Interested in making new friends, learning more about your Catholic faith, and growing in a closer relationship with Jesus? If so, check out the middle school discipleship team! All middle schoolers (6th-8th Grade) are invited to join us for this amazing opportunity!

What is the Middle School Discipleship Team?
The Middle School Discipleship Team is a program designed to accompany young people in formation, Christian leadership, and ultimately fostering a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The team is open to any young person in 6th-8th grade from parishes or schools around the Diocese of Worcester. The Middle School Discipleship Team focuses on 3 components - prayer, formation, and evangelization.

What is the format and commitment level of the program?
The Middle School Discipleship Team has 3 categories of commitments. The commitments focus on each of the 3 components of the team. While all commitment engages all 3 of the components, each of the commitments also has a particular focus on one of the components specifically.

1. Retreat (Prayer) - The program begins with a day-long retreat opportunity where members will participate in icebreakers and community building activities, hear witness talks by members of the high school Discipleship Team, participate in small group discussions, and encounter Jesus in the Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, and the opportunity for confession. The overall goal of the retreat is to help a teen begin or grow in their relationship with Christ through a personal prayer life.

2. Meetings (Formation) - Following the retreat, members of the team will meet 4 times throughout the year. Each meeting will include community building activities and formation in various topics of the Catholic faith. The overall goal of each meeting is to discuss and help team members have a deeper knowledge on topics of the Catholic faith that are pertinent to their own life experience. Each meeting will also end in prayer with a short time of Eucharistic Adoration.

Meeting Dates - All meetings will take place at St. George in Worcester3. Middle School Amplify (Evangelization) - These gatherings are periodic "mini-retreat" opportunities for any middle schooler in the Diocese. Middle School Discipleship Team members are asked to participate in these gatherings and put evangelization skills to work by inviting friends and their parishes!

Middle School Amplify Dates
 Friday, December 13, 2024 5:30-8:30pm at Our Lady of the Lake, Leominster
 Friday, May 9, 2025 5:30-8:30pm at North American Martyrs, Auburn
*Participants do not have to attend all Middle School Amplify but should attend at least 1 gathering

 

Saturday October 5th, 12:30-8pm
Discipleship Team Retreat
at North American Martyrs, Auburn

Saturday November 9th, 9:30am-noon
Meeting 1
at St. George, Worcester

Friday December 13th, 6-8:30pm
Middle School Amplify
at Our Lady of the Lake, Leominster

Saturday January 18, 2025, 9:30am-noon
Meeting 2
at St. George, Worcester

Saturday March 1, 2025, 9:30am-noon
Meeting 3
at St. George, Worcester

Saturday April 12, 2025, 9:30am-noon
Meeting 4
at St. George, Worcester

Friday May 9, 2025, 6-8:30pm
Middle School Amplify
at North American Martyrs, Auburn

Below are a few ways that the Middle School Discipleship Team can assist you in starting or growing a parish youth ministry program!
 

1. Want to start or grow Youth Ministry at your parish? - Try inviting 1 or 2 (or more!) youth to sign up for the Middle School 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? - 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 Middle School Discipleship Team. Each meeting includes in depth discussions on various faith topics. You can get discussions started at these meetings and continue afterwards with your parish or school discipleship group. (Adult youth leaders are more than welcome to attend the monthly meetings if you want!)
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 Middle School Discipleship Team!