Saint Cecilia
Core team Information
Manual
WELCOME
Dear Potential Life Teen Core Member,
I’m glad that you are interested in serving in our youth ministry! I am always looking for talented ministers to serve in our program. I believe that solid ministry is built on relationships between adult staff and teens. Relationships are key to teens feeling loved and accepted so that they can understand the love of God in practical ways. How often have you heard a teenager wonder, “What does any of this Church stuff have to do with my life?” Maybe you were that teenager; I know I was. But this question is an opportunity, and a movement of the Spirit within the heart of that very teenager, where spiritual growth is about to take place in a teen’s life. As Core Members, we have a remarkable privilege to be present with our teens & show them that God loves them, knows them, wants to be with them and most of all, wants to see them happy & fully alive in their faith.
A Youth Ministry like Life Teen requires a substantial team of volunteers working at all levels – from Core members who lead small groups to Support who set up environments and serve food. The challenge of our Life Teen Youth Ministry is to access the wealth and diversity of resources within and around the area so as to provide a meaningful and effective faith formation program for younger and older adolescents which engages their energy, imagination, curiosity, compassion and playful spirit in an exploration and engagement of our Catholic faith.
Thus, the quality of our youth ministry volunteers is very important. I am looking for men and women who have made a commitment to Christ and a desire to care for teens. God has called you; we are only here to walk with you in that call. With the aid of prayer and consideration, read the enclosed materials. I encourage you to observe one of our youth ministry events before making your decision to start. Because I place a great value on this ministry, I place a great value on our Core.
Once we have your application or expression of interest, we will schedule an appointment. All the information will be kept strictly confidential.
Youth ministry is a great way to give of your time and serve the Lord. I’m looking forward to meeting with you and spending some time talking about your hopes and desires for ministry. IF you have any needs to reach me, please feel free to call 515-232-3514.
In the Light of Christ,
Anna Steele
Coordinator of Youth Ministry
Saint Cecilia Catholic Community
Who We Are
"This is what is needed: a Church for young people,
which will know how to speak to their heart and enkindle, comfort and inspire enthusiasm in it
with the joy of the gospel and the strength of the Eucharist;
a Church which will know how to invite and to welcome the person who seeks a purpose
for which to commit his whole existence; a Church which is not afraid to require much,
after having given much; which does not fear asking from young people the effort
of a noble and authentic adventure, such as that of the following of the Gospel.”
John Paul II, World Day of Prayer for Vocations, 1995
Just like the rest of us, they need a Savior.
I’ve also realized that changing the youth world happens one teen at a time. Teens do NOT connect to programs; they connect to people. The most effective way to influence teens is through a significant relationship with key people in their lives. People who have been where they are, and with the help of Christ, were carried through. Our goal is to develop leaders who will walk with and journey to Christ with teens. We are able to lead them in the pursuit of holiness because we are pursuing holiness ourselves.
We are adults - professionals, parents, singles, college students, Catholics – who want to live for Christ. This is the only guaranteed way I can think of to teach teenagers how to become adult professionals, parents, singles, college students, and adult Catholics, who want to live for Christ themselves.
Teens need adults who will: Love God and live for Him, be interested in their lives, Take the initiative to spend time with them, pray for them, be authentic (real), say encouraging words, believe in them, laugh, Go to “their world”, remember their names and care for them, share God’s love through personal experience, be consistent, be patient and enjoy life.
This is what they need, so this is who we are trying to be for them.
What Core is
(from the Life Teen Core Handbook)
What Core is Not
Life Teen should not just be a social outlet for you. Nor should it be used as a way for you to build self-esteem. Additionally, your role as a Core Member should not be as a tool to establish or deepen your own spirituality. Although you will develop good friendships and experience rewards as a Core Member, you must remain socially and emotionally balanced.
Who is a Life Teen Core Member?
