The Four Pillars: Hospitality - Prayer - Formation - Service

LIFE TEEN

"Young people of America and the World, listen to what Christ the redeemer, is saying to you."
Pope John Paul II

LIFE TEEN is an international Catholic movement that serves the Church by providing resources and faith experiences that help lead teens closer to Christ. This is accomplished through a vibrant Eucharistic spirituality and by creating opportunities for teens to grow in their faith." There are now over 1,000 parishes around the world that have adopted the Life Teen program, which is geared towards high school teens in grades 9-12. Because of our deep Eucharistic devotion, LIFE TEEN has developed a spirituality that is 100% Catholic; obedient to the Magisterium; centered on the Eucharist; scriptural; liturgical; catechetical; sacramental; focused on social justice and service; and, comprehensive.

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 most notable difference to 2010-11 LIFE TEEN will be the time change. Instead of meeting after mass on Sunday, we will now be meeting at 3 pm on Sunday afternoons. It has long been the excuse that meetings end too late for many teens to attend, so we are hoping to eliminate any reasons keeping teens from attending. We also hope that leading into Mass will bring a much needed (on the part of the teens) depth, energy and excitement to the 5:00 pm Sunday Mass. Our format for LIFE TEEN will remain the same; however LIFE TEEN is focusing its curriculum on a Lectionary Model now as well. Each Sunday will focus on the Main theme of the mass, or the Gospel message from that Sunday’s readings. We will continue to offer a variety of social and service opportunities for the high school teens. These are changes only here at the parish. LIFE TEEN is not becoming a lectionary based resource, so there is the possibility that in the future, we may no longer be a LIFE TEEN program.
Click here for 2010 Calendar.

The Youth and Young Adult Mass that takes place every Sunday at 5:00pm is the core of the program providing teens and their families with a liturgy geared toward their spiritual needs. The Mass 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 spiritual level found mostly in the unconditional love of Christ and of that same sharing in the community.

We currently host two retreats a year, one in the fall and one in the spring. These events are quite possibly the most powerful, life changing experiences availble to our teens. Each retreat lasts only a weekend, but it is one weekend that they will never forget. Throughout the weekend they are given opportunities to grow in every aspect of their life, but especially in their relationship with Christ. The weekend is broken into sessions, each session showing them a new way to focus in on the love that God has for them. The weekend peaks with Adoration of the blessed sacrament late Saturday night, which is always the most amazing experience of retreat. The teens open themselves to the power of the Blessed Sacrament and truly allow God into their lives to forever change them! In addition to being spiritually changed forever, we offer many different fun experiences throughout the weekend ranging from our Messy Wars games, to basketball, to High and Low Ropes Courses, to Paintball. It is an experince that teens will never forget!