April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
TEEN PERSPECTIVE
From lost to leader: changed by Life Teen
From lost to leader: changed by Life Teen
Even the best-laid plans can be changed in an instant. All changes take getting used to, and the process can be overwhelming.
Starting the summer going into ninth grade, 2011 was a long year for me. Several major changes happened to me at the same time.
I was a new teenager, mentally and physically changing alongside my peers. Behaviors changed, friends were lost and no one really knew what was happening to them.
When I graduated from my private, Catholic grade school, my parents suggested a small, rural high school about two hours away from home. The plan was to live with my mother in an apartment while my father stayed behind to work. I vetoed that idea.
Instead, I went to the local public high school. Transitioning from a class of 20 to a class of 150 would be difficult even without the complications of a new atmosphere and students with different ethics and attitudes. School was no longer a community in my eyes; it became merely a learning institution.
In addition, my nephew, who was a junior in high school, ended up living with my family. I had to share my house, my parents and basically everything with a person I barely knew.
It wasn't all bad; he had his license, so he could drive me places, and we would always find a way to laugh so hard one of us had to leave the room. Still, having grown up as basically an only child, the addition felt more like an intrusion.
I did not handle the changes well. I was unhappy, my mental scale was tipped and I struggled to reach the balance I'd had before.
Ironically, the final change turned out to be my saving grace.
I'd grown up in a small parish with few children present. I'd never had a problem making friends with adults, especially since my parents and I were so involved in the parish, so it didn't bother me. I was an altar server, lector, singer and resident ball of energy who could never sit still at Mass.
With the transition from private grade school to public high school, my parents decided I should be involved with Catholics my own age. We started attending St. Ambrose parish in Latham because of its Life Teen program.
Life Teen welcomes all high school teens for a 5:30 p.m. Mass on Sundays, followed by a night of fellowship. After a nice meal of burgers and chips, the group does an activity such as throwing pies at (mostly) willing volunteers or playing Ultimate Frisbee, then reconvenes for lessons and discussion about faith and the Church.
The Life Teen leaders, known as the core team, covered topics such as St. John Paul II's "Theology of the Body," Christ's real presence in the Eucharist and the differences between mortal and venial sin. Occasionally, normal meetings would be replaced with eucharistic adoration and confession.
I was terrified. The community was extremely open and welcoming, but I refused to talk to anyone at first. Learning about my faith was wonderful -- and, originally, the only reason I stayed.
Still, the routine was a nice relief from the constant changes in my home and school environments. Every Sunday, my parents and I would head to St. Ambrose for Mass and Life Teen.
Through Life Teen, I found people I trusted. Sitting in a chapel at 3 a.m., spilling my heart out, I found that God was working to begin a healing process in me after a long struggle with pain. Getting through the changing times was still difficult. However, with my new friends and through the grace of God, I found a new balance.
My renewed desire for happiness reached places outside of church. I made friends in school more easily by being open. I learned how to handle my nephew and frustrating classmates with more patience.
In church and Life Teen, I became a more active and willing participant. I was involved with everything, from racing an obstacle course to becoming a lector again.
I was happy again.
After graduating from high school last June, my role in Life Teen changed: I became a leader, a member of the core team in the program that had once so terrified me.
Going to college in Ohio has restricted my involvement, but already this summer, I've chaperoned a lock-in where teens stayed overnight at the parish center, and in July, I'll be an adult leader for the St. Isaac Jogues Youth Conference held at St. Ambrose.
Maybe, when I do that, someone will trust me the way I trusted the members of Life Teen, and I can help change a life for the better.[[In-content Ad]]
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