LIFE TEEN PROGRAM
Life Teen is a comprehensive high school youth ministry program based on, focused on, and directed toward the Eucharist. The mission is to create an environment that attracts teens and leads them into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and His Church. It reaches teens on all levels: emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and relational - dispelling the notion that all it takes is a social club with lots of activities to keep teens on track.

Typically, Life Teen Masses are held during the school year at 5:00 p.m. on alternate Sundays. Life Night activities are held from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Sunday evenings during the school year (please refer to schedule below). In addition, various activities are held year round with the teens.

Our parish officially kicked-off its Life Teen group on January 17, 2010, with parishioners Greg and Jay D'Aurelio serving as leaders (they'd been involved with the Life Teen group at St. Helen's in Newbury). As of July 1, 2011, Tammy Sadowski and Don Engelhart agreed to take over the ministry (Jay stepped down as a leader early in 2011 & Greg stepped down in June, 2011, due to his work schedule).

To volunteer or for more details, please contact Tammy Sadowski (330.562.7826 or ErieDearie5@windstream.net) or Don Engelhart (330.903.0928 or engelhartd@wra.net).

MISSION STATEMENT • WHAT IS LIFE TEEN? • HISTORY OF LIFE TEEN
WHAT DOES A LIFE TEEN PROGRAM LOOK LIKE? • WHAT IS A LIFE NIGHT?
TOP 12 MISCONCEPTIONS • LIFE TEEN LINKS • LIFE TEEN CALENDAR
SUPPORT LIFE TEEN FUNDRAISERS, SERVICE PROJECTS & EVENTS
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK

CORE TEAM MEMBERS & CORE SUPPORT
Meetings are being held as needed prior to Life Night set-up. Anyone who wants to lead teens closer to Christ and is willing to participate in diocesan safe environment training (i.e. Child Protection Policy Training Session) is someone who can volunteer with Life Teen ministry. The "Core Team" is the main group of volunteers who assist our youth ministers with Life Teen.
Core Team Members: Tammy Sadowski (Parish Youth Minister), Don Engelhart (Parish Youth Minister), Fr. Michael Garvey (Pastor), Greg D'Aurelio, Jay D'Aurelio, Julie Engelhart, Carl & Maryanne Feddor, Marty Hura, Diane Sanderson, Wendy Harner
Life Teen Praise Team (Music Ministry): Bill Davies (Music Minister), Lydia & Jacob Kulesza, Wendy & Ralph Harner, Trent Pryor
Ministry Support: Kathi Trares (Parish Secretary & Webmaster)

"Leading Teens Closer To Christ"
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.

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What is Life Teen?
Life Teen is a comprehensive high school youth ministry program based on, focused on, and directed towards the Eucharist. The Life Teen mission is to create an environment that attracts teens and leads them into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and His Church. It reaches teens on all levels: emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and relational - dispelling the notion that all it takes is a social club with lots of activities to keep teens on track.

Life Teen International is a Private Association of the Christian Faithful (a.k.a. Lay Association) and has received phenomenal affirmation from the Vatican. Very simply, this means that we have a defined spirituality officially approved to be congruent with the spirituality of the Roman Catholic Church. Life Teen has grown to be one of the largest Catholic youth ministry programs in the world and is a part of over 1000 parishes in the United States.

What attracts the teens to Life Teen? Two things…the TRUTH and EXPERIENCE!
They are given the truth and opportunities to grow in their faith through creative LIFE Nights, Bible Studies, retreats, weekly prayer activities, discussions, and teen leadership conferences. Providing powerful and vibrant Eucharistic celebrations for teens and their families that are inviting, JOYful, and prayerful, with music that speaks to their souls, and homilies that are relevant and challenging to teens . . . providing engaging Life Nights, transforming retreats, social justice and service projects, Eucharistic Adoration, and safe-fun activities for the teens is how the program helps them experience the power and love of Christ in the Eucharist, the Word of God, the people they serve, and each other.
And, the teens have a real sense of belonging at Life Teen. They are accepted and loved unconditionally and mentored by some pretty incredible, caring, and holy adult role models - the Core team. The ultimate goal is to love on, speak the truth to, and then empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today. Sometimes this may seem like a daunting task with all that they are faced with in our culture of death which disregards the sanctity of human life, promotes moral relativism, and glorifies the needs and wants of the individual above everything else. But to reclaim American teens from the grips of the "Culture of Death", we must not be overwhelmed by the obstacles, but with God's help, truly seek to be an agent of change, and continually offer them something better!
You are invited to experience how the Holy Spirit is so ALIVE in Life Teen and to journey to Christ with us. This life is all about Jesus and we shouldn't miss an opportunity to get to know Him better, love Him more deeply, and serve Him more faithfully. That's what Life Teen is all about!

History of Life Teen
Life Teen began in 1985 as a single-parish program in Mesa, Arizona. As it grew in popularity with the teens, people around the country began to take notice. The simple model of a Mass focused on teens and their families, followed by a catechetical session called a "Life Night," remains effective to this day. As more parishes inquired about the ministry, Life Teen began offering national training conferences on this new and comprehensive youth ministry model within a few years. In the past two decades, Life Teen has grown into one of the most prolific Catholic youth ministry programs in the world. Visit the links below to discover Life Teen programs at area parishes.