There is a misconception that only young adults can be effective Core members. This is not the case at all. The most healthy Core Teams have a range of ages, backgrounds, and personalities. Any person called by God to serve in this capacity, regardless of age or background, can be an instrument to lead teens closer to Christ. All that is needed is a faithful heart and a willing spirit. Core Members are one of the most vital parts of the Life Teen Program. There are three main roles for every Core member - Core as Child of God, Core as Catechist, and Core as Relational Minister. In the next few pages, we will explore how each of these roles are important in effective youth ministry.
The Mission
Of Catholic Youth Ministry
Catholic youth ministry is defined as "the response of the Christian community to the needs of young people and the sharing of the unique gifts of youth with the larger community." (Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry, 10)
At Saint Cecilia, we hope to provide a warm, encouraging environment where young people are surrounded with support and opportunities to be involved through the sacramental life of the Church. Through social, catechetical and liturgical experiences at Saint Cecilia, teenagers are able to find an accepting place where they can grow in their relationship with God. In this way, we are a community that "works to foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person. Youth ministry seeks to draw young people to responsible participation in the life, mission and work of the faith community." (A Vision of Youth Ministry, 7)
These goals are accomplished through comprehensive youth ministry programs that incorporate ministry for both high school and middle school aged students, in gathered and un-gathered settings within their young community, our wider parish, as well as local and global communities.
Comprehensive Youth Ministry is defined as ministry that is visible in eight areas, or components:
- Advocacy
- Catechesis
- Pastoral Care
- Prayer & Worship
- Justice & Service
- Evangelization
- Community Life
- Leadership Development
Each of these components model how Christ ministers to us: by bringing us into relationship with Him and forming us in the faith & teachings of His Church (catechesis), encouraging & healing the grieving & afflicted (pastoral care), caring for & improving the situations of the needy and downtrodden (justice & service), standing up for those who can’t speak for themselves (advocacy), the gift of the Sacraments and a Spirit-filled heart (prayer & worship), instructing us to make disciples of all nations (Evangelization), granting us fellowship in each other & the body of Christ (community life) and calling certain disciples to a humbling experience of leadership.
Finally, our programs are focused on leading teens closer to Christ through developmentally appropriate, family friendly, intergenerational and multicultural ministry, providing leadership opportunities and flexible and adaptable programming for the modern teenager.
We believe that all of the teens in our parish possess a uniqueness and variety of gifts that deserve a place of leadership within our Church. In the words of John Paul II to our young people, "The church needs you to be imbued with the spirit of Christ, strong in your commitment to building His kingdom." We try to involve every family in this discipleship focused vision of youth ministry in the Body of Christ.
"The challenge of discipleship - of following Jesus - is at the heart of the Church's mission. All ministry with adolescents must be directed towards presenting young people with the Good News of Jesus Christ and inviting and challenging them to become his disciples....If we are to succeed, we must offer young people a spiritually challenging and world-shaping vision that meets their hunger for the chance to participate in a worthy adventure." United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry, p.10
To find out more about the "vision" of Catholic youth ministry, visit the website of the United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), where the document Renewing the Vision is explained & available for viewing: http://www.usccb.org/laity/youth/rtvcontents.shtm
LIFE TEEN
Life Teen is an international Catholic movement that serves the Church and leads all teens closer to Christ by providing resources and training that encourages vibrant Eucharistic celebrations and opportunities for teens to grow in their faith.
This mission is accomplished by bringing teens to: the celebration of the Eucharist, the teachings of Christ and the Church, and an experience of being loved and accepted within the community. This is the mission of our entire parish, however, the Life Teen Core Team is the group of catechists ("Core") who build mentor relationships with our teens and share the faith through Life Nights and youth outreach opportunities.
Life Teen has a fantastic website both for teenagers (www.lifeteen.com) and those who minister to them (www.CatholicYouthMinistry.com) where they have sample Life Nights, & a multitude of resources and opportunities to connect with other Core members and Youth Ministers.
