Life Teen is a Eucharist-Centered movement in the Catholic Church aimed at leading teens and their families into a deeper and richer relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church! With the Blessed Virgin Mary as an intercessor and guide, Life Teen seeks to unleash the sacramental power within the young members of our Church. 

Happy Advent Yall!
This is my favorite season - It’s getting colder outside, I get to wear cozy sweaters and fuzzy socks, there’s peppermint flavored EVERYTHING, Christmas trees are going up, lights are decorating the town, cocoa is being served, Christmas movies are playing 24/7, and from here on out I will only be playing holiday music… But in all seriousness, this season is about a little more than decking the halls. All these changes signal the start of a very important season.
We are entering into the season of Advent. Advent is a time of anticipation. And no, I’m not talking about the anticipation of all the homemade Christmas cookies we are all about to eat! We’re anticipating the coming of Jesus Christ as our Lord. Many things may look different this year from years past but that doesn't mean the season is cancelled like many of our traditions. While we may not be preparing for parties and loved ones visiting we still have the most important thing to prepare for: Jesus! We’re anticipating the celebration of Jesus’ birth, when He came into the world as our Lord and Savior. We’re anticipating the coming of Jesus in our walk of faith everyday. We’re anticipating Jesus’ second coming at the end of time.
Take a moment to watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S02KOlw7dlA
We live in a fast paced, somewhat instant world. We want what we want, when we want it, the way we want it. Waiting, especially patiently waiting is not something we are used to or that we do well. In this fast paced, somewhat instant world, Advent is an extremely radical notion. These coming four weeks call us to focus on waiting, patiently, for the Lord.
We need Advent, because we need the Lord. As we enter into this season together I encourage you to think about how you can use these next four weeks to strengthen your patience and develop a real anticipation and yearning for our Lord. Sometimes we can lose sight of how much we need Christ in our everyday lives. This time of year we often focus on ourselves and on what we are getting out of the Holiday season. One way I help prevent this in my own life is by putting others needs first. Serving others helps turn our selfish hearts into selfless ones, and that can completely change the way we encounter Christ during the Advent season. When we break down our pride, it is immensely easier to see how much we truly need Christ and His unfailing love.
During this season I encourage you to take time to pray for and help those in need. Today, many families are struggling with just the basic needs of everyday life. Our current situation has affected many families right in our community. It’s our duty as Christians to help those struggling. I know this can seem like an impossible task due to all the regulations and restrictions but there are still many ways to help. Even if it’s in a very small way, I promise you it will positively affect the person you are helping in a very big way.
As a family, discuss what you learned from the video and brainstorm ways you can prepare your hearts for Christ.
Advent comes from a Latin word meaning “coming” or “arrival,” and marks the four Sundays preceding Christmas as a time to prepare for celebrating Christ's birth. Advent is a season for Christians to intentionally remember their need for God to come again in their lives. It is a time for us to express a desire for what God alone can give. Advent is also a time for Christians to anticipate Christ's second coming. We look forward to that day and wait expectantly for Christ to come again. Think about the feeling of anticipation you have when you receive Christmas presents. It’s probably difficult for you just to hold on to that gift and not open it. Have you ever had the experience of “peeking” at your presents before you got them? If you have, you know that rushing things ruined the surprise and diminished the excitement of discovering the gift because so much of the blessing is in the waiting.
As people of faith, we know that waiting is central to our journey with God. Throughout history, the faithful have had to patiently wait for the One whose sense of time is not the same as ours. Amidst our waiting, whether patiently or impatiently, we hear the reassuring words of hope from the prophet Isaiah that God works for those who wait. Take some time now to read Isaiah 64:3.
Advent not only points backward to the first coming, but also forward to the second coming, thus providing Christians with a vision of the future and toward the future. Advent, then, is a time of expectation: it is the acknowledgment of the fact that, although God has acted decisively on our behalf in Jesus' birth, there is still much outstanding. He came in a manger, in flesh; he will come again, glorified. But He also comes to us now, to live in us, to guide and lead us, and to help us change from the people we are into the people we were designed and destined to become.
Advent is a time that is filled with anticipation and therefore filled with vision and opportunity. It is a time to imagine what is possible in the limitless world of personal interaction with a loving God. Advent is a time for taking stock of our lives and actions in light of the kingdom of God, which entered human history with Christ but still awaits completion. Our expectation of the coming Lord demands that we anticipate in our actions the kingdom with which He has identified Himself and will bring to us. It can be hard to wait for anything; we constantly look forward to the next thing, whether that is getting our driver’s license, turning 18, going to college, or moving out of our parent’s house. When we spend so much time looking forward, we miss the incredible blessings that God is pouring out upon us right now!
Take some time as a family or by yourself to answer and reflect on these questions:

1. What are you excited about for the rest of this year and next year?
2. What are you nervous, uncertain, or fearful about?
3. What hopes, dreams, and plans have you been waiting and praying for?
4. Why is it hard to wait for God to fulfill our hopes? Is it difficult to trust God with your future or do you feel like you have to make it all happen?
5. How does the hopeful anticipation for your future compare with the hopeful anticipation of Advent?