What does a Life Teen program look like?
The Life Teen program is a complete, comprehensive, and interactive model of religious formation. Through youth friendly Liturgies, Life Nights, weekly activities, service opportunities, teen leadership and outreach activities, teens learn more about their Catholic faith and grow to love the Sacraments, the Word, and the Mass. At a parish with the Life Teen program, a priest, youth minister, music ministry and a Core team of volunteer's build an environment where teens feel loved, accepted, and challenged to go deeper in their faith.
Teens learn about the Mass by being "full, active, and conscious" members of the community. Teens not only engage in the liturgy, but also serve as leaders of hospitality, altar servers, lectors, ushers, musicians, vocalists and, when allowed, extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist. "Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that fully conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy". In addition, clergy are renewed and affirmed in their vocation as they reach out to the young Church through the Sacraments.

Attributes of a Strong Life Teen Program

• Weekly youth Mass
• Weekly catechetical Life Nights
• Justice and service opportunities
• Annual teen and Core retreats to renew & deepen their love & commitment to Christ & His Church
• Relational ministry development
• Community building that engage teens in the life of the parish while advocating their needs

What is a Life Night?
Life Nights are creative nights that bring our Catholic faith to life, breaking open relevant issues for teens. Teens openly share and experience what it is to be a Catholic teen today. These catechetical nights are presented in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church and provide a comprehensive scope of topics, over the course of four years. Typically, Life Night follows a regularly scheduled Saturday or Sunday evening Mass. Many programs, however, follow an afternoon Mass.
Immediately following the Catholic Life Teen Mass, teens gather for a Life Night to learn about the Catholic Church and explore their faith in concrete ways. Life Nights appeal to teens because they are creative, eventful, and bring our Catholic faith to life in practical ways. It is through Bible studies, relational ministry, and personal experience that Life Teen is able to educate teens about the Catholic Church and their faith.

Top 12 Misconceptions about Life Teen (in no particular order)

1. You must have a very large budget to operate Life Teen.
2. Life Teen will only impact the young people at your parish.
3. Teens and their families should not sit together during the teen Mass.
4. There are certain requirements to be a "member" of Life Teen.
5. Life Teen is not a catechetical program.
6. Life Teen is the only Catholic youth ministry program available today.
7. Life Teen will not work in a) multi-ethnic, b)small, c) megachurch setting.
8. Only young, cool youth ministers can launch Life Teen successfully.
9. The Core team should be made up of young adults ages 19-35, and preferably single.
10. Teens who are involved in Life Teen will not attend "regular" Mass after high school.
11. Life Teen discourages participation of parents.
12. It only takes one person to run Life Teen.
    

2011/2012 LIFE TEEN CALENDAR

All are welcome to attend 5:00 p.m. Life Teen Masses.
All high school teens are invited to Life Night Activities.

Exalt at Center for Pastoral Care in Willoughby on Oct. 4 & Dec. 13.
Exalt at St. Helen in Newbury on Oct. 25, Nov. 29 & Dec. 27.
Additional Movie Nights, Prayer/Rosary, Socials - TBD

Watch for more details & updates soon!

LIFE TEEN LINKS
LifeTeen.com - for Catholic teenagers
St. Helen (Newbury) • St. Mary (Hudson) • St. Charles Borromeo (Boardman)
St. Michael the Archangel (Canton) • St. Paul (North Canton)
St. Hilary (Fairlawn) • St. Basil the Great (Brecksville)

LIFE TEEN FUNDRAISERS, SERVICE PROJECTS & EVENTS

First Step For Change
First Step for Change is a pro-life activity for the entire family. This "baby bottle fundraiser" provides refillable plastic baby bottles to participants for individuals and families to take home and fill with spare change. The funds collected are used to purchase hard goods, such as food, formula, diapers, wipes, a limited number of cribs and car seats and other items for the low-income pregnant women and families in the First Step program located throughout the Diocese which serves Ashtabula, Columbiana, Mahoning, Portage, Stark and Trumbull Counties.
We need your help to ensure the success of this program-Pick up a baby bottle Sept. 10/11 in the narthex and fill it with spare change OR mail a check to: Catholic Charities Diocese of Youngstown. 144 W. Wood St., Youngstown, OH 44503 Attn: Nikole Baringer

Garden Club's 28th Annual Christmas Boutique Kitchen
Sunday, November 11, 2012, 9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Hughes Hall. Come and help the crafters carry in their items, work in the kitchen, or at the Appalachian Bake Sale table (please bring baked goods).

Palm Sunday Pancake Breakfast
Sunday, April 1, 2012, 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Hughes Hall. Volunteers assist chairperson JoDee Romano at this annual community event.

Appalachian Experience Bake Sales
Held after Masses in the narthex the third weekend of the month during the school year to raise funds for participation in St. Joseph's Housing Repair Program in Clintwood, VA.

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