The goal of religious education is to lead young people closer to Christ. For too long, we feel like we haven’t worked enough with parents (you). But you are, beyond doubt, the most valuable resource and advocate we have for the youth and our ministry! We recognize the importance of you, the parents, in the lives of the Church:

“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.” Catechism of the Catholic Church 2221

“Family Catechesis precedes, accompanies, and enriches other forms of instruction in the 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 privilege place for the catechesis of children and parents.” Catechism of the Catholic Church 2226

Edge 2/19/17
This week at Edge, we discussed the story of Moses and the Israelite's. It is important to see the significance of Moses in our faith. Because to him, God revealed much that is essential to our faith, namely revealing His Divine Name and giving him the Ten Commandments. One point we discussed was how God led the Israelites in the desert for 40 years to build up a generation of people who knew they could trust in God. With that knowledge, they had freedom in Him. Here are some questions to ask your son or daughter about the Edge Night.
• Why is it signifcant that God revealed His name to Moses?
 How are you going to set aside time to pray so you learn how to communicate with God and learn to trust Him to guide you like He did the Israelites?
• If God can do big things, like separate the Red Sea so the Israelites could walk through on dry land, do you think He can help you in the challenges you face? How?

Life Teen 2/12/17
Tonight we watched a video by the Vererable Bishop Sheen on Mary's role in our life.  We learned about her as a Dream, Spouse and Mother.  We talked about Mary as an example of how to live and as an intercessor.  Talk to your chlid this week about your experiences wiith Mary and way to incorperate her into our daily prayer life.

Edge 2/5/17
This week at Edge your youth learned about the story of Noah from Genesis. Your youth also learned that Noah is a model of fortitude because he continued to stay steadfast and obedient to God in prayer through all the trials. Your son or daughter also learned that Jesus Christ is our ultimate example of fortitude and obedience and through His obedience unto death we are brought to new life and freed from our sins. Here are some questions to ask your son or daughter: • What did you like most about Edge? • What about the story of Noah inspires you or is similar to your own struggles in life? • How do you see the virtue of fortitude in your own life? • What is hard about being completely obedient to God? • How does God bring us to new life?

Edge 1/15/17
This week we learned about the story of Adam and Eve and how we are all called to be a part of God’s family. The youth also learned that when we turn against God we turn against our relationship with Him as our Father. Talk with your son or daughter about how your family can honor God more this week and bring Him into your home. Consider praying an Our Father as a family before bed each night this week. Here are some questions to ask your child about Edge
: • Did you learn anything new about the story of Adam and Eve?
• What are some things in your life you struggle to trust God with?
• How can you grow in a relationship with God the Father?

Life Teen Update 1/8/17
This we we coved the IMMACULATA,  MARY’S ROLE IN SALVATION HISTORY
GOAL The goal of Immaculata is to demonstrate that Mary plays an important role in salvation history and that she never ceases to lead us to her Son, Jesus.
KEY CONCEPTS • The Protoevangelium is the first time we hear the good news of being rescued from the consequences of sin. • Mary’s obedience to God was a means of undoing Eve’s disobedience. • Because of her important role in salvation history, Catholics venerate Mary. 

Life Teen Update 12/11/16:
We discussed the true Prescence of Christ in the Eucharist.  Please click on this link to view the video.  


Edge Update 12/4/16:
This week at Edge your child learned about gentleness and kindness, two fruits of the Holy Spirit. The fun example of Rescue/Pepper Pots from the popular Iron Man series was used as an example to illustrate these fruits. Your son or daughter learned that gentleness is learning how and when to use strength. They also learned that kindness is doing what is best for another person even if it means standing up to them to do the right thing. Here are some questions to ask your son or daughter this week about Edge: • What are ways that you can be gentle and kind? • How is it considered kind to stand up to someone when they are doing something wrong? • What are some ideas you have for random acts of kindness?

Life Teen Update 11/27/16:
This week at Life Night we discussed the Mass as a wedding feast. The image of a wedding is a favorite of Jesus Christ because it demonstrates the love that He has for his bride, the Church. In the Book of Revelation, St. John has a vision of heavenly worship and realizes that what he is seeing is a wedding feast – the wedding feast of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, and His bride, the Church. Every Mass is a refection of this wedding feast. We challenged teenagers to spend time preparing themselves each week in prayer for Mass, as they would prepare for a wedding.

 This week, take some time with your teenager to discuss the various places where wedding imagery or phrases are used during Mass. Make a challenge out of it and see who can come up with more. After Mass, share what you were able to fnd and why you thought it was important. 

