Interested in learning more about the Catholic faith, being better equipped to share your faith, and experiencing community with others from all around the Diocese? If so, check out the Diocesan Youth Discipleship Team!

The Discipleship Team is a formation and discipleship program for youth in 9th-12th grade and adults who serve in youth ministry. The program is designed to provide opportunities for personal spiritual growth and equip members with skills for missionary discipleship in their own parishes and communities. The program helps teens to develop a daily personal prayer life, explore various topics of the Catholic faith, form community with other teens from all around the Diocese, and encounter Jesus in Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, and confession!

The Discipleship Team is designed for high school youth (9-12th grade) from parishes and schools around the diocese. The program is designed for youth who are active in their Catholic faith and are striving to live out lives of Christian discipleship. There is no set limit on how many teens from a parish or school can sign up.

Adults who are involved in youth ministry at their parish are also encouraged to participate on the team with the teens from their parish. 

How are adult youth ministry leaders defined? Adults on the Discipleship Team can be any adult that works with youth including parish youth ministers, DRE's, small group leaders, priests, deacons, parent volunteers, or any adult who is working with teens in their parish. 
  
Can youth from a parish sign up without an adult? Yes, teens can sign up without an adult leader. However, we highly encourage an adult leader from the parish to sign up and attend too. This is a great opportunity for adult leaders to be intentionally connected to the Discipleship Team teen(s) from your parish to give a foundation for establishing parish youth ministry. However, no teens will be turned away if an adult from the parish is unable to participate.

Do adult team members have to attend every commitment? Adult team members do not have to attend every commitment. We ask that adults attend as many monthly meetings as they can. For more details on commitments, scroll down to the "meetings & events" section.

The Discipleship Team is made up of 4 pillars – Prayer, Community, Formation, and Evangelization. Over the course of the program, members of the Discipleship Team will have the opportunity to form community and friendships with their peers on the team, grow deeper in their knowledge of the Catholic faith, be empowered to evangelize the gospel message to others, and have the opportunity to encounter Jesus Christ in prayer and the Sacraments.

Prayer
Prayer is the foundation of discipleship. We cannot give what we have not yet received. As a Discipleship Team member, participants will have the opportunity to learn more about prayer and how to develop a daily prayer life through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This will begin at the retreat with sessions on prayer and opportunities to encounter Jesus in various forms of prayer as well as Adoration, confession, and Mass. Prayer will also be a strong theme in the monthly meetings with each meeting ending with Adoration and the opportunity for confession.

Community
The Discipleship Team is a community where participants have the opportunity to make new and lasting friendships with others from across the Diocese. This community provides an environment of trust and accountability. This community will be joined together at the retreat through icebreakers and team building activities, small group discussions, and ultimately in the Eucharist through Mass and Eucharistic Adoration.

Formation
Participants will also have the opportunity to grow and be challenged in their understanding of the Catholic faith. This begins at the retreat where the teens will learn about who Jesus is and how to be His disciple. At each monthly meeting, participants will have the opportunity to dive deeper into various formation topics. These topics are customized to the needs of the participants themselves and what they want to learn more about.

Evangelization
Participants will have the opportunity to put discipleship into practice through evangelization. This will take place in 3 primary ways:

1. Invite their peers to encounter Christ at High School Amplify – Discipleship Team members will have to opportunity to attend high school Amplify throughout the year and invite their friends/parish communities to join them.
2. Evangelizing to their peers in their own parish communities – Discipleship Team members will be trained in evangelization and personal witness. We encourage their parish communities to give them opportunities to witness to their peers (religious ed, youth ministry, etc.)
3. Optional opportunities to assist with Diocesan events such as middle school Amplify nights and Confirmation retreats.

For a full list of the schedule of all of the events and meetings, scroll down or click here!

1. Want to start or grow Youth Ministry at your parish? - Try inviting 1 or 2 (or more!) youth to sign up for the Discipleship Team. On the team, participants are accompanied to grow in their own faith and empowered in the areas of evangelization. Discipleship Team members can then be a great resource to a youth minister by inviting other teens to parish youth ministry events and providing peer mentorship!
2. Want to start or supplement a small group discipleship ministry in your parish? - If you are looking to start a small group discipleship group at your parish or school or already have a small group of committed teens, consider inviting them to be a part of the Discipleship Team. Each monthly meeting includes in depth discussions on various faith topics (based on questions by the participants). You can get discussions started at these meetings and continue afterwards during the month with your parish or school discipleship group. 
3. Not able to launch youth programs at this time at your parish but still want to offer teens something? - Any and all interested teens are welcome to be a part of the Discipleship Team!

Discipleship Team members are expected to attend the following events. If there are any issues or if you have any questions, please contact Tim Messenger at 508-929-4360 or at [email protected]

Discipleship Team Retreat

Saturday, August 16, 2025 at St. Joseph, Charlton

Monthly Meetings

Each meeting will begin with dinner (optional) at 6pm. This is followed by opportunities for team building and discussions on a selected faith topics. Every meeting concludes with some time in Eucharistic Adoration with the opportunity for confession also available!

Monthly Meeting Format

6:00: (Optional) Dinner

6:30: Small Groups

6:45: Team-Building and Icebreakers

7:00: Discussions on select faith topics

8:00: Eucharistic Adoration (confessions available)

8:30: Meeting ends

Amplify Nights

Several times throughout the year, the Discipleship Team will participate in Diocesan Amplify nights. These gatherings are "mini-retreats" that last a couple of hours and include dinner, icebreakers, a guest speaker, Eucharistic Adoration, and confession. Discipleship Team are also encouraged to invite others from their parishes, schools, or friendship circles, to these events.

2025-2026 Amplify Nights

Cost to sign up for the Discipleship Team is $35/person. (If cost is an issue, contact Tim Messenger at 508-929-4360 or at [email protected]) The fee will be due at the retreat in August.

To sign up for the Discipleship Team, participants can complete a short sign-up form using the button below.