The Catholic Standard and Times
"Youth"

March 8, 2001

by Robert M. Buscaglia

As children, my friends and I would stretch our imaginations to come up with the most absurd combinations of foods and claim to enjoy them. Some of the best included peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches, mint chocolate tuna pops and the king of them all, liverwurst on cherry-glazed PopTarts.

These were impossible combinations that none of us ever actually considered prudent for consumption, but it was always fun to imagine the reaction they might produce.

So when I arrived for a recent Life Teen Mass at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Springfield and found out the theme for the night was “Faith and Milkshakes,” one could only imagine my reaction.

I mean, come on, faith and milkshakes? That's as crazy as mixing say, faith and oh, I don't know — teenagers.

At least I thought so.

Life Teen, a youth-ministry program designed for high school teens, somehow brings the two seemingly clashing worlds — teens and faith — together in a meaningful and fun way.

It attempts to reach teens on spiritual, emotional and social levels, not merely on the dogmatic level that so many of them woefully dread. Life Teen involves Mass and more — a comprehensive program to bring faith, fun and social interaction together in a context significant for teens.

“It's a lot more than just sitting there in church and listening,” said Deanna Bucciarelli, a junior at Cardinal O'Hara High School in Springfield and four-year participant in Life Teen. “The people, the music and all the activities make it a very good blend of social and spiritual that's definitely more in tune with teenagers.”

Bucciarelli became involved in Life Teen, as many other participants have, through a suggestion from her parents.

Once she checked it out and got to know the people, she was hooked and began going on her own.

Apparently Life Teen has been doing something right, because on Jan. 14, Bucciarelli and about 200 other teens, adults and children came to celebrate the program's fifth anniversary at St. Francis. Many were veterans of the group, familiar with each other, the music and the greetings, and they had an incredible amount of energy.

Caryl Johnson, one of the founders of the Life Teen program in Springfield, explained to the members at the celebration that Life Teen goes as far back as 1977, when founder Father Dale Fushek and a group of youth ministers and musicians began the youth program at St. Timothy Catholic Church in Mesa, Ariz.

Since then, Life Teen has grown tremendously.

Today, there are more than 550 Life Teen programs operating in the United States and Canada.

Other like-minded, youth-ministry groups are in the process of developing new Life Teen programs in New Zealand, Australia, Scotland, Germany, Bosnia, England and South Africa.

The idea for Life Teen in Springfield began in 1995 as teens from CYO groups in St. Francis and St. Kevin Parishes began to express increasing interest in having more youth Masses.

Father Michael J. Fitzpatrick, previously of St. Kevin's in Springfield, recommended taking a look at the Life Teen model as a possible option.

Father Fitzpatrick and a committee of teens, young adults and other parish members visited an existing Life Teen program in West Chester and explored the possibility of beginning such a program.

At the same time, St. Francis Parish had also been considering a teen-ministry program and, after some discussion, the two parishes decided to combine forces to create Life Teen St. Francis-St. Kevin.

Since that first Life Teen Mass and Life Night on Jan. 14, 1996, more than 500 teens have participated in this local youth-ministry program.

Life Teen is more than just a Mass with youth-oriented themes, sermons and music.

After Mass, the teens are invited to go to the adjacent gymnasium to participate in Life Night, where teens meet with trained youth ministers and core members to discuss and learn about their faith through a variety of interactive activities.

Core team members lead the teens in games, skits, discussions and other activities that help them explore their faith, share their thoughts, fears and concerns and develop meaningful friendships that break through the otherwise guarded veneer of adolescence.

Sharing ideas about faith and spirituality with peers and adults has “gotten more natural over the years,” said Bucciarelli. “I used to hate church, but then I started going to Life Teen and discovered that faith can be pretty cool.”

“The friendships strengthen my faith and that helps me get a better handle on what I should do with my life. It's helped me be able to focus, and the way they get me involved teaches me how to interact with people.”

“I like to get different perspectives on how I can make my faith better,” said Peter Mulligan, a freshman at Devon Preparatory School in Devon. “It's a fun experience and a good way to meet people. I've gotten a lot out of it and learned a lot about faith.”

The core team is the backbone of the Life Teen program. Team members plan Masses, develop Life Night activities, organize service projects, canoe trips, benefit rock concerts, coffee houses, retreats and many other activities offered through Life Teen.

Core members are typically young adults from the two parishes who have “a spark of faith inside them that they want to share with the team,” said Johnson. “The core members aren't that far removed from the teen years — they can remember what the stresses and pressures of adolescence are like, and they're there just to try to help them through it, to just be a guide, to listen.”

For core member and Springfield resident, Mark Winter, the most rewarding part of the program is “connecting with some of the teens and having them confide in me some of their vulnerabilities. It's a slow burn with these kids. They open up in small groups with their questions and concerns, and then they pour out their souls, and I can't help but feel connected to them.”

Winter, Johnson and the Life Teen core team have managed to build a program that blends teens, faith and milkshakes — and it works.

For more information about Life Teen, call St. Francis of Assisi rectory at 610-543-0848 or check out the Web at www.sfasklifeteen.com

Robert M. Buscaglia is the publicist for Life Teen-Springfield.