Life Teen Update 11/13/16:
 This week at Life Night we discussed the Mass as a sacrifce. The idea of sacrifce is often lost in a postmodern worldview, and because of this many teenagers struggle to understand the Mass. The Life Night began with teenagers making an “ofering” so the Life Night can begin. Teenagers watched a video documenting how some Catholics around the world have live and celebrate Mass under the threat of arrest and persecution and were challenged to question what would make a person risk so much for the Mass. We talked about the reality of Mass as a sacrifce, and teenagers had an opportunity to pray about the sacrifces they experienced in their lives before the Blessed Sacrament during Eucharistic Adoration. 

Edge Update 11/06/16:
This week at Edge we discussed self-control and peace, two fruits of the Holy Spirit. We used the example of the Hulk to demonstrate what it looks like to have no self-control and how that leads to a life with no peace. Your son and daughter learned the importance of learning to control his or her emotions before acting and discussed diferent ways that he or she can practice self-control in daily life. Here are some questions to ask your son our daughter this week:
• What does it mean to have self-control?
  How do we fnd peace in our daily lives?
• What are some things you can do to control your emotions and desires before you act upon them?


Life Teen Update 10/30/16:
 This week at Life Night we discussed the Introductory Rites of Mass and the Liturgy of the Word. We challenged our youth to begin reading Sacred Scripture on their own and to prepare for Sunday Liturgy by praying through the readings for the week. The Liturgy of the Word can be a difficult part of Mass to engage in, oftentimes because we do not really understand what is happening. The context of the readings may seem vague, we mindlessly sing the Psalm Response, and we may start to daydream during the Gospel or homily. When we begin to read Sacred Scripture, this part of liturgy becomes vibrant and alive – it is an encounter with Christ through His Word. Discuss ways that your family can integrate Sacred Scripture into daily life. The following questions can help you facilitate this discussion:
• Why is knowing and reading the Bible important? Are there ways that we can, as a family, get better at making Sacred Scripture a part of our daily lives?
• What is one thing that we can do every week to help us get ready to listen to the readings at Mass?


Edge Update 10/16/16:
This week at Edge we used the fun example of Spider-Man to talk about faithfulness and joy, two more fruits of the Holy Spirit. Your child learned about the importance of remaining faithful to Christ and their call to live as children of God. They also learned about how following Christ and trusting in Him will lead them to joy and help them to get through any tough situation in life. Here are some questions to ask your son or daughter this week: • How is Spider-Man an example of faithfulness and joy? • What does it mean to be faithful in your life? • How will you fnd the most joy in life? • What are some things you can do to share this joy with others?


Edge Update 10/2/2016:
This week at Edge we discussed charity and generosity, two fruits of the Holy Spirit. Your youth learned about them through the fun example of Supergirl and, ultimately, through the example of the great love and generosity of God the Father and the Death of Jesus Christ. Here are some questions to ask your son or daughter this week about Edge: • What is generosity and what is charity? • Who are some people whose lives show these fruits of the Holy Spirit? • What are some ways that you can be more generous and more charitable?

Life Teen Update 9/26/16:
This week at Life Night we discussed the prayer postures and language that we use during the Mass. For many of us, these gestures and prayers have simply become a matter of habit or routine. Nothing is accidental or simply routine during the Mass, though, and every gesture and word has a very specifc meaning and purpose. We discussed some of the important prayers, words, and gestures that we use during Mass, many of which teenagers may not understand or simply not pay attention to during liturgy. We challenged the teenagers to really pray through each part of the Mass and be mindful of places where they begin to slip into routine. We closed the Life Night with a meditation on the Lord’s Prayer
Take some time this week to discuss some of the gestures, prayers, or words that you hear or see during the Mass that you or your teen may not understand. Research the meaning and purpose of these actions and prayers together. 

Edge Update 9/18/16:
 This week at Edge we discussed the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Your child learned that the Holy Spirit was sent to all of us by Jesus through our Baptism and Confirmation. They also discussed the Fruits of the Holy Spirit and how they can help us be better people and live in a way that reveals that we are children of God. This semester we will be diving deeper into each Fruit of the Holy Spirit. Each Edge Night will be themed with a different superhero as a fun way to demonstrate each fruit and to recognize the good qualities and lessons to be learned from things in popular media. Here are some questions to ask your son or daughter this week:
 • How does the Holy Spirit work in your daily life?
 • Which fruit of the Holy Spirit stuck out to you the most? Why? 
• What are you most excited about for this semester of Edge?

