What is LIFE TEEN? | Mission Statement
Important Things to Know | Teen Testimonial

What is LIFE TEEN?

It is a cool program for high school teens started by Father Dale Fushek in Mesa, Arizona. St. Mary Parish began LIFE TEEN in March 2001 and included surrounding parishes such as Haysville and Mulvane. The program takes the place of the old high school PSR and will aid high school students in the Confirmation program.

LIFE TEEN begins with Mass, celebrated by the teens and Father Wayne from Derby or Father Andy from Haysville. To clear up a common misconception, families of teens are WELCOME at the LIFE TEEN Mass. If you like to participate in Sunday Mass as a family, by all means, come and sit together as a family! The LIFE TEEN Mass is not meant to exclude or divide families. It is designed to help teens feel loved and accepted in the church through the music and the liturgy. Christine Condon of Derby says that she enjoys the upbeat music the most at the Mass. The music IS very energetic and powerful. Another exciting part of the Mass is that the teens are invited to gather around the altar during the Eucharistic prayer.

Following the Eucharist, the teens have a LIFE Night. LIFE Nights ARE just for the teens and they are held in different locations: outside, in the church, in the Parish Center or even at the pool. During the LIFE Nights the core teams use different topics to help the teens learn more about the Catholic Church and talk about matters going on in their lives.

Some of the previous LIFE Night topics are Transformation, Coming Into the Light (where the teens entered through a tunnel), Reconciliation, Stations of the Cross, Awe in Wonder, Doubt in Faith, Meals, and the Real Presence.

There are many people behind the scenes of the LifeTeen program. The core team (nine adults) and junior core team (ten teens) plan Life Nights, retreats, put on skits and help plan LifeTeen and High School Youth Ministry activities. There is also a band that plays at 6 pm Sunday Mass and at the Life Nights. Eight LifeTeen support teams (thirty-six adults) and the Knights of Columbus alternate providing refreshments at the Life Nights. Each support team provides refreshments once every two months.

If you're interested in becoming a core team member, contact Janet Clark via email or by telephone at 788-5525. To audition for the band, call Gil Ponte at 788-6833. If you're interested in helping provide snacks for a LIFE Night once every two months, contact Brenda Potter via email or by telephone at 788-3602. If you're a teen and aren't sure if you'll like it, just come on out on Sunday night and give it a try!

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Mission Statement

 

The purpose of LIFE TEEN is to create an environment that leads high school teenagers into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and His Church.

This mission is accomplished in three ways:

1. Through the celebration of the Eucharist.
2. Through the teachings of Christ and the Church.
3. Through an experience of being loved and accepted.

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Important Things to Know

• Life Teen Eucharist (Mass) is at 6 pm.
• Life Night follows the Eucharist and ends at 8:45 pm unless otherwise noted.
• Watch the bulletin for Life Night locations (the Parish Center (PC), Outside, Church)
• Watch the bulletin for Ministry Schedules (Altar Servers, Proclaimers of the Word, Eucharistic Ministers, etc.)
• At Life Nights, teens also find out about other cool events they can participate in, such as dances, lock-ins, ski trips, youth conferences, CYO volleyball, parades and summer trips.

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Teen Testimonial

TRY IT! LifeTeen is a program for high school youth which starts with 6 pm Sunday evening Mass followed by Life Night. At Life Night there are skits, talks, songs and lots of fun. During the Life Nights, teens break up into small groups of eight to ten teens with a core member to talk on a more personal level about that night’s topic.

LifeTeen is a blast. Teens learn more and become deeper in their faith each week. They have friendships they never thought were possible. They want to go to church every Sunday, look forward to each LifeTeen, and are disappointed when it is a holiday or there isn’t a Life Night to go to. LifeTeen helps teens open up, speak their minds, and see the world differently. LifeTeen has brought strangers together and turned them into close friends.

Check out the LIFETEEN website for more information on the program.