Events and Information for Ministry Leaders
From around the archdiocese and beyond
Around the Archdiocese
Charismatic Renewal Services 2023 Fall Congress
The 2023 Fall Congress will be held on September 9th, 8am-6pm, at Boston College High School. Find out more and register today.
LifeTeen’s Empower Conference
Empower Trainings are an opportunity to equip youth ministers and youth ministry volunteers with the tools and techniques that their ministry needs to not just survive, but to thrive. This dynamic day of training is designed to set you up for success, covering topics such as: Understanding Gen Z, Helping Teens Grow in Reverence, Sharpening Your Life Nights, and Developing a Rhythm of Prayer.
September 9, 2023 at St. Elizabeth of Hungary, 89 Arlington St., Acton, MA 01720. For more details visit www.lifeteen.com/empower.
Registration fees are as follows:
- $70 – starting on Agust 1 and onward
- $85 – on-site registration
- Priests attend for free!
Schedule for the Day:
- Registration/Check-In – 8:30-9am
- Morning Sessions – 9-11am
- Mass – 11am
- Lunch- 11:45-12:45
- Afternoon Sessions: 12:45-4pm
Missionary Childhood Association (MCA) of Boston: September Resources
The Missionary Childhood Association program of the Pontifical Mission Societies is of service to schools and faith formation programs in the Archdiocese of Boston, helping you to form stronger missionary disciples. Contact Michele at mtracia@propfaithboston.org or at 617-779-3873 to assist you in forming students as missionary learners by using the creative, cohesive curricula.
Prayer Service for the Feast of St. Peter Claver
Saint of the Month: St. Peter Claver
Triduum of Masses to Celebrate St. Thérèse’s 150th Birthday
Carmelite Monastery Chapel, Boston
September 29th, 7pm
September 30th, 2pm
October 1st, 2pm
Registration is officially open for the 2024 New England Catholic Youth Choral Festival & Mass
Pueri Cantores, the national student choral organization of the Catholic Church, invites all parish and school treble and mixed voice choirs (grades 4-12) in the region to participate in a Festival & Mass. Singers will unite with hundreds of their peers as one combined choir to sing beautiful music from the Church’s rich historical repertoire. Watch this video to learn more about Pueri Cantores and how best to prepare your choir for the Festival day. Check out these FAQs about our Festivals, including attire, how to access music and MP3 rehearsal tracks, and much more. Register and apply by 2/9/24.
Around the Region
Diocese of Fall River Parish Leader Convocation
The Diocese of Fall River will be hosting a Parish Leader Convocation on September 9th at St. John Neumann Church in East Freetown. The day will include morning Mass with Bishop da Cunha, breakfast, formation with international speaker Katie Prejean McGrady, and an address from Bishop da Cunha.
Diocese of Norwich Family and Youth Explosion
The Diocese of Norwich will be hosting singer/songwriter, storyteller, humorist, catechist, evangelizer, and composer Jesse Manibusan from 1:00 to 4:00pm on December 3 at Mercy High School in Middletown CT. Registration and more information is available at https://youthexplosionct.weebly.com/.
Around the Country
The 10th National Eucharistic Congress will be held July 17-21, 2024, in Indianapolis, IN. The Archdiocese of Boston will have a very limited number of discounted tickets for the Congress available on a first come first serve basis. Learn more here.
OSV KIDS Free September Liturgical Calendar Download
OSV Kids is committed to helping families and their kids fall in love with Jesus Christ and his Church. Download the liturgical calendar for families so you can celebrate the life of the Church more fully every day! Download Calendar
Celebrate the Feast of St. Peter Claver
On September 9, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Peter Claver, who ministered to enslaved Africans for 38 years until his death in 1654. His feast day is an occasion for heightened prayer and action to strive for peace in our communities. Use these resources on Sept. 9
Catechetical Sunday 2023
“Come to me all you who labor and are burdened.” Matthew 11:28
This year’s theme reminds us of the invitation we receive from the Lord Jesus to follow Him and the promise that He doesn’t want to add to our burdens; He wants to lighten them.
Posters, prayer cards, certificates, & commissioning service can be downloaded.
Vocation Ministry
Priesthood Sunday: September 24th
Priesthood Sunday is a special day each September on which we have the opportunity to honor the dedicated men who have answered the call to serve as priests in our Church.