Life Teen Update 09/12/16:
This week at Life Night we began our semester on the Mass by talking about the necessity of worship. Every person has been created in the image and likeness of God, and God has given each person a desire and drive to want to worship and be in relationship with God. This desire can become distorted through sin, and we can begin to worship things other than God. When this happens, our view of God, religion, and ourselves can become distorted. The teens learned that, as humans, we cannot reach God through human inventions of worship. God must teach us how to properly worship Him, and this was done through Jesus Christ and the institution of the Mass. We challenged teenagers to identify areas of their life where they worshipped something other than God and to place God in those areas. After this Life Night, the following questions can be used as discussion starters with your teenage son or daughter:
• From a worldly perspective, what things are people drawn to worship?
Why do you think this happens?
• How can we make Mass a priority for our family?
What can we do to make Sunday more of a Sabbath and less of a day to catch up on chores, homework, etc.? 



 

Edge Update 04/10/16

This week at Edge, we discussed how we all play important roles in the Church, not only by serving and being involved in the parish, but also by following Christ and living out our faith. There were a lot of analogies drawn between music and painting so be sure to ask your son or daughter all about the fun things that we created. Here are a few questions to ask your son or daughter this week.

• What role do you play in the Church?
• Do you believe that if you were not a part of the Church there would be something missing? Why or why not?
• What are some things we can do as a family to be more involved in our faith and at our parish?

Life Teen Update 04/03/16

The goal of this Life Night is to help teens understand the nature of the family is agape, sacrificial love. Teens are given examples of the members of the Holy Family as models for the roles of members of their families, and challenged to love their parents by honoring the Fourth Commandment.

Edge Update 3/20/16

 This week at Edge, the youth learned about why we profess that the Church is Apostolic. In the Creed, which we profess every Sunday, we proclaim that the Church is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. We learned that the Church is Apostolic in three unique ways. First, the Church is founded upon the prayer and teaching of the apostles. Second, the Church hands on the teachings that were given by Christ Jesus through the pope, bishops, and priests. Third, the Church’s task is to make disciples of all nations.
 Here are some questions to ask your son or daughter this week: 
• What do we mean when we say that the Church is Apostolic?
 • What are some things that we, as a family, are doing to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ? 
• What are some ways that we, as a family, can start to help spread the love of Christ in the world

Life Teen Update 3/6/16

This week at Life Night we talked about the Catholic Church’s relationship with other Christian communities and other religions. We particularly noted why we cannot just say that they are all the same and let it be; Christ’s prayer was for unity. Knowing that, we talked about how we can humbly engage in ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue while standing firm in our belief that the Catholic Church has the fullness of the means of salvation. Here are some questions for you to bring up at home:

• What friends or family practice a faith outside of the Catholic Church? What do you have in common? What is different? What have you learned from them about your own faith through discussion with them?
• Spend some time praying for unity, lifting up those who especially seem to have difficulty with the Catholic Church.

Edge Update 2/28/16

This week at Edge your youth learned about the second mark of the Church – the Church is Holy. We focused on the truth that although the Church is made up of imperfect sinners, the Church is holy because of the holiness of Christ. The youth were challenged to answer God’s call of radical holiness by following His teaching and seeking His grace and mercy. Here are a few questions to ask your son or daughter this week:

• What does it mean to be holy? Who do you know that you think is holy?

• What makes the Church holy?
• How can we as a family grow in holiness?

Life Teen Update for 2/21/16

We combined two nights into one:

This week at Life Night we discussed the third mark of the Church, “Catholic.” The word “catholic” means universal, and we began by testing the teens in their knowledge of the Catholic Church by completing prayers or songs often heard at Mass and even some Scripture passages in various languages. The teaching for the Life Night focused on the universal nature of the Church and the mission of every person to share the message of Jesus Christ with the whole world. We concluded with a time of prayer and reflection in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

A couple of questions that you can discuss with your teen after the Life Night include:

1. What makes the Catholic Church “universal?” Why is this significant?

2. How can our family better live the mission of the Church?

This week at Life Night we completed our four part series on the four marks of the Catholic Church by looking at the mark of “Apostolic.” The Life Night included an explanation of the authority that Jesus gave to the first apostles and how this authority was handed down through the ages to the pope and bishops, who continue to guide the Church today through the power of the Holy Spirit. The teens took time to reflect upon their ability to contribute to the mission of the Church to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

Here are a few discussion and activity ideas to discuss this topic at home this week:

• Share with your son or daughter about a priest who has inspired you in your walk of faith.
• Take time this week to pray for your parish priest(s), your diocesan bishop(s), and the pope, prior to one of your meals as a family.

