Life Teen is more than a youth group—it’s a movement that leads teens closer to Christ through faith, friendship, and service. Rooted in the teachings of the Catholic Church, Life Teen follows a four-year catechetical cycle, ensuring teens encounter new and relevant topics each year. Whether you're new, preparing for sacraments, or already confirmed, Life Teen is for you!

“Life Teen has changed the way I see my faith. It’s not just something I do—it’s a part of who I am."

📅 Sundays at 6 PM – A dynamic encounter with Christ!
The Life Teen Mass is a celebration for the whole family—not just teens. It’s a powerful experience where teens actively participate as readers, altar servers, greeters, musicians, and more!

The highlight of every Mass? The Eucharist. Just as the Apostles were transformed at Pentecost, the Eucharist strengthens us to live our faith boldly.

“The Life Teen Mass helped me feel like I truly belong in the Church.” ~Teen

Life Teen isn’t just another class—it’s an immersive faith experience designed to fit into your schedule. Teens can choose to attend one or both of our weekly gatherings, each offering something unique:

✔ Life Night – Sundays at 7 PM

• Large-group sessions with dynamic talks, faith discussions, and fun activities.
• A mix of catechetical, social, and real-world issue nights to deepen faith & build friendships.

✔ Mid-Week Connect – Wednesdays at 7 PM

• A smaller, more personal setting for prayer, Scripture reflection, and deeper discussions.
• Perfect for those who prefer a quieter, more focused environment or want to explore faith topics in a different way.

How It Works:
📌 Teens can mix and match! Every session covers a different topic, so missing one doesn’t mean falling behind.
📌 Need sacramental prep? Both Life Nights and Mid-Week Connect count toward the 30 meetings per phase.
📌 Busy one week? No problem! You can attend either Sunday or Wednesday—or both!

"I love that I can go when it works for me. Some weeks I do both, other times just one—but I never feel left out!"

📍 Check out our full calendar here and start your journey today!

Life Teen is designed to meet teens wherever they are on their faith journey. Our three-phase system helps guide them step by step, ensuring they grow in faith, knowledge, and action—all while moving at their own pace.

How It Works:
✔ No time limits! Teens progress when they’re ready, based on attendance and engagement.
✔ Personalized tracking – Each teen receives a progress report to monitor their journey.
✔ Small Group Support – Every teen is part of a small group with a dedicated Core Team member (and sometimes a JCore teen leader) to guide and support them.
✔ Flexible learning – Mid-Week Connect sessions let teens choose different topics to explore.

1️⃣ Disciples Phase – Laying the Foundation
For teens just beginning their sacramental journey. Focuses on:
✔ Learning Christ’s teachings
✔ Building virtue & prayer habits
✔ Understanding spiritual discipline

📌 Key Requirement: Attend the "First Sunday Life Night" each month for essential faith topics.

2️⃣ Purpose Phase – Living the Faith
The final stage of sacramental preparation, helping teens:
✔ Deepen their relationship with Christ
✔ Actively live out their faith
✔ Discern God’s call for their future

📌 Key Requirement: Complete a retreat and additional practicums to reinforce learning.

3️⃣ Apostles Phase – Faith in Action
For teens who have received their sacraments and want to continue growing. This phase emphasizes:
✔ Exploring how the Holy Spirit is working in their lives
✔ Strengthening their Catholic identity
✔ Finding ways to serve & lead in the Church

📌 Key Requirement: Teens choose new ways to engage, serve, and lead within Life Teen.

✔ Attend 30 meetings (choose from Life Nights & Mid-Week Connect!)
✔ Complete required topics (First Sunday Life Night)
✔ Go on a retreat
✔ Demonstrate knowledge of prayers & Catholic teachings
✔ Complete practicums – hands-on faith experiences

"Life Teen has helped me take my faith beyond Sunday Mass. Now, I understand why it matters in my daily life!"  - Life Teen Teen

📍 Check your progress & stay on track! Ready for the next step? Talk to your Core Team leader.

“Faith without works is dead.” – James 2:26

Service is at the heart of our Catholic faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2447) teaches that acts of charity—feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and comforting the afflicted—are essential expressions of our love for Christ. As St. Teresa of Calcutta said, “Faith in action is love, and love in action is service.”

At Life Teen, we believe that serving is more than just volunteering—it’s a sign of spiritual growth and a way to live out Christ’s call to love our neighbor. Many saints grew in holiness through serving others, and we invite every teen to do the same.

📖 What Are Practicums?
Practicums are approved faith-based service opportunities that help teens put their learning into action. These experiences reinforce what they’ve learned in Life Teen, deepening their understanding of the Catholic faith.
✅ Practicums are required for moving through the Life Teen spiritual phases.
✅ Each practicum is designed to strengthen virtue, build leadership, and develop a heart for service.
✅ Teens choose practicums that fit their interests and schedule.

