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." 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. It's founders developed the program out of a need they saw for young people to feel loved in the Catholic church. There are now over 1000 parishes around the world that have adopted the LIFE TEEN program, which is geared towards high school teens in grades 9-12. LIFE TEEN here at St. Bernadette's takes place every Sunday night beginning with the LIFE TEEN Mass at 5:00pm and continuing with LIFE TEEN Cafe after Mass where teens share a meal together from 6:30 to 7:00. The LIFE night then begins at 7:00 and goes until 8:30pm. 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 alows the teen to immerse him or herself in the life of the parish and on a larger scale, of the Church. LIFE TEEN provides our teens with a "Catholic Identity". The Saint Bernadette LIFE TEEN Staff:
Fr. Pete Rossa-Pastor
Audra Motiejunas-Coordinator of Youth Ministry
Craig Colson- Music Director
"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 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 and of that same sharing in the community. LIFE Nights LIFE Nights follow the LIFE TEEN Mass every Sunday night and provide an opportunity for teens to go 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 our Coordinator of Youth Ministry, Audra Motiejunas. Topics for these nights come from the team's own ideas and resources obtained from the National LIFE TEEN office. Our LIFE Nights end with adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and prayerful songs to Our Lady. This Marian Devotion is held by all LIFE TEEN programs - for Mary is the patroness of LIFE TEEN. Going Deeper Our Going Deeper nights are held weekly on Wednesday nights at 6:00pm. We gather each Wednesday night to approach our faith in a deeper way. During these nights we open up Scripture and study the words of Christ in a way that is applicable to young peoples lives. We look to see what the Catechism of the Catholic Church has to say on relevant issues and we pray as a LIFE TEEN community for the intentions of people in our lives, issues affecting the whole world, 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. LIFE TEEN Retreats
Our teens are given several opportunities to be on retreat. We hold retreats both in the fall and in the spring as well as Discipleship Retreat in the Summer which is an opportunity for teens to go much deeper in their faith lives. The retreats have given us a very special opportunity and setting for the sacrament of Reconciliation and Eucharistic Adoration. |
