High School (9-12)

Life Teen is a community of over 250 high school students seeking to know, serve, and love the Lord. Life Teen welcomes all teens no matter where they are in their spiritual walk. At Life Teen we seek to meet teens "where they are" in life. We teach the truths of the the Catholic faith, but always in a way that is both authentic to Church teaching and relevant to the teens everyday lives. If you or you child is in high school then Life Teen is the place for you!

First, we begin with the 'Gather' where we all come together, pray, share how we have been since we last met, and play a game to introduce the theme of the week.

After the 'Gather' we have the 'Proclaim' which resembles the Liturgy of the Word from mass. We are blessed to have not only our youth ministry team but also vibrant and powerful speakers come to help us break open the word of God and proclaim the good news.

In the mass the next thing is to break and eat the body of Christ in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The next part of Life Teen is called the 'Break.' As members of the body of Christ we break out into small groups to discuss and better understand the message and lesson for the week. The break gives teens the chance to have their voice heard.

The final part of Life Teen is the 'Send.' The word mass literally means 'to be sent' because in the final words before mass ends we are sent out as a Church to serve others and to preach the Gospel. In this final portion of Life Teen we have a specific prayerful activity, reflection or testimony where we learn how to take the lesson of the week and bring it with us in our daily lives.

Confirmation preparation at St. Mary of the Expecation is a two year program. The first year of Confirmation is called 'Confirmation 1' during which teens attend Life Teen as their weekly lesson.

Life Teen consists of general Catholic catechsis (ie. social justice, the 10 Commandments, the Mass, etc.), but Confirmation 1 also entails developing a desire to serve as Christ served, and submitting Confirmation specific forms. This is different than simply Life Teen since Life Teen is open to all high school students, some of which may not be preparing for the Sacrament. 

After completing the first year of Confirmation prep., teens begin 'Confirmation 2' which again includes Life Teen, but is mainly centered around Sacrament specific catechesis (What is Confirmation? Who is the Holy Spirit?, etc)

As parents, you have an amazing gift and responsibility to be the most important teacher in your child's life. That's a big responsibility so we are here to help! Passing on the faith to our children can sometimes seem overwhelming and we don't know where to begin.

Every week, we send an update for that week's upcoming lesson. These updates include information and resources on the topic so that you can learn about it yourself, questions specifically catered to our topic that week so that you can easily continue the conversation with your children in the car on your way home, and more!

If there are any additional resources that we can provide you, ways that we can pray for you, or even if you would just like to meet up and chat please let us know!

Teen Leadership is a program for upperclassmen who have already received the Sacrament of Confirmation. This program gives teens the ablility to make their faith their own. Teen Leaders help to facilitate small groups, lead games, and share testimonies at Life Teen and they also meet weekly for Bible Study/Discipleship.

At the bible study teens learn how to read scripture, live it, and learn how to be Christians in the modern world. Teen Leaders are some of the most respected and bright teens in our commmunity. They set the example for their peers.

Many teens are nominated to be a teen leader by Core Members or Youth Ministers, while others make a decision that they want to be leader in their faith and ask to join. If you want to live your faith and your live to the fullest then this is the ministry for you!