“Parents are the primary educators in the faith.” – Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2223)

Parents play the most important role in their teen’s faith journey. Teens may attend Life Teen, but their strongest example of faith starts at home. When parents actively support their teen’s spiritual growth, it reinforces that faith isn’t just something for Sundays—it’s a way of life.

🙌 How Can Parents Get Involved?

📌 Encourage & Support Your Teen:
✔ Encourage attendance at Life Teen and Life Teen Mass (Sundays at 6 PM).
✔ Talk with them about what they’re learning—faith grows through conversation!
✔ Sign them up for retreats, service projects, and mission trips.

📌 Help With Events & Gatherings:
✔ Cook or sponsor meals for Life Teen meetings or special events.
✔ Decorate & set up for retreats, parties, and parish celebrations.
✔ Build & create—help construct props, design banners, or organize supplies.
✔ Plan & organize events—assist with logistics, hospitality, and behind-the-scenes tasks.

📌 Give & Support:
✔ Provide snacks, drinks, or small gifts for special occasions.
✔ Donate items from our Begging List to support youth ministry.
✔ Offer rides for teens who need transportation.

📌 Join Our Parent Community:
✔ Attend the Quarterly Parent Advisory Meetings to share ideas and feedback.
✔ Be a Life Teen advocate in the parish—invite other families to join!

"Your child will follow your example more than your advice." – St. Charles Borromeo

Life Teen is an active, year-round ministry with events, retreats, and special opportunities. Stay informed and connected so you never miss what’s happening!

📌 Ways to Stay Updated:
✔ Text Messaging – Receive quick updates, reminders, and event notifications.
✔ Email Updates – Get monthly newsletters, parent letters, and important announcements.
✔ Church Center App – Easily check the calendar, sign up for events, and stay organized.
✔ Social Media – Follow us for photos, updates, and inspiration!

📍 Find all our links & sign up for updates here: https://www.stanm.org/lt-bio.

A Quinceañera is more than a party—it’s a sacred moment of renewal in a young woman’s faith journey. This beautiful tradition is an opportunity for her to recommit to her baptismal promises, receive a special blessing, and celebrate her faith with family and friends.

📌 What’s Involved in the Preparation?
✔ Spiritual formation to help the young woman deepen her understanding of faith.
✔ Choosing a Quinceañera sponsor to guide and support her.
✔ Attending Mass and Life Teen to strengthen her relationship with Christ.
✔ A special blessing at Mass with the parish community.

📍 For details on scheduling and preparation, visit: https://www.stanm.org/Quinceanera.

Life Teen is completely free for all high school teens, but it takes a community to make it possible! While there are no attendance fees, we rely on generous parishioners, parents, and volunteers to keep our program running.
📌 Ways to Support Life Teen:
✔ In-Kind Donations – Provide snacks, drinks, supplies, or needed items from our Begging List.
✔ Sponsor a Meal – Help feed teens at a Life Night or retreat.
✔ Volunteer Your Time – Assist with events, decorations, set-up, or hospitality.
✔ Donate Gift Cards – Used for event supplies, prizes, and special needs.
✔ Spread the Word – Invite other families to join and support Life Teen!
📍 Want to help? Click here to support Life Teen! [#]

To Pay the Book Fee go to https://subsplash.com/stanm/lb/ev/+9jf5hch

To truly grow in faith, every teen needs tools they can trust—not just for now, but for life. As part of their spiritual journey through Life Teen, each teen will receive a set of high-quality resources built specifically for Catholic youth.

These books are theirs to keep—helping them grow not just at Life Teen, but in Confirmation, college, and beyond.

PLEASE DO NOT BUY THESE BOOKS ON YOUR OWN,NO SUBSTUTIONS ARE ALLOWED. 

🧭 DISCIPLES PHASE – Book Fee: $50
Each teen will receive:
📖 The Life Teen Catholic Teen Bible
💛 YOUCAT – Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church

💡 PURPOSE PHASE – Book Fee: $50
Each teen will receive:
📖 The Life Teen Catholic Teen Bible
🌍 DOCAT – Catholic Social Teaching for Youth


🔥 Why These Books Matter:

📖 The Life Teen Catholic Teen Bible
Not just another Bible—this one’s built for your teen. Easy to read. Clean design. Meant to be highlighted. Prayer prompts, Gospel microstudies, and real-life tools. Full NABRE translation with powerful artwork and Catholic content. Helps teens not just read Scripture—but live it.

💛 YOUCAT (Disciples Phase)
The faith explained in a way that makes sense. Q&A format with real answers to real questions. Covers belief, sacraments, morality, and prayer. Fun design with quotes, Scripture, and bold truth.

🌍 DOCAT (Purpose Phase)
Faith in action—this is where belief meets justice.  Understand Catholic Social Teaching and how to live it.
Loaded with quotes from saints and popes.  Helps teens form conscience and make a difference.

📅 Book Distribution
Books will be handed out at the Life Nights in September. Teens should bring their books to every Life Night and Midweek Connect.

