Programs for Children & Youth

Programs for Children

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd 

"Helping Children Fall In Love With God". For children ages 3 to 9 years of age. The Catechesis recognizes that a child already has a relationship with God, and that through the use of concrete aids or materials" that accompany presentations, children are drawn closer to God.
This program runs in our parish from October to May. We offer both a Level 1 program (3-6 years) and Level 2 (6-9 years) on both Sunday mornings and Tuesday afternoons.
For more information about this program or to register, please contact May Chow Leong - CGS Coordinator, at the Parish Office or via e-mail at: goodshepherdcgs@gmail.com.

Totus Tuus (Summer Vacation Bible School) (Cancelled until further notice)

Just because summer is here and the weather gets warm doesn’t mean the Church closes for the summer! In fact, we open wide the doors and get ready to delve deep into our faith. This year, St. Justin's will be switching gears, by developing a new summer camp program for our children here at the parish. 

Totus Tuus is a multi-tiered program for Catholic youth in the Archdiocese of Toronto. The program offers a one-week summer camp to St. Justin's who may be looking for children's programming during the summer. Children who are in Grades 1 through 6 will experience camp daily - Monday to Friday - from 8:45am - 2:30pm. The program helps children learn more about the Catholic faith in a caring and fun-filled environment. This day camp is facilitated by our highly trained, college-age Totus Tuus Missionaries, with support from our pastoral team at the parish.

** For more information on registering your child for Totus Tuus, contact the Parish Office.

RCIC (Rite of Christian Initiation of Children)

This is a program for children over the age of seven who are not baptized and/or have not received First Communion and/or First Confession. For more information, please contact Sacramental Preparation Co-ordinator-Rachel Martinez via the Parish Office.

You could also download the Application Form for Rite of Christian Initiation of Children Here.

Sunday Children's Liturgy 

Bring your children on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. where they will be assisted and guided by the best of the Faith formation ministers who would give 30 minutes of spiritual liturgical nurturing to your little ones. Children will be assisted in completing small activities and are taught about the gospel for the day. The Children's Liturgy runs parellel to the Mass. Children from Sr. Kindergarten to Grade 3 are welcome to attend the program. No registration is required.

We are looking for Volunteers to help with our Children's Liturgy Program on Sundays at 10:30 am. If you are available, contact the Parish Office. We provide Volunteer hours to students.

Programs For Youth

At St. Justin's, we offer multiple volunteering oppportunities to our Youth. Apart from that, these programs give our young parishioners the opportunity to maintain a healthy communication among their friends and the community at large.

EDGE (Grade 5 to 8) 

EDGE is a Catholic middle-school youth ministry for students in Grades 5-8. This group provides a safe, energetic, and faithful environment for youth to meet other young Catholics, build community and friendships, and grow deeper in their own faith.

EDGE Nights are typically composed of group games, sports, team building, small-group discussions, music, talks about the Catholic faith and relevant societal issues, and prayer time. In addition to regular EDGE Nights, there will be social outings/celebrations throughout the year, as well as a week-long summer adventure camp at Camp White Pine in Haliburton.

EDGE Nights are typically bi-weekly at St. Justin Martyr Church on Friday nights from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. For our schedule and registration details, please contact Hilton Chiu, Youth Minister, at sjmyouth@archtoronto.org. 

LifeTeen (Grade 9 to 12) 

LifeTeen is a movement within the Roman Catholic Church that leads teenagers and their families into a deeper relationship with Jesus and His Church.

Just like the Liturgy, the structure of our Life Nights are: “Gather, Proclaim, Break and Send”. We Gather as a community to get to know one another, build friendships and open our hearts to the Lord. We Proclaim the  Good News of the Gospel through reading of Scripture, talks, dramas, videos and skits. We Break and go deeper into the material by small group discussions, activities, reflections and prayers. We then Send and challenge our teens to go back into their families and communities and apply the message of the Gospel that they have learned into their lives.

There are three types of LIFE Nights: Catechesis (learning about our Catholic faith), Issue (hear about important life issues from a Catholic perspective) and Social (where we build friendships and community involvement with each other).

For more information about LifeTeen, contact Hilton Chiu (Youth Minister) at sjmyouth@archtoronto.org or call Parish Office at (905)-479-2463.

Steubenville Toronto (Yet to resume)

Our parish continues to allow young people from within our community to experience the renowned “Steubenville Conferences”.

The Church, as a whole and here at St. Justin’s, recognizes that staying true to your faith in high school is tough. We’ve all been there at some point in our life! Steubenville Conferences seek to equip today’s teenagers with what they need to stand firm in their faith. Simply put, because we cannot do it alone. 

Steubenville brings together some of the best Catholic speakers and musicians in North America and provides opportunities for our teens to encounter Christ in the Eucharist. All you have to do is say yes and show up.

As a family of faith here at St. Justin’s, please pray for our students as they seek to discern God’s will in their life and to ultimately be a better Catholic-Christian.