St. Mary-Holy Cross Parish

Hello EDGE families! It was a true blessing to have your 7th and 8th graders attend middle school faith formation with us at SMHC. Coming off a year or two of covid and all the uncertainties and restrictions, we were unsure of how the year would turn out! We were most grateful to be able to gather once again and learn as a group. There were some illnesses and weather-related cancellations in early January, but for the most part we met when we were scheduled to meet. We had a very small group of 7th & 8th graders this year and often there were as many high school teen leaders as we had middle school students. Overall, we felt the year was rich in faith formation, fellowship, service, outreach, and of course a little bit of fun too.

Here is a brief recap of our EDGE year. In September, we enjoyed our first few sessions outside and worked in our small groups and learned about the importance of fellowship in our parish family. We hosted our Community Wide Trunk or Treat with an outstanding turnout (even if the weather didn't cooperate.) In October, we celebrated our Blessed Virgin, prayed the Rosary, and learned about sacramentals. In November, the EDGE teens helped with a session of service and helped work on a little deep cleaning and organizing projects around our parish. We completed our semester called, "Now and Forever."  This is a Life Teen curriculum, covering questions about the Mass. We were grateful to enlist Father Andrew, our catechists, and a few special Parishioners to help share in their love and knowledge of the Mass. Our hope is that the sessions provided opportunities for our EDGE middle school youth to ask questions and understand the Mass a bit better. We pray it allowed for the youth to embrace the positive impact the Mass has on their lives and on the world. The sessions covered important elements that allowed the youth to see the roots of the Mass in Christ’s Paschal Mystery, the importance of the Eucharist, the way the different parts of the Mass fit together, and how the Mass can positively affect and bear fruit in their daily lives.

Thank you for allowing us to help you in faith formation of your child. You have some amazing young people! We will see you at Mass, other parish gatherings, and we look forward to EDGE 2022-2023. Please get registered soon so we can begin to plan another fruitful year of formation for our middle school youth. 

Blessings on your spring and summer!

Andrea, Bridget, Melanie, Nicole, Melissa 

and an wonderful team of high schoolers!