound meaning for the world.
Episode 6: A Catholic Moral Vision (24 minutes)
How does following the moral vision as taught by the Church lead us to whole and happy lives, especially when the world around us seems to be in moral turmoil?
Episode 7: Discovering Authentic Love (19 minutes)
There now seems to be a free-for-all idea of “love”—personally decided and self-centered—that often leads to heartbreak and unhappiness. Is that what God intends when he is called “Love” by the writers of the New Testament? What does it mean when we talk about love—and God’s calling for us to love him and those around us?
Episode 8: God’s Plan for Sexuality (28 minutes)
Understanding God’s truth about human sexuality can transform our lives. But are we ready to rebel against our culture’s view and understand the truth about sexual intimacy?
Episode 9: A Civilization of Love (18 minutes)
The basis of the Church’s social teaching is an expression of God’s love for humanity. But how can Catholics apply that teaching to their everyday encounters and challenges?
Episode 10: Dignity of the Human Person (27 minutes)
In an age when life itself seems disposable, how can we follow God’s call to protect and promote the dignity of the human person in all places and circumstances?