THE EDGE
Middle School Ministry

(grades 5, 6, 7, 8)

In many respects middle schoolers are on the edge because so much is going on in their lives. It can be a very stressful and difficult time for them and parents, too!

As a Catholic community, we at St. Charles want to give our middle school youth the edge they need in life: Jesus, the Word, the Eucharist, and the Church!

Edge groups build houses with Legos before a lesson about Matthew 8:5-13 and the new wording of the prayer before Communion: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed."

 

The Edge Meets Monday Nights, 7:30 to 8:30 pm in Borromeo Hall 

Fall EDGE Session...The Eucharist:  Meal of Thanksgiving and Praise

• September 26 - Rite and Ritual Parent Letter
• October 3 - The Passover and the Last Supper Parent Letter
• October 10 - Evolution of the Eucharistic Celebration Parent Letter
• October 17 - We Hear and Respond to God's Word Parent Letter
• October 24 - We Break Bread Together Parent Letter
• November 7 - We Go Forth to Love and Serve Parent Letter

Winter EDGE Session…Jesus

• Janaury 23 - Young Jesus Parent Letter
• January 30 - The Emotions of Jesus Parent Letter
• February 6 - Jesus and the Beatitudes Parent Letter
• February 13 - Jesus, the Teacher Parent Letter
• February 20 - No EDGE (President's Holiday)
• Febraury 27 - Jesus Our Savior and Lord
 

Spring EDGE Session…Living the Faith

• March 5 – The Path of L.I.F.E.
• March 12 – Extreme Spiritual Makeover  
• March 19 – St. Francis of Assisi
• March 26 - What Do We Do With Our Anger? 
• April 16 - Pssst....Did You Hear? (Gossip)
• April 23 - Edge Family Potluck/Slide Show/Edger Awards (for the whole family! Parents and siblings invited. Starts at a special time: 6:30 pm) 

for your safety

As per the mandate of the US Bishops' Charter, the Archdiocese of San Francisco requires us at St. Charles to make sure that all children and teens in our parish receive formal personal safety training. We appreciate the time and effort the Archdiocese has put forth to make these courses convenient, informative, and also entertaining.

Follow-Up: After taking the course, we ask that parents follow-up with a discussion to make sure that the youth has understood the information and to encourage parent/youth communication on personal safety issues. Please use the following discussion guide and contact us to let us know that you have followed-up so that we can record it in our files.
Thank-you for helping ensure the safety of our Edgers!
Click here for Edge Safety Discussion Guide

EDGE members are asked to take the online safety course for their age level.

• 5th Graders:       Block the Bully
• 6th Graders:       Be Safe, Stay Safe
• 7th/8th Graders: Bullying, Not Cool

You will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the course. Please print this out and submit the certificate with your registration (or bring to an EDGE night).

Statistics:
-1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys is sexually abused before the age of 18.
-Kids age 5-11 are the most at risk to suffer child abuse.

At Catholic parishes and schools across the nation, young people are participating in special training programs designed to support parents as we teach our young people to how be safe.

The training was mandated by the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People issued by the United States Catholic Bishops, confirming the Bishops' deep commitment to creating a safe environment for all God's children.  

Edge Leaders are high school youth who give of their time to lead small groups of Edgers. They arrive at 6:30pm to prepare for the EDGE night. This is a time of fellowship, prayer, leadership training, and class preparation.

EDGE LEADERS PRAYER
Thank-you, Lord, for calling me to be an Edge leader.
Nurture in me a disciple's heart:
a heart that rejoices in your coming
a heart sustained by your Spirit
a heart encouraged by fellow disciples.
Grow in my heart:
a disciple's commitment to serve
a disciple's willingness to learn
a disciple's joy in becoming
a medium of your grace.
Bless the members of my group: [names]
and I offer these special intentions...
In the name of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen

(adapted from a prayer in Prayer for Parish Groups by Donal Harrington and Julie Kavanagh.)