One of the many people who are an important part of the Advent story is Jesus’ mother, Mary. Her hopeful anticipation was full of the same emotions many of you are feeling right now. Fear and anxiety about the unknown, about how Joseph would react, about what the community would think and do were met equally with excitement and joy at the honor she had been given by God and the new baby she was to have. In fact, Mary's hopeful anticipation and all of the emotion rolling through her was captured in one of the most beautiful prayers in Scripture – the Magnifcat.
Take some time now to read Luke 1:26-35. After you have read the passage from the Gospel of Luke, think about three hopes you have for their future and three hopes you have for the Advent season. For example, I hope to find time to be in quiet prayer each day, and I hope that my family will not be too stressed and focus on what truly matters this season, I also hope that my family all stays healthy so we can spend this Christmas together. Once you have thought about what your hopes are, write them down on a piece of paper and place them in your home manger or another special spot in the house to offer your hopes for the Advent season up to Christ through the intercession of Mary. Close the night by praying the Hail Mary and Ave Maria together.
I truly wish we could meet in person right now and begin our Advent season as a community, but even though we are not in person we are all definitely in this together. I will be praying for all of you during this Advent and Christmas season and I ask that you pray for the group as well. That we may all patiently anticipate the Lord’s coming and open our hearts to receive Him this season.

God Bless you and your loved ones in these holy days,
Ashley Law

“Wait for the LORD, take courage; be strong and take heart, wait for the LORD!”
-Psalm 27:14
 

Junior High and High School Ministry!

Open to all 6th-12th grade students, our junior high and high school youth ministry program consists of various types of events such as 
Fellowship: One of our fondations is that of fellowship. We want to foster authentic friendships between the youth and do so as often as we can in a Catholic setting! Some examples of this might be open gyms, lock ins, off campus outing, and on campus get togethers. 
Service: As a Catholic youth group, service and justice are at the core of many of the events we hold for the young members of The Church! 
Faith: Of course we are rooted in faith as a Catholic youth group, but we want to foster our relationships with God in all we do. Many of our events include prayer and faith lessons. We believe everything we do flows from what takes place each day on the Altar. 

All are welcome and we look forward to seeing you at our coming events.
You can find our upcoming events under the "Youth Calendar" tab on this page, in the bulletin weekly, or through signing up for email notifications and reminders. 

Parents,
 
I look forward to getting to know your young disciples and walking with Christ along side them! I know not all of you have gotten the chance to get to know me over the time that I have been serving as Youth Minister at Saint Christopher and Saint Martin of Tours so before we jump in to all the amazing opportunities that await your children I wanted to take moment to introduce myself.
I was born and raised in Elizabethtown, where my family settled after my fathers military service brought us to Fort Knox. My mother homeschooled my five siblings and I, and encouraged us to live out Christ’s teachings in our everyday lives. My family and I attended Saint Brigid parish in Vine Grove, where my mother has served as youth minister for over ten years now. It was there, through my own involvement with youth group, that our Lord placed the passion to serve in my heart. After graduating high school I attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. During my time at Ohio University, where I completed my Bachelors degree in Religious Studies, held a position on the ministry team for the catholic student group, volunteered as a Confirmation Catechist at the local parish, and helped start and run the only Pro Life student organization on campus. It was through my ministry and service positions during college that I felt a strong calling from Christ to further pursue ministry with the young members of His Church.
My goal in this position is to inspire young individuals in The Church to pursue Christ in their everyday lives and aid them in their personal relationships with Him. These youth are so incredibly important to the Church. One of my biggest pet peeves is when I hear someone call youth “the future of the church.” Because they are not the future, they are the church. They are each equally as important to Christ and His Church as any of us and I pray the Holy Spirit will work through this ministry and help give them the confidence to proclaim their faith and be a light of Christ to others!
I cannot wait to get to know your youth better and to grow in faith along side them. However, for this to work I am going to need you as the parents to have an active role in this ministry. Per diocese regulations there must be one adult volunteer for every 8 junior high youth and every 10 high school youth at every event. This means that I will need you all to volunteer to be present at any events you can be. Your presence will not stifle or suppress the graces your child will get at our events. I will actually argue that it will enhance their experience, as they will get to see you actively serving and living out your own faith by serving The Church.
To help at our activities you must be over 21, have completed the Safe Environment Training and have an updated background with the Archdiocese of Louisville. If all of these apply and you would like to help or you would like to take the course so that you can help in the future please contact me by phone at (270)723-0480 or by email at ymc@bbtel.com.
 
Sincerely in Christ,
Ashley Law

We've all experienced our fair share of sufferings during these past few months. So much about our lives has changed, and it hasn't been easy. But through it all, one thing hasn't changed: Jesus Christ is still with us and he loves us beyond measure. I know many of you are disappointed that we will not be participating in our various youth retreats and trips as usual, but good news! We can still attend from the safety of our own homes!


This year Ignite your Torch and Steubenville Conference will be hosting virtual retreats! 


Enjoy a virtual event with Steubenville Live! like no other (we know – Zoom classes are getting old): 

• Live-streamed, no pre-recorded talks 
• Fully interactive 
• Powerful worship music 
• And, of course, Jesus will be there, the source of our hope! 
• Steubenville Live and Ignite Your Torch engages not only high schoolers but their families, too! 
• Both take place July 17-18, 2020
• Registration is open NOW! Visit https://steubenvilleconferences.com/live#registration to register for the Steubenville conference or https://www.igniteyourtorch.com/ to register for Ignite as an individual or family!

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