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BY BETTY SCHOENBAECHLER
Special To The Bulletin
MARIETTA--Retreats, missionary work, peer acceptance, attending Mass: For
the youth involved with the Life Teen program at the Church of St. Ann, these
are very much a part of their living faith.
Because it is centered on the Eucharist, Life Teen has come to represent a
place where teenagers can find love and acceptance for who they are at this
stage in their lives.
Chris Benzinger, who heads the Life Teen ministry at St. Ann’s, joined
the staff last October when Youth Director Randy Raus was named to the National
Life Teen organization. Benzinger was youth minister at All Saint’s Church
in Dunwoody before coming to St. Ann’s.
In addition to the Life Teen staff, over 40 adults help with the program,
including 20 adult Core members who plan Life Night activities, and members of
the Life Teen Band, directed by Ed Bolduc.
Core member Jennifer Garrard said that over a four-month period, teams of
four Core members are responsible for coordinating three to four Life Nights.
Core members help with retreats and other Life Teen activities as well.
As many as 300 teens come to Life Teen events, with a solid group of about
60 who are there weekly, according to Benzinger. About 100 teens attend
retreats.
“We have Life Nights four times a month after Mass,” explained
Benzinger. “Two are educational and focus on a Catholic or biblical issue,
one deals with issues teens face and the fourth is a social night.”
In addition to Life Nights, the teens come to Catacombs, a weekly faith
topic discussion, based on the “Catechism of the Catholic Church,”
and Just for Fun, a night to hang out at church for basketball and other
non-structured activities. Teens attend a weekly liturgy together and spend
time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. As part of monthly service
projects, St. Ann’s teens serve meals at homeless shelters, visit the
elderly in nursing homes, help set up for the Apple Annie Craft Show and have
even built a Habitat House. This past summer, a group of St. Ann’s teens
took a missionary trip to Mexico to assist with a building project. They had to
earn the money for their trip through service-related work and fund-raising
activities, not just have a parent write a check. The teens also adopt two
large families at Christmas each year through the St. Vincent de Paul
Society’s Adopt-A-Family program.
“Life Teen started here in 1992 and since that time we have ministered
to a lot of teens,” said Raus. “The major components are still the
same as they were in the beginning. It has always been centered on the
Eucharist. Many priests have played an integral role in this ministry and there
are a number of people who have been involved.”
Raus pinpoints the success of Life Teen to one source: God.
“The reason Life Teen has been successful is because it is from God. He
is in control and those of us who work in the ministry try to be faithful and
obedient to His will.”
The program started as a result of a parish survey that indicated the number
one priority of parishioners was the addition of a youth ministry.
“The entire church community has had a role in making holy teens in
this parish,” said Raus.
The pastor, Father Bob Susann, MS, said that because the Life Teen program
is centered around the Eucharist, “It’s life giving. Not only the
teens love it, but other parishioners find it fulfilling and rewarding as well.
It has changed the tenor of the whole parish. Many teens are bringing their
parents back to church.”
Word of St. Ann’s Life Teen program has spread beyond the Atlanta area.
“We have become a hub for training parishes who want to start a Life
Teen program,” said Father Susann.
St. Ann’s provides office space to the national Life Teen organization,
headed up locally by Raus. He spends a great deal of time traveling between
Atlanta and Mesa, Ariz., the other Life Teen headquarters.
Adults become involved in youth ministry for a variety of reasons. Garrard
said that when she first moved to the Atlanta area nearly four years ago, she
was overwhelmed by the Life Teen ministry and wanted to be a part of it.
“I think that if I had been involved in something like this when I was
a teen, there are a lot of things in the Bible that would have given me peace
and consoled me with some of the things I went through,” she said. “I
want to help let these teens know they can always turn to God who will assist
them through whatever obstacle they face, whether it is peer pressure, grades
or any kind of trouble.”
Grace Massey, a recent graduate of Lassiter High School, said Life Teen is
like a big support group.
