Life Teen Youth Ministry and Religious Education for Teens

Beginning on November 1, 1992 Saint John Neumann has used the Life Teen model of Youth Ministry. Life Teen is a comprehensive youth ministry program with a strong focus on the Eucharist.  This program strives to create an environment through which teens will grow deeper in their relationship with Christ and the Catholic Church. It speaks to teens on all levels: emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual.  Through fun, high energy community building activities, dynamic presentations, small group discussions, the sacraments, and prayer, Life Teen is designed to meet each and every teen where they find themselves, providing opportunities for growth and challenging them to live out their faith in their daily lives.

Life Teen Mass is celebrated at 5:00 p.m. on Sundays during September – May. All are welcome (not just teens!) to participate in a vibrant and engaging celebration of the Eucharist. The music ministry is provided by a dedicated and very talented contemporary Christian band. Teens are encouraged to serve in various liturgical ministries.

Overview of a Life Teen Night

  • Teens are especially encouraged to attend the 5:00 p.m. Mass. Life Nights begin immediately following the Life Teen Mass.
  • Teens are served a dinner before the life night, provided by parents and other parishioners. If you are interested in helping to provide a dinner, we would welcome your help and donations! The expectation is not that you would provide the entire dinner; we try to have multiple families assigned to each Sunday night so the food donations can be split among the families. We don’t want this to be a burden or large expense for any one person/family. If you aren’t able to donate a portion of the food, perhaps you would consider serving. We are always looking for people to help serve the dinner. Of course, cash donations and gift cards are gladly accepted, too.
  • Life Nights are an engaging opportunity for teens to grow deeper in their faith and to discuss how the teachings of Jesus apply to their lives. Life Nights vary each week and include catechetical, social, and issue nights. As a result, teens grow as a faith community through sharing with each other the joys and struggles of striving to live out their Catholic faith in today’s culture.
  • Through a four-year curriculum, which follows the U.S. Bishops’ guidelines, Saint John Neumann Life Teen provides a standard that is consistent with high school level religious education.
  • Trained adult core members lead teens closer to Christ as they share their faith with teens and serve as small group leaders. They mentor and pray constantly for our teens. If you are interested learning more about what it means to be a core member, please contact Ann Marie in the parish office. We are always seeking faith-filled individuals to help us on our mission.

Service Opportunities

  • Cardboard Campout is held each April. Yes, we do sleep outside in cardboard boxes! Not only do we try to give our teens an experience of what homelessness looks like, we also raise awareness to our parishioners. The last few years we have raised close to $7,000 (donated by parishioners) to be distributed to various organizations. Our overnight experience also includes Eucharistic Adoration, a guest speaker, and service projects, culminating into an impactful and powerful twenty hours for the teens and the parish!
  • During the Easter Triduum, our teens perform a rendition of the Living Stations of the Cross for the parish. Through much practice and commitment to a high standard for the performance, our teens come together to display Christ’s Passion each Good Friday!

Retreats

  • Our Life Teen program hosts both a fall and spring retreat. The retreats are held at St. Leonard’s Retreat Center in Avon and begin Friday evening and conclude early Sunday afternoon. These retreats serve as an opportunity for the teens to spend some sacred time with our Lord to deepen their faith and develop community with their peers. Themes vary each year. The weekend consists of guest speakers, confession, Mass, small group time, girls and guys sessions, Eucharistic Adoration, and other opportunities for community!

Summer Opportunities and Events

  • The Steubenville Youth Conference is a weekend long Catholic youth conference, complete with awesome music, dynamic speakers, fun entertainment, small groups, Eucharistic Adoration, and more! The conference is held at Franciscan University. Over 3,000 youth students from across the diocese and country attend this conference, all seeking to grow closer to Christ and build new friendships along the way. Whether you are confident in your faith or have lots of unanswered questions, this weekend is a great way to dive in and be challenged!
  • Teen Tuesdays throughout the summer months are geared to socializing, playing games, and having fun with other teens from Life Teen. Come and meet us at the volleyball courts each Tuesday at 7:00 pm.

ALL HIGH SCHOOL TEENS are welcome and may join anytime throughout the year by simply showing up at a Life Night. Please contact Ann Marie Ong at 440-238-1770 or at her email for further information.