Dear Lifeteen,

There are so many things I want to thank you for. As a 20-year-old college student, my time as a 'teen' has come to an end, but you have still managed to capture my heart and now my time as a member of Summer Core.

So, thank you for providing me the time and space to meet some of the most incredible people- people who truly desire to bring heaven to earth; people who seek to find Christ in all the ways they can; people who honestly want the best for me, are accepting of me, and bring out the best in me.

Thank you for bringing life back into the Mass. My parish's Lifeteen Mass at 5 o'clock on Sundays is engaging, personal, and spiritual. Between the people who attend, the contemporary music, and the miracles that take place on the altar, it is hardly possible not to feel God's presence.

Thank you for showing young people the prevalence, the necessity, and just how 'cool' it is to lead a life with Christ. In doing such, you reintroduce the world to a God whimsical, daring, heroic, joyful and always fulfilling. You empower the youth and remind us all of the special ability the youth has in transforming the world. You excite young people to live as it says in Timothy 4:

"Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."

Thank you for providing me with the tools and the opportunities to excel in faith that many others do not have- retreats like Covecrest, Timothy 4, Luke 18, and Hidden Lake all have changed my life and fueled the fire already in my heart.

Lastly, thank you, Lifeteen, for providing me a community in junior high, high school, and even now as a college student. Thank you for creating an environment safe and comforting- a secondary home. Thank you for embodying the Catholic faith as it should be and catering it so wonderfully to not only the teens, but to everyone else as well.

My life would truly not be the same without Lifeteen, which has helped shape who I am and strengthen my identity as a Catholic.

Love always,

Ellen and those involved in Lifeteen