“We do a lot of talks in small groups and you get to know people and
where they’re at. We always have a good time and there are lots of things
to do. We shift subjects from the serious to fun. Some nights are informal and
others are planned.”
Massey feels fortunate to have found the Life Teen program.
“I really am blessed. It’s not often you can be surrounded by
people who share the same values and morals. I love it.”
Tony Cuviello, a student at St. Pius X High School in Atlanta, said he felt
a sense of acceptance at his first Life Teen event, a Braves game, but it was
at a Life Teen retreat where he started making new friends.
“Everyone is so open to new faces and so open to you,” he said.
“It’s different from school. At school, most people have their groups
and some allow new people in, but even when they do, it can be hard to fit in.
Here, we’re one huge group. Everyone is accepted just like one big
family.”
The retreats are a powerful tool of the ministry and, like the Life Nights
and Life Teen Mass, they are well-planned and follow a theme relevant to the
teens.
Cuviello talked about a retreat he attended.
“It was called The Crossroads. It was a time for the teens and the Core
to recognize what the crossroads in their lives were. What are their struggles?
Do they turn right, left or go straight? A few of them said they were
struggling with things in the home, others with things at school. Anyone who
feels called to will share. Usually everyone shares because there is a high
confidence level in the group. No one laughs. Everyone is encouraging and
willing to help one another. We back each other up all the time and everything
is kept confidential.”
Cuviello said the Life Teen Band played for hours during the retreat,
helping to create the right atmosphere for sharing.
The band, which Bolduc has led since the program began, is made up of
musicians who are “responding to their baptismal calling to
ministry.”
“We’re not looking for any recognition for what we do. Rather, our
main goal is to minister to that group,” he said.
Bolduc said the band wants its music to be culturally relevant to the teens.
“People ask ‘What is Life Teen music?’ That’s a
misnomer. There is no such thing. We draw from any and all resources. We use
any music, as long as it is good music and it’s going to minister to the
teens. It’s all in the arrangement--the musical language we use to present
the songs and speak to them musically--that’s what I mean by culturally
relevant.”
The Life Teen Band has produced several CDs that have become a ministry in
their own right.
“Sometimes people look forward to the CDs so they can listen to the
music they hear at Mass in their car and at home,” said Bolduc, who writes
a number of the songs used in the Life Teen program.
Life Teen is evangelical in the sense that many teens invite their friends
to attend Mass.
“I’ve brought many of my non-Catholic friends to Mass,” said
Massey. “I tell them to cross their arms over their chest and come to
Communion with me for a blessing. I’ve also brought some of my Catholic
friends who are not active. That’s really neat for their parents.”
According to the director of the Parish School of Religion and OCIA, Mary
Ann Fischer, 16 teens came into the church at St. Ann’s this year. Most
were raised in other denominations.
“They came with friends to the Life Teen activities and chose to join
the Catholic faith,” said Fischer.
The Life Teen program has resulted in an appreciation of the Catholic faith
and community among St. Ann’s teens.
“If you’ve never been to a Life Teen Mass, and you get the chance
to go, come to St. Ann’s,” said Cuviello. “It is one of the
greatest programs you will ever see or hear. Everything about St. Ann’s is
wonderful. It’s a community that accepts you for who you are.”
Benzinger said the Life Teen Mass is always standing-room only and lasts at
least 90 minutes. The youth participate fully in the service and occasionally
they will even perform a short play during Mass.
“We had a pretty intense skit one of the teens wrote that dealt with
serious issues like sex, suicide, drinking and disappointment with parents. It
was very dramatic and we had it right during the homily,” he said, adding
that support from the clergy is the key to their being able to do something
like this.
“Father Bob doesn’t always say yes, but he does say, ‘How can
we make it happen?’” said Benzinger.
For Bolduc, his experience with Life Teen has enriched his own faith life.
“Teens are a lot holier than people give them credit for being,”
he said. “They have a lot to offer to their community. I learn a lot from
them, watching them pray and watching them grow closer to Jesus. We try to show
them what we’ve learned and, in turn, they teach us what they’ve
learned. They’re not the future of the church--they are the church.”
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