May 14, 2025

By Darcy Fargo
Editor

When the Immaculate Heart Central Mystery Players began their prayer in performance at St. Patrick’s Church in Watertown on Good Friday, the group was closing out its 45th year of sharing faith and growing friendships.

“It’s the best thing the school does in terms of the school mission,” said Terry Burgess, the group’s director and advisor. “It gets the kids involved in their faith.”

The Mystery Players perform in prayer and share the story of Chris’s passion using silent acting, music/sound and lighting.

“I think the way we do it is way different than what people expect,” Burgess said. “They may think it’s some sort of high school Stations of the Cross. It’s not. We had a priest say we healed his parish. That speaks to the power of what we do. We had a priest tell us ‘it was one of the most extraordinary, moving and beautiful and amazing things I’ve seen in my 25 years of priesthood.’ What we do is powerful, incredible and prayerful.”

Burgess said he is blessed to be able to watch the kids grow their faith, grow their prayer lives and grow their relationship with each other.

“It used to be all seniors, and now it’s freshman to seniors,” Burgess said. “When we first get started, their all from different classes, different social groups. You can see the camaraderie grow between them. Kids hang out together now who never would’ve before doing Mystery Players together. The relationships take time to build. We see it happening as we get further into it every year. We always pray together before each Mystery Play. You see the depth of that change as the year goes on and they grow in trust of one another and in confidence.”
Changes over the four years make some aspects of that bonding more difficult, Burgess said.

“We’re self-sustaining,” he said. “We used to take buses to the different locations, but we can’t afford that now. You don’t get quite the same camaraderie riding in a bunch of separate vehicles. But when we’re on the longer trips, you still see those relationships growing.”

In their 2024-25 season, the Mystery Players offered four prayer performance in Advent and 12 during Lent.

“We try to get around that number every year,” Burgess said.

The experience is so powerful for those that participate, many return as volunteers.

Dan Charlebois, IHC principal, is one of those volunteers.

“I think I get out of it more than I put into it,” he said. “I can’t imagine my Lent and Advent without it. My family has grown up with it. It’s been a big part of my life.”

Charlebois said working with the Mystery Players allows the student participants to “see a different side” of him.
“I get to help them to pray,” he said. “I get to watch them become more confident in themselves when sharing during prayer. It brings me a lot of joy to see them grow in confidence and grow in faith.”

Charlebois noted it will be his last time working with the Mystery Players, since he’s moving away from the area later this year.

“It’s hard,” he said. “I think it’s almost like when a priest has been at a parish for 20 years and is celebrating his last Mass there. It’s ben my home for so long, moving on and changing is tough.”

Charlebois’ son, Samuel, 17, assumed the role of Jesus in the Good Friday performance.

“I grew up with it,” Samuel Charlebois said. “It’s part of my life.”

Other participants joined for different reasons.

“I saw how it impacted everyone,” said Olivia Staib, 18, of Watertown. “I wanted to be part of that.”

“My friends were joining,” added Elizabeth Zajac, 18, of Watertown. “And I wanted to find a new group of people – people with faith.”

All three teens said they have formed deep friendships through participating in the Mystery Players.

“At the beginning of the year, we all just know each other a little from school,” said Samuel Charlebois. “As we travel around and prepare together, we bond and learn things about each other we wouldn’t learn seeing each other in the hallways.”

“It connects you with people you wouldn’t normally talk to,” added Staib. “You end up with a more diverse group of friends.”

While they’ve benefited from the experience, the teens said it wasn’t without its challenges.

“At first, it’s hard to get past the original awkwardness and learning to talk to new people,” said Zajac.

“I found it challenging being vulnerable and opening up to the group,” added Staib. “But without that, we’d never be able to connect and come together in prayer fully.”

Samuel Charlebois, Zajac and Staib, all seniors, said they’re glad they participated.

“It’s a very rewarding experience,” Samuel Charlebois said. “We’ve done it so many times, we know how it feels for us, but seeing other people experience it for the first time is very uplifting.”

“It changes lives,” said Zajac.