Edge Update 2/14/16
 

This week at Edge, we learned about the Church as One, which is the first of four marks of the Church. Jesus desires for us all to be in unity with God the Father as one. Thus, we believe that there is one Church united under Christ through the Holy Spirit and that this Church is the Catholic Church. While the Church is One, your son and daughter also learned about the great diversity of the people who make up the Church and that those differences and gifts should be celebrated. Here are a few questions to ask your son or daughter this week:

• What does it mean that the Church is One?

• Why do you think Jesus wanted one Church?

• What was one thing you learned at Edge that you did not know already?

Life Teen Update 1/31/16
 

This week at Life Night we began a four part series on the four marks of the Church. The four marks of the Church are shaped by the identity the Church has in Christ. The four marks are “One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.” We identify these marks every time we recite the Nicene Creed. At Life Night, we discussed the nature of the Church as “one” and we talked about our one Baptism, our unity in Jesus Christ, and our one profession of faith.

The teens had the opportunity to discuss their role as a member of the body of Christ. We concluded the Life Night by reminding teenagers of their Baptism and gave each of them a candle to represent our mission as a member of one Church, the body of Christ.

Here are a few discussion questions that you and your teenager can talk about:

• What do you think your role is in the Church, the body of Christ? How does Jesus Christ unite us all?
• What unique gifts has God given to you?

Edge Night Update for 01/24/16

This week at Edge, we talked about the visible and invisible aspects of our faith. We discussed how the Church is made up of both of these aspects and how the Church is bigger than just our parish community. Here are a few questions to discuss with your son or daughter this week:

• What are some visible elements of our Church?

• WhataresomeinvisibleelementsofourChurch?

• What do you think Christ meant when He said, “Blessed are those who believe but have not seen?”

• How can we as a family we increase our faith in Christ?

Life Teen Update 01/17/16

This week at Life Night we began our semester about the Church. We began with a game that challenged small groups to build a house that would resemble a model that the teens had not seen. We used this activity to discuss the origin of the Church and the plan that God had to gather all of humanity into one community through Jesus Christ. During small groups, teenagers discussed what being a part of this community means to them and had an opportunity to discuss ways that they can make Christ the foundation of their lives. We closed the Life Night by challenging teenagers to pray about their own foundations, asking if they center their lives on Christ or on something else. Take a few minutes this week to discuss the Life Night with your son or daughter. Use the following questions to get the conversation started:

• Why is the Church necessary? What is the Church’s role in our world? As a family, what can we do to become more active members in our local parish (church)?

• What foundations do you think most teenagers build their lives upon? Are these trustworthy? Why or why no

Life Teen Update 11/15/15

Life Teen Update 11/01/15
 This week at Life Teen we discussed God as the source and author of all Truth. The challenge given is to see how God created all things – both natural and supernatural – and to see how the moral teachings of the Church are upheld in Scripture and the created world through natural law. By living our lives in conformity to Truth, we can live in authentic freedom and continue our growth in holiness. Use the following questions to begin a discussion with your teenager about the Life Night: • How do you react when someone rejects truth and tells you that “their truth” is different? • Do you ever feel like you’re being judgmental when you stand up for Truth? Do you ever feel like other people are judging you? • Is there one big moral issue that you don’t understand that we can take time learning about together?  

Edge Update 10/4/15
Tonight we began to explore how it was Christ who instituted the Sacraments. Jesus, in His life, gave us the foundations of the Sacraments that the Church celebrates. He entrusted these Sacraments to His apostles and they remain just as true today as they were when the apostles celebrated them. The youth were able to see the Scriptural foundations of each of the seven Sacraments, and heard that the Catholic Church is the only faith that holds to all seven of the Sacraments that Jesus instituted.
Consider the following questions for discussion this week:
• What are some of the stories that were talked about, and what Sacraments do they reflect?
 • Is there any Sacrament that struck you and that you would like to learn more about?
 • How can we as a family be more faithful to the Sacraments and to the Catholic Church?


Parent Link 9/28/15
Hello everyone and thank you for allowing us to help your children grow in their faith.  We are off to a good start with our new Life Teen program.  I wanted to share with you what we covered last night and provide a few questions that might be helpful if you want to keep the conversation going with your child.
 
For this week’s Life Night, we talked about the Beatitudes. We discussed the Beatitudes and how they are the way to happiness and the way to a life spent with the Lord. As people longing for true happiness, they are the surest path of holiness, the most direct route to living a life that is Christ-centered, as they are the very way that Christ loved us. It would be good to read the Beatitudes Matthew 5:3-12 with your teen and discuss the following questions:
 • How can we, as a family, do a better job of living the two great commandments? How do you think we already live them well?
 • How do you think Jesus lived the Beatitudes? How can we follow the example of Christ in living the Beatitudes?
 
I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed week!
 
Blessings,
Suzanne