U.P.L.I.F.T.Click on image above to go to Bayou Lifeteen on My Space!
Jesus, the Bread of Life, taken, blessed, broken and given away so
that all might be healed and have life.
Father, take the lives of our teens. We offer them to You with open
hands.
Through the example of Jesus, teach them to surrender their lives
fully to You.
Bless them with the knowledge that they are Your beloved ones and
that they truly belong to a community of love and mercy.
Break open their hearts so that the seed of the Word and the power
of the Eucharist can be planted in fertile ground, take root and
transform their lives.
Give these teens to the world with the power of the Holy Spirit to
witness to the love of Jesus and serve Him in each person they meet.
Let this LIFE TEEN ministry be bread for the world. As Christ gave
You thanks and fed many, may we give You thanks for this ministry
and ask You to multiply it and nurture its growth for Your glory.
Amen
What is LifeTeen?
LifeTeen is an international Catholic Ministry that serves the Church and leads all teens closer to Christ by providing resources and training that encourage vibrant Eucharistic celebrations and opportunities for teens to grow in their faith.
LifeTeen Mass
At the weekly LifeTeen Mass, teens and their families experience the depths of God's love through the Word, the community, and the Eucharist. Relevant preaching and quality music bring the Cathoic Mass to life.
LifeNight
Following the LifeTeen mass, trained youth ministers and CORE members lead the teens deeper into their Catholic faith in the LifeNight experience. As a faith community, the teens grow in understanding of what it means to be young and Catholic in the new millennium. The teens are affirmed, educated, and challenged to live the Gospel. Our LifeNights are designed with our teens in mind! The topics are carefully and prayerfully selected according to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Our LifeNights are enhanced with music and music videos, environment, prayer, and fellowship. Each night, a new topic is opened up and our CORE members work one on one with our teens to deepen their understanding in a more personal "Household" (AKA - small groups) atmosphere.
LifeTeen is a Movement of the Holy Spirit
At the core of LifeTeen, you find spirituality to lead teens closer to Christ that is driven by the Holy Spirit. It is through Christ, with Christ and in Christ that we do all things and give all glory to God. As a movement in the Church, we are guided by the teachings of Christ, His holy Word and His precious Body and Blood. Our entire ministry is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary so that we may be led to the feet of her son with the obedience she exemplified.
On May 26, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI addressed representatives of ecclesial movements with this salutation: "The movements you belong to are many. You are nourished by different schools of spirituality recognized by the Church. Draw upon the wisdom of the saints, have recourse to the heritage they have left us. Form your minds and your hearts on the works of the great masters and witnesses of the faith, knowing that the schools of spirituality must not be a treasure locked up in monastic libraries. The Gospel wisdom, contained in the writings of the great saints and attested to in their lives, must be brought in a mature way, not childishly or aggressively, to the world of culture and work, to the world of the media and politics, to the world of family and social life".
There are three things that attract teens to LifeTeen:
- TRUTH - In the LifeTeen program, teens learn about Jesus Christ - the way, the truth and the life. At such an influential time in their life, the LifeTeen program is committed to satisfying teens' thirst for the truth by exposing them to Christ and the wholeness of Roman Catholic teachings.
- EXPERIENCE - Providing powerful liturgies for teens and their families is how LifeTeen best helps teens experience the power and love of Christ in the Eucharist, the Word of God and each other.
- ACCEPTANCE - Teens long for acceptance and authenticity. When youth ministers, CORE members and priests model vulnerability, teens can enter an environment where they are accepted for who they truly are, not who they disguise themselves to be.
LifeTeen recognizes and views teens as a distinct culture. Today's teen culture is totally different than the one in which you grew up. Clothing, language, music, social outlets and attitudes about life are all elements that help define this culture. It is essential to successful youth ministry to recognize the culture from which the teens emanate in order to bring them into a deeper relationship with Jesus.
LifeTeen will help you stay current, pay attention, and be able to relate to your teens. Rather than imitating teens' style, LifeTeen can help you become aware of what they view as important. We recognize this and adapt the most important part of our Catholic faith - the Mass - to reach teens. The music, homily and community at your youth Mass appeals to teens, and because of these efforts teens gather each week for the celebration of the Holy Mass. By responding to your responsibility to incorporate teens' culture into the Mass, you make the message of the Church relevant for today's youth.
Immediately following your youth Mass, teens gather for a LifeNight to learn about the Catholic Church and explore their faith in concrete ways. LifeNights 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 LifeTeen is able to educate teens about the Catholic Church and their fiath.
Need more information? See the "Youth Contacts" page
FYI - LifeTeen LifeNights
Our Lifenights are held every Sunday during the
fall and spring semesters and is considered the high school CCD
program. The Mission? To bring teens closer to Christ
For Teen Bible Study information or to sign up, contact Miles Gaspard
ADVISORY! The Internet can be a great place to gather information and to network with others...it can also be a bad place. Parents should be aware of what their children do and what websites they visit on the Internet.