Young Life Catholic Summit
Every two years, Young Life hosts a Catholic Summit to bring together Protestants and Catholics who love Jesus, who love kids, and who want more kids to learn that Jesus loves them. The next session is October 5-7 at the University of Notre Dame. Consider signing up!
Other Helpful Resources
52 Sundays
Take a look at this dynamic guide to help you and your family reclaim the Lord’s Day with prayer, activities, food, and more!
Andrew Ministries – Youth Ministry
Take a look at this article on Why Young People Are Leaving the Church (thepriest.com). The article, originally published in Priest Magazine, a publication of OSV, was written by Everett Fritz, founder and executive director of Andrew Ministries.
Catholic Mysticism & The Beautiful Life of Grace
In a series of beautifully bite-sized presentations, renowned teacher Matthew Leonard dives into the rich, mystical tradition of Catholic spirituality in a way you’ve never heard before.
Every single Catholic is called to the mystical life. But most don’t know what it is or how to make it happen. In easy-to-understand language, this series answers those questions, and much more. It’s touched the lives of thousands of Catholics from around the world.
Eucharistic Pilgrimage Resources for Kids
Check out these kid and family-friendly tools to help you plan a pilgrimage, especially one in connection to the Eucharist. The bucket list and pilgrimage passport would make perfect summer activities.
Read the full article about Eucharistic Processions and Pilgrimages for the Heart of the Revival Newsletter from the National Eucharistic Revival.
Bishop Barron’s Film Series The Mass
To aid in reestablishing faith in the Real Presence, Word on Fire made Bishop Barron’s film series The Mass FREE to watch online!
McGrath Institute for Church Life
Check out these podcasts, webinars, and other resources that can help us discern how the Church can strengthen its care for persons and families with mental illness.
Microdosing catechism
The article includes the following book recommendations:
Saints Around the World by Meg Hunter Kilmer
The How-To Book of the Mass by Michael Dubruiel
Your Questions, God’s Answers by Peter Kreeft
Mysterion: The Revelatory Power of the Sacramental Worldview
Mysterion explores the vision at the heart of Christianity that helps us see the whole created world as a sacrament that points us to Jesus Christ.
This video series, based on the book by Fr. Harrison Ayre, is available for free for personal and group use along with a printable discussion guide. Use access code MEDIATION to watch and download Mysterion on Vimeo. (If you do not have an existing Vimeo account, you can create one for free).
You can also use this discount code to receive 25% off the book Mysterion: The Revelatory Power of the Sacramental Worldview. USE CODE: MEDIATION
Newman Ministry
Parish leaders, connect your students to the Catholic Campus Ministry on their college campuses! Sign up for the program. Also, here are some parish materials to share the resources within your parish!
Nextstep: Grow Deeper in Your Discipleship One Step at a Time
Many people want to grow closer to God, but they don’t know how or what to do next. They feel alone, adrift in a world that doesn’t even talk about God, with no one to guide them. But God calls everyone into deep, intimate friendship with Him. It is possible. Nextstep guides Catholics step-by-step into the profound, authentic relationship with God they are made for. Every step prompts a simple action or discipleship habit that can be completed in 2 weeks. These actions steps are found on a Nextstep card and can be supplemented with Nextstep video and discussion guides (if you want to do it with a friend or small group).
Protect Young Eyes
The team at Protect Young Eyes takes complex digital topics and makes them understandable. They’ve been walking with families, schools, and churches since 2015. Check out the website and app. Also, parents might find this video about talking to children about pornography helpful.
Sophia Free eLessons
Created by teachers for teachers, these free and ready to use eLessons provided by Sophia Teachers covers various topics, such as the Liturgical Year, teaching Catholic principles with Current Events, the Call of Beauty and the Wonders of Nature. Learn more and access lessons.
Domestic Church, Liturgical Living, Family Faith
Mental Health Resources for Ministry Leaders to Share
Faith Formation Leader Resources
Patrick Krisak's Bio
Patrick has worked for the archdiocese since 2014. He works in the areas of faith formation, ethnic communities, pastoral planning, evangelization, discipleship, and leadership. Patrick has worked previously in parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston and elsewhere as a Director for Evangelization, Director of Religious Education, and Coordinator of Youth Ministry. He and his wife have two sons.
