Youth discover life at Mass

St. Albert parish offers Life Teen

By RENATO GANDIA
WCR Staff Writer
St. Albert

Some 600 people, mostly youth, participated actively throughout the Mass presided by Father Paul Kavanagh, Nov. 10, in the launching of the Life Teen program at the parish, the first in the Edmonton Archdiocese.

Mike Landry, the parish youth minister, was grinning widely as he told the WCR, "It's great. I was happy to see the church full. I was happy with the participation of everyone."

"I wish two things: that the young people come to a deeper understanding of the Holy Eucharist and that they fall in love with Jesus."

Life Teen is a program started in 1985 by Msgr. Dale Fushek, pastor of St. Timothy's Catholic Community in Mesa, Ariz.

Fushek saw a special need to bring teens closer to Jesus, a special need to make the Holy Eucharist and the Mass itself more meaningful to teenagers.

The program is centred around the Mass and makes faith come alive for teens through Life nights, Bible studies, retreats, outreach, and various social and sports activities.

"It wasn't just another boring Mass." - Sarah Paiement

In Alberta, St. Emile's Parish in Legal started Life Teen back in January 2001. It has become a source of positive peer pressure for the teens in that parish and youth from nearby towns are coming to celebrate with them.

"I believe Life Teen can make a difference in the lives of our teens because it deals with real issues in their own terms and it can help them make their faith in God an important part of their lives," Landry said.

In his homily, Kavanagh told the young people, "Be prepared for the coming of the Lord."

"Quite often we are not ready to receive the Lord and we are called to be always ready because we do not know the hour and the day that he will come."

Michael Heathcote, 24, one of the core team members, told the WCR, "It's good to see a youthful crowd in the church."

For him, it was reminiscent of his high school when he was able to participate in Masses that had lots of youthful energy.

"I find a lot of Masses to be kind of bland and moving slowly. And tonight was different. There's a lot of energy and the music is interactive. You get participation from the people."

"It speaks directly to me. You can socialize with others after the Mass. You make friends within the Church and hopefully Christian values of the youth will be deepened."

Sarah Paiement, 18, sang in the choir. "It's wonderful to see the youth coming together as one. Normally they are so separated and tonight you can feel the energy, excitement. It wasn't just another boring Mass," she said.

Aileen Bucsis, 26, another core team member, thinks this program will go well thanks to "the very positive response of the people."

When she was growing up she knew a lot was going on in the church for people her age but she never felt invited to come.

"That's why I wanted to be on the team to tell the young people to come and check this out." Bucsis wants to tell the youth "faith is something so important in life but it can be easily missed."

"Christ is present in the Holy Eucharist and for people to be happy in sharing that is really awesome."

Mark Vandenbroeck, 16, is not new to Life Teen. He attended the program in Fort McMurray.

"It's very upbeat and more modern. By the end you still want to be in the Mass. You want it to continue and not to end. You don't have that feeling of getting-out-of-here-really-fast."

Like Paiement, he loves singing and he is happy to be able to do that with Life Teen.

"I can see Christ in the whole celebration because it was so alive," Vandenbroeck said.

Life Teen Mass will be held every Sunday, 6 p.m. at Holy Family Parish, 75 Poirier Ave., St. Albert. For more information call Mike Landry at 459-3694.

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