Faith Formation
Youth Ministry LifeTeen
High School Teens in grades 9 through 12
Weekly Gatherings on Sundays after the 5:00 pm Mass
Dinner served at 6:30 pm | Life Night until 8:30 pm
“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.” – from www.lifeteen.com
What is Life Teen?
Life Teen is a Catholic youth ministry program that is geared towards high school teens in grades 9-12. It began here at St. Thomas Aquinas in 2007 and helps our teens experience what it means to be Catholic.
Life Teen Mass
The Life Teen 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 Life Teen 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 are also encouraged to take an active role in the ministries at the Mass specifically, in the choir and as greeters, ushers and proclaimers of the Word. 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. Topics for these nights come from the National Life Teen office, from the Core team’s own ideas, and ideas suggested by teens.
