Mass Schedule
Parent Life
Current News & Updates
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Parent Life Ministry 
At St. Mary’s we realize that we can not reach and transform youth while disregarding their families. St. Mary’s is implementing Life Teen’s newest Ministry Parent Life. Parents are the primary catechists of their children. Implementing Parent Life will allow St. Mary’s to work together with Parents to “lead teens closer to Christ.” It is our desire to help parents strengthen their personal relationship with Christ as well as embrace their role in their teen’s faith journey.
Parent Life is a ministry that is dedicated and geared to the parents of teens and middle school youth. It is designed to give parents the opportunity to support their parish youth ministry program while strengthening their own relationship with Christ and His Church. Similar to Life Teen and EDGE, it is centered on the Eucharist, dedicated to Mary and obedient to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.
Parent Life simply seeks to lead parents closer to Christ!
Parents As Primary Catechists
St. Mary’s and the Life Teen Organization, recognize how important parents are in the lives of their teens:
“The role of parents in education is of such importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute. The right and duty of parents to educate their children are primordial and inalienable.” CCC 2221
Education in the faith by the parents should begin in the child’s earliest years. This already happens when family members help one another to grow in faith by the witness of a Christian life in keeping with the Gospel. Family catechesis precedes, accompanies, and enriches other forms of instruction in that faith. Parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God. The parish is the Eucharistic community and the heart of the liturgical life of Christian families; it is a privileged place for the catechesis of children and parents.” CCC 2226
Parents are the spiritual leaders of their families and the primary catechists to their children. They are called to model a vibrant Catholic faith for their teens. The influence of parents on the faith lives of teens cannot be denied.
Leading Parents closer to Christ
- Providing parents of teens opportunities to support and assist the local Life Teen and EDGE Programs
- Offering parents an opportunity to support their teens and youth ministry program through intercessory prayer
- Providing an opportunity for parents to build community with other parents and families through Parent Life Gatherings
- Providing practical resources to help parents grow in their faith and spirtuality and assist them in leading their teens closer to Christ
- Assisting parents in understanding the cultural dynamics of their teen’s world so they can parent more effectively
How to Get Involved
There are 3 main components to St. Mary’s Parent Life:
Parent Life Nights
Similar to Life Night and EDGE Nights, these are opportunities to gather together with other parents and family to build a stronger realtionship with Christ. There will be various teachings and breakout sessions that will allow parents to go deeper in their faith. It is an opportunity to build community and an opportunity to receive current information on teen trends and culture as well as strategies to improve parenting skills. These Parent Nights follow the same format as the Life Nights: Gather, Proclaim, Break and Send.
Support Teams
One of our goals at St. Mary’s is to get every parent involved in some aspect of their child’s faith formation. Without the help of parents and volunteers the Life Teen Program, or any Faith Formation Program can not strive or be successful. The involvement of the community is vital. There are a number of different areas to serve in the program. By joining the Parent Life Support Team you will help our youth ministry thrive, grow, and reach more teens!
See below for the various support teams that you can join!
Communication
We are committed to keeping parents informed and up to date on the various events happening at St. Mary’s. Beginning in September Parents in Life Teen and EDGE will receive a monthly newsletter called Parent Link. This monthly newsletter will provide parents will recent trends and information on teen culture. You will find tips, statistics, and other relevant information for parents. The newsletter will also have a monthly calendar, so parents know exactly what is going on in the youth ministry program at St. Mary’s.
We will also provide parents with a brief overview of what will be covered in our Life Nights and EDGE Nights. These overviews will be provided prior to the weekly nights. This will be a great resource for you as a parent. The overview will allow you to see what exactly is being covered at the nights but also give you an opportunity to have a conversation with your child and go deeper in the teaching.
The Parent Link newsletter can be found on our website monthly and the overview will be emailed weekly!
Parent Link
Check back in September for our Monthly Newsletter!
Events
Parent Life events will be posted under the Current Events & Updates section of this page and will also be posted on our Life Teen Calendar. Check back often for up to date information and will continuously update our calendar!
Support Teams
Saint Charles
The Patron Saint of Catechists -Also referred to as Core Members. This team would consist of parents who would help facilitate our small groups during our Life Nights. This support team would involve the biggest time commitment, it is one of the most important components of our ministry. The Core team is involved in almost every aspect of our ministry. Check out our core page for more information.
Saint Peter
Known as the Gatekeeper -This support team will consist of people within the community and parents who are willing to come in an hour prior to our Life Night and help setup our environment. Every Life Night and EDGE Night has a theme that requires us to setup an environment. The environment usually helps set the tone for the night, gets the point of the night across, and gets teens excited about the evening.
Saint Martha
The Patron Saint of Cooks – This team will help coordinate and prepare snacks for our Life Nights, EDGE Nights, Retreats, and various other events.
Saint Joseph
The Patron Saint of Parents – We are looking for parents and people from out community to help assist with Service Projects. This team would be in charge of finding community service opportunities and projects for the teens in our program. This team would als be available to monitor and chaperone the teens at the various community service events.
Saint Vivian
Patroness of Parish – This team will assist in planning and organizing social events for the teens in our youth ministry program, which will help build community within our parish and Life Teen Community.
Saint Christopher
The Patron Saint of Safe Travel – This team will help with transportation. Helping transport from the parish center to various events throughout the community
Guardian Angels
Prayer Warriors – This team is vital and extremely important to the success of this program and everything we do. This team will meet on a regular basis to pray for our program, for our teens, for the various events within the program, for our community, and that Christ always remains at the center of this program and in our every day lives.
Please prayerfully consider participating in one or more of these support teams. No matter how much time you have, or how busy you are, or what you may think your talents are there is an opportunity and something for everyone! What is God calling you to do?
“‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declared the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11)
Email us today with questions regarding parent life, our youth ministry program or to inquire about participating in one of our support teams Lifeteen@stmarysdartmouth.org !
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