Our Mission
Our purpose is to equip and inspire our teens to live as disciples of Jesus Christ, using a three-step process:
- Win (Social)– By authentic, Christ centered friendships, T.G.I.F. large group meetings strive to be a place where everyone present is inspired by the joy and faith of our fellow teens and adult leaders. Through games, music, food, friends and laughter, people are drawn to our community, and therefore to the God we serve. T.G.I.F. hosts social trips including trips to mini golf courses, Sky Zone, or a ropes course park. T.G.I.F. staff can also be found at town events, sports games, school plays, and more bringing that Christ centered joy to those who are not part of the T.G.I.F. family.
- Build (Spiritual) – Each meeting has time for faith learning (often lead by a guest speaker), prayer, and small group discussions. Through teaching these skills, and connecting our teens to the Mass, we equip our members to take their faith and incorporate it into their everyday lives.
- Send (Service) – Once teens have a relationship with the T.G.I.F. Community, Jesus and His Church, and have been built through Mass and Prayer, the next step is to share God’s love with those we meet. T.G.I.F. hosts a variety of service projects, including Christmas Caroling at a nursing home, assembling blessings bags (in picture above) or sleeping mats for the homeless, and on a week long summer mission trip. T.G.I.F. teens often share their faith by volunteering as teen leaders for our Confirmation program, collecting stuffed animals for kids in tough situations, or serving at soup kitchens or food pantries.
Mission Trips
We believe that an effective Youth Ministry Program has three critical components: social, spiritual, and service.
The highlight of each year for many St. Mary’s teens is the summer mission trip. This is a week-long trip that combines service, prayer, and community. Since 2005, T.G.I.F. has gone on 20+ different mission trips to places such as Mississippi, Jamaica, Vermont, New Jersey, Texas, and Florida.
Past mission trip projects have included building wheelchair ramps for the homebound, installing drywall at a church destroyed by Hurricane Harvey, house painting, fence building, helping at a camp for children, serving food at a homeless shelter, landscaping at a women’s shelter and much more.
Each mission trip includes service, fun, games, prayer, opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Daily Mass, and an evening prayer program led by our teens.
The way the teens see God work on the trip leads to a deepening of their own faith, as well as connecting teens to Mass, prayer, and the St. Mary’s community.
Read what T.G.I.F. teens are saying about how T.G.I.F. and the Mission Trip impacted their life.
“I entered the T.G.I.F. Mission Trip an atheist. I left a Catholic.”
“Last year’s mission trip changed my life forever!”
“T.G.I.F. helped me grow closer to God and helped me be more open to my faith.”
Becoming Part Of Our Program
The best way to get involved is to attend a general meeting, which are held once or twice a month during the school year, usually Sundays from 7:15 to 8:45 PM in Father Haley Hall. For more information on T.G.I.F. or for a schedule of upcoming meetings and events, please contact St. Mary’s Rectory at 508-429-4427 or via email at [email protected]
T.G.I.F. activities are advertised in the Mass bulletin, the St. Mary’s Newsletter, the Parish Center bulletin board, through emails, and on Instagram @stmarysepic
Any and all High School students are welcome!