On Sundays at the St Mary Parish Hall, 5pm for Mass, 6-8pm for Life Night (dinner included)

…And lots of other times & places throughout the year

Mass & Life Nights on Sunday nights are the heart of Life Teen. Youth gather in the Parish Hall, many of them for Mass at 5pm and many more, for dinner, a large-group plain-ol-fun activity, an interactive learning experience, prayer, and mission. 

Life Nights happen every Sunday night (except major holidays) and are always open to any high school student, Catholic or not. Friends are always welcome.

Social outings
Summer camps & trips
Small groups & bible studies
Retreats 
Regional events & conferences
Catholic Action opportunities
Leadership development
Landmark/transition celebrations

Hands down, the best way for your teen to get connected to Life Teen would be by joining us for one of our summer trips-- Creation, Steubenville, Life Teen New England, Camp Veritas-- or Fall or Spring Retreat during the school year.

An overnight is somehow easily worth an entire semester’s worth of Life Nights. Something happens when you spend a few whole days and nights eating, sleeping, discussing, praying and playing together. Bonds are formed and barriers are broken down and often for the first time, teens are empowered to own their faith personally. We could share countless stories of teens whose parents “made” them go on the mission or to a retreat for the first time completely against their will and who ended up loving it-- and returning every year.

If you’re not ready to commit to an overnight, just pop in anytime at a Life Night or check out one of our kickoff week events in the Fall. There’ll be lots of Core members and Peer Witnesses there ready to introduce you to some folks and help you feel right at home!

In most cases, just show up!

To be added to the mailing list, you can fill out the “Contact Us” form on the website. (Registering for one:eight will automatically add you to the list.)

To signup for a particular trip or event, just download the appropriate form from the website and mail it to Life Teen, 55 Catoonah St, Ridgefield CT 06877.

The Core is the team of adults who are committed to leading young people in our community closer to Christ. They have a great love for Christ and his Church, as well as a great love for teens.

The Core Team challenges teens to connect, grow, and serve as Catholic Christian disciples, and models this for them. They are living witnesses of the love and lifestyle of Jesus who connect with teens regularly at Mass, LIFE Nights, on trips and retreats, and in the community.

Some are parents-- some of little kids, some of college kids. Some are single. Some come as couples.

We invite people to discern this ministry. We will work with them to really listen to God’s will in their lives and encourage them to be sure that this is one of their main commitments for the year. The Core Team participates in monthly formation & planning meetings and regular trainings and are given clear guidelines on how to minister to teens appropriately and effectively.

1- Always feel welcome to call (438-2394) or stop in the Life Teen Office (next to the adoration chapel) for a chat. 

2- Sign up to be on the Parent LIFE email list—this way you’ll get a weekly update about upcoming events, and a seasonal newsletter with all sorts of useful info.

3- Attend a Disciples 4 LIFE Retreat! Your teen will likely be attending retreats and growing like crazy and you don't want to be left behind! This weekend retreat held just down the street in Danbury is open to all adult parishoners. Email Measi for more.

4- Volunteer with Parent Support. Parent Support is a ministry that serves the behind-the-scenes needs of Life Teen, so you can be where your child is without them necessarily seeing a whole lot of you! Serve a meal, chaperone, volunteer in the office, etc. Contact Laura to get involved.

By your generosity! We do not operate on a fee-based model, meaning that while anyone can signup to be updated with mailings, there is no fee involved and thus no one is excluded. Because St Mary Parish is a tithing parish, we limit our fundraising efforts to one a year. We do welcome additional donations at any time which may be mailed or dropped off at the parish office (55 Catoonah St), earmarked for Life Teen.

(Think with me for a minute about what the typical, regularly involved teen gets in the course of a year... dinner once a week and snacks at others functions; tshirts; books; a bible & catechism; gifts on special occasions... and that's not to mention the intangible spiritual gifts God lavishes upon them, often, by his grace, through us! I hope no one will have any guilt for not giving if your financial situation doesn't allow, but we sure pray that those who can, will!)

Contact Laura, the Coordinator of Youth Ministry, at 203-438-2394 or ldanner@smcr.org. If you'd rather talk to one of the Core Members, their emails are on the Core page. 

You can also visit www.lifeteen.com to check out the national site—you’ll be overloaded with more info about Life Teen, the Catholic faith and teenagers than you could possibly dream of!