“God freely created us so that we might know, love, and serve him in this life and be happy with him forever.”
-St. Ignatius of Loyola
Saint John Bosco Faith Formation 2025-2026
Our parish Faith Formation program seeks to help children and their families know God and His church in order to better love and serve Him and others in their lives. Through regular participation in the celebration of the Mass and sacraments, classes, youth ministry events, family activities, and service projects, we hope our students not only learn about their faith but about how to live out their faith in meaningful and beautiful ways.
Family
Your family is the center of our program and your child’s faith formation. Our goal is to support you as the first and foremost catechist of your child with engaging materials and clear objectives. We embrace the idea of life-long formation and acknowledge that we are always learning and growing in our faith regardless of age. There will be opportunities for families to learn, share, discuss, and serve together with other families in our parish community. This model is an exciting direction that parishes around the diocese and country are finding meaningful and impactful.
Eucharist
All our sessions focus on the Mass, as it is our greatest prayer and the center of all we are as Catholics. The Family Masses take place on first weekend of every month, all of which will offer a Children’s liturgy of the word (K-4) and Teen Bible Chat (gr 5-8). A Faith Formation Session takes place on the 3rd Sunday of every month, which includes attendance at the 9am Sunday Mass. Lessons focus on the message of the Sunday Gospel, and the teaching of Jesus Christ.
Service
The Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy are the ways that we seek to serve God and neighbor. Students along with their families engage in opportunities to serve in a ministry or charity each month, which benefit our neighbors in need. Students preparing for confirmation are fostering service-oriented minds and hearts, in part, by giving two hours of their time each month serving their parish, schools, and the community.
Youth Ministry
Our parish Youth Ministry Program is an important partner to our Faith Formation Program – allowing our students the opportunities to grow in their faith, explore specific questions and interests, find support and prayer in difficult times, and enjoy a sense of community with other parish teens. Contact Kim Reinwald with any questions or just to drop by to chat (203-488-1607, ext. 120 or youth@saintjohnboscobranford.org).
- Jenny Smith, Faith Formation Coordinator
faithformation@saintjohnboscobranford.org
203-488-2998, ext. 202 - Regina Martindale, Faith Formation Office Admin
rmartindale@saintjohnboscobranford.org
203-488-2998, ext. 201
Families with children in Grades K-8 will attend two sessions a month together:
Any one of the 4 Family Masses on the first weekend of every month. All of those masses will offer a separate Children’s Liturgy of the Word + craft (for children K-gr 4)
during part of the Mass in the hall and a 15-min Teen Bible Chat (gr 5-8) immediately following Masses during“Coffee and” to make sense
of the readings and homily and apply them to their lives. Catechists and Peer Leader teens will lead these sessions.
Family Mass Times (1st weekend every month):
- Saturdays, 4:30pm St Therese
- Sundays, 7:30am St Mary
- Sundays, 9am St Therese
- Sundays, 10:30am St Mary
A 2.5-hour Faith Formation session on generally every 3rd Sunday of each month ( at St. Therese, including both Mass and related class session. Families will have the
flexibility to choose to attend any of the three sessions that best fit their schedule month to month. Attendance will reflect class and Mass.
At least one parent/guardian/adult must attend with their child(ren), which can include a grandparent, aunt/uncle, Godparent, sibling above 18, etc. There will be opportunities for families to learn, share, discuss, grow, and serve together with other families in our parish community. During a portion of the session, children gather by grade with their individual catechists while parents gather separately. Babysitting is available for younger children upon request – both at Mass and during sessions.
Families will register for one of the following sessions:
- Session A: St. Therese, Sundays 7:30-10:00 AM (9:00AM Mass included)
- Session B: St. Therese, Sundays 9:00-11:30 AM (9:00AM Mass included)
- Session C: St. Therese, Sundays 4-5:30pm (Mass slip will be submitted from attendance at any weekend Mass in or outside of our parish)
Make-up classes are offered on Tuesday evenings following the monthly Sunday sessions
from 5:00-6:30 PM at St. Therese, with a Mass slip from one of the weekend Masses.
First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion Preparation
Preparation occurs for most students during their 3rd grade year, but older children who have not received are welcome to prepare and receive the sacraments as well, as coordinated with Jenny Smith. Preparation takes place during our monthly sessions, as well as additional weekday classes preceding the sacrament. See calendar for dates and times.
Confirmation Preparation: NEW Grades 7+8
NOTE: The Archbishop has recently moved the age of Confirmation from Grade 10 to Grade 8, a move many archdiocese is making. This transition will impact kids in grades 7-10 over the next couple of years as we make this move. New this year: students in grades 7+8 in the fall of 2025 will enter Year 1 of Confirmation Preparation.
7th+8th graders will attend their regular monthly family faith formation sessions, as well as an additional evening class the first Sunday of every month to prepare for the sacrament of Confirmation. See Confirmation Commitments below for further details.
“Be who you were created to be, and you will set the world on fire.”
—St. Catherine of Siena
Confirmation Preparation
Our confirmation preparation aims at empowering students to love and live their faith, to avoid being Catholics in name only, and to step into the person God wants them to be. Classes are designed to inspire our teens to be courageous and intentional Catholics in today’s world by exploring questions, challenging assumptions, diving into prayer, and taking time to reflect.
Classes meet the first Sunday every month for a 2.5 hour in-person lesson, including time for learning, fellowship, and devotion. The goal is to apply what they learn into the everyday practice of living out their Catholic faith. Service projects and participation in parish ministry throughout the year, as well as a service retreat and witness retreat, are key components of our Confirmation Program.
New Year 1 (Gr 7+8)
Sundays, St. Mary Church, 4:30pm-6pm
Traditional Year 1 (Gr 9)
Sundays, St Mary Church 4:30pm – 6:45pm
Year 2 (Generally Gr 10+)
Sundays, St. Mary Church, 6:15pm-8:15 PM
Please see Confirmation Requirements on the last pages of the Faith Formation Guidebook (link below)
*Note – Incoming Year 2 students for the 2025-2026 year will be admitted once they have submitted their Faith Checks, Sponsor Interviews, and Saint Paragraphs on Google Classroom before the first class.
We’re always looking for adult volunteers!
Any parents, adults, or teens over 18 who would be interested in helping in the program (either planning or facilitating), we would love to have you! Please reach out to Jenny Smith at faithformation@saintjohnboscobranord.org and check out our volunteer page: Catechists & Adult Volunteers | St. John Bosco Parish
*Please note, children who are currently enrolled at East Shoreline Catholic Academy (ESCA) do NOT need to register for the parish Faith Formation program, even if they are making a sacrament here this year!
Registration Fee
Click the button to pay online, or you can pay the registration fee by submitting cash or check to the Faith Formation Office
- For Grades K-2, the fee is $100 per child
- For Grades 4-8, the fee is $100 per child
- For Grades 3, 9 & 10 (Sacrament Years), the fee is $125 per child
There is a $225 family maximum, and NO FEE for children of Catechists/Aides/Volunteers
If the fee presents legitimate hardship for your family, please write a brief letter to the Coordinator to request scholarship assistance and return to the Faith Formation Office.
Faith Formation Registration
Evangelus Text/Email System
By registering for the program, you will automatically be enrolled in the Evangelus text message/email notification system through the parish (This is NOT SPAM). This is how we will get important Faith Formation & Youth Ministry updates and notifications to you! You can opt out at any time.