Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
youth ministry
Youth ministry, also commonly referred to as youth group, is an age-specific religious ministry of faith groups or other religious organizations, usually from ages 12 to 30, whose mission is to involve and engage with young people who attend th ...
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. According to Life Teen, "Eucharist-based ministry has the power to transform teens, parishes, and culture".
Life Teen is best known for its parish-based programs. The Life Teen program for high-school teenagers is used by over 1,800 Catholic parishes in 31 countries. In 2003, they launched the Edge program for middle-school pupils, which is now used by almost 1,000 parishes in 10 countries. As of 2005, over 100,000 high-school-aged Catholics in the US attend Life Teen each week.
History
Life Teen was established in 1985 at St. Timothy's Parish in Mesa, Arizona. The founder and then-priest Dale Fushek said he believed the Church needed a new approach to evangelize Christ to the Catholic youth in the area. Fushek was later
excommunicated
Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...
when he opened a non-denominational, Protestant-oriented worship center in the Phoenix area; he was then embroiled in allegations he sexually abused teenage boys and young men; he was ultimately
laicized
In the canon law of the Catholic Church, the loss of clerical state (commonly referred to as laicization, dismissal, defrocking, and degradation) is the removal of a bishop, priest, or deacon from the status of being a member of the clergy.
The t ...
by the Church.
Though Life Teen is present in fewer than 10% of American parishes, more than 40% of American seminarians had some connection to the program during their teenage years.
Organization
Life Teen is headed by a five-member administrative team including President and CEO Randy Raus, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Mark Hart, Vice President of Ministry Advancement Steve Allgeyer, Vice President of Parish Services Joel Stepanek, and Vice President of Missions and Operations Jason Ball. Its 23-member board of directors includes Bishop
Everard De Jong
Everardus Johannes (Everard) de Jong (July 4, 1958) is a Dutch prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is auxiliary bishop of Roermond since 1999.James Wall, four priests, and several laities from around the country.
Ministry model
Life Teen has developed a dynamic model to help Youth Ministers and adult program leaders, known as Core members, minister to young Catholics in a parish setting. Teenagers typically attend a Sunday Mass specifically intended for their families and other interested parishioners. Music and homilies are focused on teenagers, who are invited to be trained in approved liturgical ministries such as lectors, ushers, altar servers, greeters, and
Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion
An extraordinary minister of Holy Communion in the Catholic Church is, under the 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'', "an acolyte, or another of Christ's faithful deputed", in certain extraordinary circumstances, to distribute Holy Communion. The term ...
. Following Mass, a "Life Night", which incorporates teaching in Catholic beliefs, interactive activities, and socialization, is held
Most Life Teen Programs hold events such as Bible study and social events.
Every Life Teen and Edge program is encouraged to host two weekend-long retreats for members.
Mass
Life Teen holds youth-focused masses, which it says are the most important part of its program. Particular efforts are made to create a welcoming atmosphere, reverent and relevant music, and an engaging homily that speaks to the issues in teens' lives. The music ranges from traditional Catholic hymns, sometimes with a modern arrangement, to Catholic worship songs. Life Teen has a transcription of a video talk by Fr. Robert Schreinertranscription of a video talk by Fr. Robert Schreiner /ref> explaining the role of music within Liturgy.
Life Nights
Following the Mass are gatherings that are aimed to be enjoyable and to challenge teenagers to deepen their relationships with God and to learn about the Catholic faith. Known as Life Nights, the gatherings consist of four segments; Gather, Proclaim, Break, and Send, which are derived from the flow of the
Mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...
.
Life Nights consist of catechetical, issue, and social nights. Catechetical nights are designed to teach teenagers about aspects of the Catholic faith, ssue nights deal with real-life issues such as gossip, chastity, and drinking and social nights are designed to help teenagers build friendships and strengthen social bonds.
Core values
Life Teen promotes seven core values.
*Eucharistic spirituality - focuses on the Mass and receiving Christ in the Eucharist.
* Love - Life Teen strives to show attendees of the Mass or a program offered that they are loved.
* Joy - according to Life Teen; "Jesus is a reason to be joyful and excited about life".
* Affirmation - As a community, participants in Life Teen are expected to support and encourage one another.
* Authenticity - Life Teen encourages teenagers to live an authentic life in which they do not wear a "mask" or pretend to be someone they are not.
* Evangelization - Life Teen believes "every teenager deserves a chance to have a relationship with Jesus" and invites all to participate.
* Primary vocation - The adult leaders of Life Teen are called to take care of their primary responsibilities ahead of their commitments to Life Teen or any other purpose.
Additional programs
In addition to high school youth ministry, Life Teen has been expanded to other areas of ministry. It offers training events, summer camps, youth rallies, and conferences.
Summer camps
Life Teen operates summer camps at Camp Hidden Lake in
Dahlonega, Georgia
The city of Dahlonega () is the county seat of Lumpkin County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,242, and in 2018 the population was estimated to be 6,884.
Dahlonega is located at the north end of ...
, and Camp Covecrest in
Tiger, Georgia
Tiger is a town in Rabun County, Georgia, United States. The population was 574 at the 2020 census, up from 408 at the 2010 census.
History
The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Tiger as a town in 1904.
There are two popular legends as to th ...
. The camps are designed to build friendships, allow attendees to have fun, and deepen their faith through prayer and experiencing the sacraments.
Camp activities include mountain biking,
paintball
Paintball is a competitive team shooting sport in which players eliminate opponents from play by hitting them with spherical dye-filled gelatin capsules called paintballs that break upon impact. Paintballs are usually shot using low-energy a ...
ing, hiking, white water rafting, zip-lining, playing with farm animals, playing team sports, climbing a rope course, fishing, or playing field games.
The camps also encourage and assist teens to develop a deeper relationship with Christ. In addition to the Mass, attendees can partake in the
sacrament of Reconciliation
The Sacrament of Penance (also commonly called the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession) is one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church (known in Eastern Christianity as sacred mysteries), in which the faithful are absolved from s ...
St. John Paul II Center for the New Evangelization
In 2012, Bishop Pierre-André Dumas requested Life Teen to build a base on diocesan land in Madian, Haiti. He tasked Life Teen with bringing Catholic youth ministry to the Diocese of Anse-à-Veau et Miragoâne. The base currently serves teenagers in the area through Bible studies, Life Nights, XLT's, and discipleship. The base brings together both Haitian and American missionaries.
See also
*
Catholic spirituality
Catholic spirituality includes the various ways in which Catholics live out their Baptismal promise through prayer and action. The primary prayer of all Catholics is the Eucharistic liturgy in which they celebrate and share their faith together, i ...
Universal call to holiness The universal call to holiness is a teaching of the Roman Catholic Church that all people are called to be holy, and is based on Matthew 5:48: "Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect" (). In the first book of the Bible, th ...
*
Vocational Discernment in the Catholic Church Vocational discernment is the process in which men or women in the Catholic Church discern, or recognize, their vocation in the church. The vocations are the life as layman in the world, either married or single, the ordained life and the consecrat ...
*
World Youth Day
World Youth Day (WYD) is an event for young people organized by the Catholic Church that was initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1985, sometimes nicknamed in later years as the "Catholic Woodstock". Its concept has been influenced by the Light-L ...