Leading our Teens in the Catholic Faith

Dear Fellow Parishioners:

There is a very special group of people in this parish?special because of the power they have to influence the lives of high school students. I am referring to leaders of our youth ministry program under the direction of Allyson Higgins and Carla Lucero. The leaders are just a few years older than the students so they are close enough to their experience yet the leaders are a little older and wiser. The presence of the youth group leaders is essential to the success of our program.

You parents know the power of peer pressure. An incredibly disturbing docudrama came out in 2003 entitled ?Thirteen? which depicts the life of the co-director Nikki Reed. At the beginning of the film we meet 13 year old Tracy who is still playing with Barbie dolls but within four months she is sexually promiscuous and a drug user. It happened so fast mainly because of peer influence. Although this film illustrates a parent?s worst nightmare it accurately depicted the power of peer pressure. That is why I am so grateful that we have a talented group of leaders here at Saint Ambrose Parish who use their influence to lead our teens to enjoy a faith centered life.

The hard work of this group is evident every Tuesday night at 7 PM when about 25 high school students gather for skits, fun, food, socializing and learning about our Catholic faith. Negative peer influence can suddenly wreck the lives of our young people, so I am so grateful that we can offer a Christ-centered alternative. All high school students are welcome.

Your brother,
Fr. Kevin Carlin Kennedy