Parents, we invite you to participate in our first Life Night brainstorming session on November 27 from 7:00 - 8:30 pm in the Grotovsky Room (a.k.a. Mrs. Ryan's Room). The entrance is on 115th ave. To prepare for this brainstorming session please contact Sarah for the Life Night outlines. We ask that you come to this meeting with three ideas for decorations and food/snacks. This will help us move along quickly and end on time.

Parents who are interested in participating in our Life Nights are invited to be part of our Core Team. This is a great opportunity to get to know the teens and their friends, listen to the teens opinions and thoughts about life, and join them in deepening their relationship with God while learning more about our Catholic faith.

Core Team Members area asked to participate in brainstorming, planning, and executing one or two Life Nights a semester. Ideally we would like multiple people per team so that we can space out when volunteers are scheduled. The goal being: two different groups within each of the teams below and scheduled twice in the fall semester and twice in the spring semester.  There will be one life night a month (except in April) beginning in January and ending in May. The more volunteers who participate the easier the work will be.

The support team helps in a specific area or team to help the Core Team at one event. This could be coming Sunday afternoon to decorate, attending the Life Night to serve food, or help put away decorations and food. This is a one time opportunity with the option to attend as many or as few Life Nights as your calender sees fit. This Support Team is what makes the Core Team effective.

This teams primary responsibility is to decorate the space that will be utilized in a way that supports the theme of the night. Some nights we will use the Deacon Jim room in the school and others we will use Burnett Hall in Church. Each Life Night outline has some suggestions for decorations. It is this teams responsibility to brainstorm, plan, and execute the environment plan for the evening. This team is great for those who are artistic and can see the potential of space and themes.

The food team will brainstorm theme related food items for each Life Night. This team will also plan and implement how these food items will be distributed to the teens. This team is perfect for those who like to be creative in the kitchen.

This team facilitates small group discussions during break out time. In the beginning we will break out into grade levels and current group leaders are encouraged to attend to keep the continuity of your small group dynamics. We will need adults to support those teens who currently don't have a small group leader. Over time we will break the teens into small groups in different ways. This team is great for those who like small and intimate conversations with people.

There are three parts to the Program Team; Gather, Proclaim, and Send. It is our goal to have each of these areas of the night having a different adult leading. This team is perfect for those who are comfortable speaking in front of larger groups of people and allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through them to the teens.

Gather: This includes welcoming, introductions, and ice breakers.
Proclaim: This is where we present the message of the night.
Send: The evening ends with a brief recap of the topic and a prayer ritual.

St. Mary Parish: 708-326-9300
Youth Ministry: 708-326-9302
Fax: 708-326-9301
Email: teens@stmarymokena.org
Mailing Address:
PO Box 2
Mokena, IL 60448