Patrick Krisak
Director of Faith Formation and Missionary Discipleship
Contact Patrick
Liz Cotrupi's Bio
Liz is first and foremost, a daughter of God. She is married to her best friend, Tony, and enjoys his help with preparing couples for marriage. She has three adult children and loves being “Nana” to her grandkids. Liz started serving in ministry when her children were small as many moms do. Eventually, her pastor asked her to run the high school faith formation program. Equipped with a bachelor’s degree in business from Worcester State College, she knew she needed more theology. After certificates in catechesis and youth ministry, she moved on to get her Master of Theological Studies from Saint John’s Seminary. Before coming to the Archdiocese of Boston in 2016, Liz was the director of youth and young adult ministry for the Worcester Diocese. She has been blessed to serve on team for Cursillo, lead pilgrimages to Marian sites, and mission trips locally and abroad.
Liz Cotrupi
Director of Family Life & Ecclesial Movements
Contact Liz
Chris Donoghue's Bio
Chris is originally from Caldwell, New Jersey and has lived in Massachusetts since 1991. He is a graduate of Boston College with degrees in both Theology and History. After college Chris began a 31-year career in the life insurance industry where he worked in sales, distribution, and account management for the estate planning and charitable giving market. Throughout his professional career Chris was also actively engaged in serving his parish in a variety of roles including working part-time as a parish youth minister, volunteering in faith formation for both children and adults, serving on the parish RCIA team as catechist and sponsor, and coordinating parish-wide evangelization efforts by running the ChristLife series.
In 2017 Chris left the corporate world and transitioned his passion for the gospel into a full-time position with the Archdiocese of Boston, where he seeks to support parishes in the mission of forming and equipping disciples for the work of evangelization.
Chris and his wife Krissy currently live in Attleboro, MA with their sons Brendan and Kolbe.
Chris Donoghue
Evangelization Consultant
Contact Chris
Rosemary Maffei's Bio
Rosemary is originally from Hingham and, after living in Minnesota and Florida, returned to the area to attend Boston College. After graduating with a degree in Marketing and Human Resources, Rosemary made Boston her home and enjoyed work in human resources roles within financial services for over a decade.
In response to the Lord’s call to use her leadership and organizational development experience coupled with her love for Christ to serve the Church directly in her daily work, Rosemary pursued a Master of Arts in Ministry from the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization, complemented with study through Loyola University in Rome and the Theology of the Body Institute in PA, and joined the Archdiocese of Boston.
In addition to an interest in igniting a love for Christ in others through the new evangelization, she has a particular interest in the Theology of the Body, the dignity of human life, the intersection of faith and business, and the intersection of faith and culture. She loves visiting with the Lord in Eucharistic Adoration and meeting Him in each individual encounter until we see Him face to face!
Rosemary Maffei
Evangelization Consultant
Contact Rosemary
Lorna DesRoses's Bio
Lorna DesRoses currently serves Black Catholics within the Archdiocese of Boston by supporting, assisting, and providing resources to assist in the work of evangelization within the Black Catholic community and assisting parishes and institutions to provide pastoral care in a culturally appropriate and culturally sensitive manner so that members of ethnic and cultural communities will feel welcomed, included, and valued as part of the life of the Archdiocese of Boston. Before serving in this capacity, she worked as a teacher of English as a Second Language in various educational settings. Lorna strives to joyfully give witness to the Good news of the love of Christ with everyone she meets. She lives in Boston with her husband Robert.
“We unite ourselves with Christ’s redemptive work when we reconcile, when we make peace, when we share the good news that God is in our lives, when we reflect to our brothers and sisters God’s healing, God’s unconditional love.” Sr. Thea Bowman
Lorna DesRoses
Evangelization Consultant, Ethnic Communities
Contact Lorna
Sr. Elsa Narvaez, HMSP's Bio
Sr. Elsa Narváez Rodríguez, was born in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. In 2004, Sr. Elsa joined the Missionary Servants of the Word, a community that allows young people to serve as a lay missionaries for a period of time. After two and a half years as a lay missionary she decided to pursue religious life in the religious branch of the same community. Her firs assignment as a religious sister was in Portsmouth NH and after that she was sent to serve the Hispanic community of St. Joseph Parish in Lynn MA. Since 2016 Sr. Elsa has served Hispanic Communities within the Archdiocese of Boston.
Sr. Elsa Narvaez, HMSP
Evangelization Consultant, Hispanic Communities
Contact Sr. Elsa
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