About
The LIFE TEEN Mission Statement“LIFE TEEN is an international Catholic ministry that serves the church and leads teens closer to Christ by providing resources and training that encourage vibrant Eucharistic celebrations and opportunities for teens to grow in their faith.” – from lifeteen.com
What is LIFE TEEN?
LIFE TEEN is a Catholic youth ministry program that began in 1985 at St. Timothy’s Catholic Church in Mesa, Arizona. The program was developed out of a need for young people to feel loved in the Catholic church. There are now over 900 parishes around the world that have adopted the LIFE TEEN program, which is geared towards high school teens in grades 9-12.
LIFE TEEN began here at St. Mary’s in November 2004 and has continued with great success since then every Sunday night. In the LIFE TEEN philosophy teens are recognized as a sub-culture; the Mass and the entire program are designed to address the specific needs of teens today. This new vision of teen ministry allows the teen to immerse him or herself in the life of the parish and on a larger scale, in the Church. LIFE TEEN provides our teens with a “Catholic Identity.”
“Young people of America and the World, listen to what Christ the redeemer, is saying to you.”
- Pope John Paul II
LIFE TEEN answers this call with:
· a life formed in the Gospel as taught by the Church
· a life centered in the Eucharist, weekly without exception
· a life marked by a growing spiritual maturity and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ
· a life lived out in daily prayer, decisions and actions
The LIFE TEEN Liturgy
The LIFE TEEN Mass is the core of the program providing teens and their families with a liturgy geared toward their spiritual needs. The LIFE TEEN Liturgy requires a “full and active participation of the entire community”. The Mass, homily and music are specifically directed to the teens and they have responded wholeheartedly. The teens also take an active role in the ministries at the Mass specifically, Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Sacristans and Hospitality. There are many other elements of the liturgy that speak to teens on their emotional level found mostly in the unconditional love of Christ. br>
LIFE Nights
LIFE Nights follow the LIFE TEEN Mass every other Sunday night and provide an opportunity for teens to grow deeper in their faith, share their faith with their peers through witness talks and interactive discussion and learn more about issues facing teens today and how to deal with them. These nights are presented by our Core team made up of young adults from the parish under the direction of Fr. Chris and our Youth Minister, Peter McNulty. Topics for these nights come from the Core team’s own ideas, ideas suggested by teens, and resources obtained from the National LIFE TEEN office. Our LIFE Nights end with a prayerful song to Our Lady. This Marian Devotion is held by all LIFE TEEN programs – for Mary is the patroness of LIFE TEEN.
Prayer Nights – Pizza & Prayer
As with the Mass, our prayer nights are held weekly. We gather each Monday night to pray as a LIFE TEEN community for our intentions and for any issues confronting our teens. In an informal way we further our relationship with Jesus and experience His unconditional love by praying as a community, with and for one another. Once a month, we offer our teens the opportunity to approach Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration. The tradition of Eucharistic Adoration is enhanced by LIFE TEEN prayers and music. These nights always prove to be a powerful experience for everyone in attendance.