The Life Teen Model
You may have heard of a “Life Teen mass” or a “Life Teen parish.” These parishes typically have a Life Teen mass at 5pm on Sunday nights for youth and their families, led by youth and Core members, followed by Life Night for all teens. We are a parish that utilizes Life Teen resources and training materials, but we do not follow the Life Teen model because of the uniqueness of our parish. For Saint Cecilia, it works best for us to provide four Sunday evening Life Teen masses each year, and Sunday morning Life Teen masses for the rest of our parish on a monthly basis. We still have Life Nights on Sunday evenings, but we typically begin Life Night with XLT (or “exalt”), a Eucharistic prayer experience in adoration before Life Night begins. This is just our way of keeping the night focused on our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, without exhausting our priests!
Life Nights
Life Nights are the primary outreach and faith formation program for teens at Saint Cecilia. The Life Nights are distributed each semester by Life Teen in a Curriculum Guide. Each Guide focuses on one of the eight-semesters as recommended by the USCCB: Sacraments, Church, Social Justice, Vocations, Paschal Mystery, the Person of Christ, Scripture and Morality.
Each semester is a mixture of Catechetical, Social and Issue Life Nights that focus on teachings of the church, issues relevant to the lives & struggles of teenagers, and social nights which provide fellowship & fun. We cover approximately 2-3 semesters each year with the teenagers, so that by the time they graduate they have encountered each semester. Each month, we try to balance 2-3 Catechetical nights with 1-2 Social/Issue Nights.
Life Nights are divided up into a Gather, Proclaim, Break, Send model. The Gather is typically an icebreaker, snack, or some kind of activity that gets the group going and promotes unity. The Proclaim is a witness talk or teaching, provided by the Life Night and facilitated by a Core member or guest speaker, video clip, skit, etc. The Break is our time for small group, again, led by the Core. The Send is our closing prayer and, like the closing of mass, that sends us out into the world as Disciples of Christ. We end in a circle in the Narthex with prayer intentions and our annual Life Teen song. Each component changes each week and varies to keep the teens interested and engaged, and we often switch the components around so each night doesn’t feel the same.
Teen Core
The Core are also assisted by a leadership team comprised of Confirmed upperclassmen teens (see below.) Totus Tuus will sporadically plan a Life Night, act in skits, help with environment, and overall provide feedback to help make our ministry as relevant and dynamic as possible.
Teen Core
The Core are also assisted by a leadership team comprised of Confirmed upperclassmen teens (see below.) Totus Tuus will sporadically plan a Life Night, act in skits, help with environment, and overall provide feedback to help make our ministry as relevant and dynamic as possible.
Core Values
Core Members strive to live the 7 Core Values as witnesses & disciples of Jesus Christ. These seven values model our spirituality, our approach to ministry, and our role as Core Members as children of God, catechists and They are:
Love
“We Love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). We must strive in all moment sand circumstances to love others as Christ loved. This foundation, simple in premise and command, serves as the basis for our ministry. Love is more than just smiles and positivity. Love is endurance, determination, bravery. Love is enough, especially when it comes to ministering to teens.
EVANGELIZATION
We speak truth to God’s people, inviting them to know Him more deeply. Driven by a desire for all to know the mercy and love of God the Father, we know that we must speak the truth even if offends the teenagers. They can find dishonesty and lies anywhere; here, we provide something that can feed their souls: the truth of Christ.
Joy
We live by an unrelenting belief in the goodness of God, and in His desire not for our momentary happiness, but our everlasting life. The spirit of our ministry is one of pure joy, keeping life in perspective and allowing the peace of Go to reign in our hearts, regardless of what the world might bring at any given moment. Jesus may not have been happy on Calvary; but we know he was filled with joy – the fruit of his trust in the Father. In a world of doubt and confusion, and a time in their life of transition and trial, teens need joy.
PRIMARY VOCATION
We maintain openness to the call of God in our lives and a willingness to discern, respond and prioritize our live according to that call. Whether designed for the religious, married, or single life, we not only embrace the vocation we were designed for, but insure that it remains primary – not allowing God’s work in ministry to overtake God’s call to holiness.
AFFIRMATION
We refuse to be overwhelmed by the negativity pervading our culture. Words and actions are designed by the Creator to bring life to creation, not death. We make every effort and take every opportunity to build up the Kingdom on Earth, rather than tear it down.
AUTHENTICITY
We live authentically, not denying our human weakness or shying away from the need for personal improvement, but working toward holiness, with resolve. The world needs quality examples of Catholic men and women who live out their faith. As leaders in ministry, we live our faith authentically, providing the living example of a Christian and giving hope that others, too, can follow Christ. We do not glorify our past and present mistakes, but we walk with Christ and the teens, and talk with them through the struggles, rather than preaching at them or pretending we are perfect. In this way, they are encouraged even in their imperfection that everything will be taken care of by God, and his Grace is enough.
Eucharistic spirituality
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” John 6:35. Enough said!
Everything we do in ministry is based on our belief in Christ, his true presence in the Eucharist, his True Presence in us. We seek to become one with Christ in all ways. Through the Holy Scriptures, we grow in sanctity through the Incarnate Word. Through adherence to the Church that our Lord established, we act in obedience and humility. And through our frequenting of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist in Most Holy Communion, we become one with the living God. These intimate experiences with Christ are unmistakable signs of his love, and we not only cling to them with all we have, but we bring others into this wondrous gift.
The Commitment
Core Members commitment to Youth Ministry involve Retreats, Core Meetings & trainings, Life Teen mass, and Life Nights. Your Planning Team will meet approximately once a month on top of the weekly commitment to Life Nights and Life Teen mass (once a month). On average, Core Members spend a “maximum” of three hours a week planning and implementing Life Nights. With regular e-mails floating back and forth, and ongoing planning, it is common for Core Members to have Life Teen obligations outside of Sunday nights, but the fall and late spring are much busier than the winter.
Core members are also dedicated to personal holiness. This means attending mass every week and practicing your own private devotionals on a regular basis. As mentors in a teen’s life, you are inevitably leading them somewhere. If you are not centered on Christ personally, who will you be leading them to?
Relational ministry
Finally, Core Members are dedicated to Relational Ministry. In order to successfully “relate” to teens, we try to...
1) Meet them where they are at.
We don’t talk down to the teens or expect all of them to be well-versed in scripture or the teachings of the Church. We meet them in the middle. Without teaching to the least common denominator, we are accepting of where each of us are on our faith journey because we know that within the course of a month, we can fall and get back up again any number of times. By remembering that we are human, we are able to compassionately lead teens to Christ with genuine kindness.
2) Show them that you care.
Teens need positive reinforcement and attention in their lives – someone who notices when they succeed and is there for them when things are difficult. I show teens that I care by praying for them and asking them how certain situations are going, weeks and months after they’ve told me about it. Showing them that you care also means you aren’t ashamed to acknowledge them and you remember their name. It also means making time for them if they need to talk and giving them positive feedback at the end of a Life Night.
3) Meet them outside of Church.
Their world is not within the four walls of the Church, and neither was Jesus’ ministry. We try to attend as many sports events, plays, competitions as we can – as a rule, only if we are invited, and with another Core Member to keep things safe. This shows teens that we want to be a part of their life, and God does, too.
In Brief
· Life Nights: Every Sunday, 6-9pm (Required)
· Life Teen Mass: 4 Sunday evenings (instead of Life Night), 4 Sunday mornings
· Relational Ministry: Weekly/Monthly, as needed and ongoing!
· Retreats: Spring, Fall, Confirmation (Non-required)
· Special Events: Every 1-2 months
Application Process
A successful Core Team is one that is diverse and dedicated. You have talents that none of our Core Members have! At the same time, this is not a commitment to take lightly.
Though commitment to Core may seem like it is going to take too much time than you can afford, know that every minute is worth it. In leading others to Jesus, you will be surprised how at that same time, He is using the teenagers to lead you closer to Him. Pray about this commitment and only pursue this ministry with a confident heart. We are praying for you.
To receive an application and request an interview for the Saint Cecilia Life Teen Core Team, please speak to a Core Member or e-mail Anna Steele at annajsteele@gmail.com.