💬 For Parents & Teens
This isn’t just about checking boxes—this is about owning your faith. These books are more than required materials… they are personal companions for the journey ahead. By investing in these resources, we’re equipping teens with what they need to explore, understand, and live out their Catholic identity—today and for years to come.

To receive sacraments at St. Thomas Aquinas, your family must be registered with the parish. Registration is free; simply complete the form provided in the link.

Click here to Register in the Parish

Registered at another Parish?  If your family is registered at another parish and would not like to move your registration to St. Thomas, you will need to complete the following:

• Receive written permission from your pastor, this letter will need the parish seal and be given to Dcn. Ed.
• Pay a $250 fee

First Step:

The Getting to know you form allows us to know more about you and the way you learn.  It helps us to establish a baseline of where you are in your formation that helps us to measure progress.

Be Honest when filling out this form

Click the link below to complete the form:

• Getting to Know You Form

1st Communion, Confession and Confirmation require the Sacrament of Baptism before they can take place.  If you do not have the certificate please contact the parish that you were baptized at for a replacement.  Please ensure that they have the parish seal on the certificate.

Please upload a copy or photo of your baptism certificate as a PDF or JPG file and keep the original document in a secure place. Ensure that the parish seal can be seen on the copy/photo.  To submit the copy, please click on the button below and follow the instructions.

Please note that you should not submit the original document to the office or the Deacon, as uploading the copy is sufficient.

Click Here to upload the Baptism Certificate

Baptized at St. Thomas Aquinas?
If you were baptized at St. Thomas Aquinas, and need to obtain a copy of your baptism certificate, please complete the form by clicking on the button below. we will conduct the necessary research of the sacramental logs to provide you with a copy of your certificate.

Click Here to Request Sacramental Records Search from STA

During our sacramental preparation for Confirmation, we have the opportunity to choose a Confirmation saint who can inspire us to be like them and intercede for us from heaven. Our Confirmation saint will be a person whom we admire and whose life and virtues we seek to emulate.

In choosing our Confirmation saint, we are not only selecting a name for our Confirmation but also a spiritual mentor and companion who can guide us on our journey of faith. By learning about the life and example of our chosen saint, we can deepen our relationship with God and grow in our understanding of what it means to be a faithful Catholic.

Click the links below for more info:

• How to Select a Patron Saint booklet
• Complete The Patron Saint Report Here

To truly thrive on your journey towards receiving the Sacrament of Baptism or Confirmation, you'll need a trusted mentor by your side - someone who can guide you not just during the preparation period, but beyond as well.

Your mentor need not be a relative, but it's essential that they be a devout Catholic and an excellent role model. If you're wondering what requirements they need to meet and what forms you need to fill out to select your sponsor, simply click on the "Selecting a Sponsor" button located below.

View the following Documents To help you:

• How to Select a Sponsor
• ASF Sponsor Affidavit

After prayerfully discerning the documents and when you made the choice, upload the sponsor affidavit

Upload the Sponsor Affidavit from the sponsor parish
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Schedule a time to spend together (in person), be specific and intentional. The duration could be anywhere from an hour to all day, it is up to the Sponsor and Candidate.

Candidates and Sponsors should participate in at least one outing throughout the teens formation, but are encouraged to do an outing one-time at least every four months.

Choose a place and/or an activity to participate in during the outing. We realize that some things may be limited by the sponsor living out of town and unable to travel. But feel free to be creative. This could simply be: 

• Meeting for coffee 
• Going to a movie (or watching one at home) 
• Taking a hike 
• Going out to dinner 
• Going to some type of religious event or concert
• Participating in a Charity walk/run
• Volunteering at a local food bank, soup kitchen
• Anything else that may interest both the Sponsor and Candidate
• During this outing, the sponsor is encouraged to share some part of their Faith Story with the Candidate.
• Complete this form

This form is due by Jan 31 of the year you will be receiving sacraments.

Discover the essential prayers that pave the way for a profound connection with your faith. Mastering these prayers marks a significant step toward entering the final stage of Sacrament preparation and will be tested. Remember, it's not just about memorization; it's about embracing the power of prayer. Engaging with these prayers is vital, and what better way to immerse yourself than by practicing through the beautiful act of praying the rosary.

Teens should know these prayers but more importantly, they need to be praying them daily.

Click the links below for the documents:

• Common Prayers 
• 92 Things Every Catholic Should Know
  

To test your knowledge of the 92 Things that Every Catholic Should Know play these Kahoots

Tithing, as a spiritual practice, enriches our relationship with God and others, fostering gratitude, trust, and generosity. It reminds us of our interconnectedness and shared responsibility in supporting the Church's mission. Tithing envelopes hold a deeper meaning beyond mere monetary contributions, embracing the concept of stewardship. Through these envelopes, we actively acknowledge that everything we possess is a gift from God. Furthermore:

1. Attendance at Mass: Submitting tithing envelopes visibly affirms our active participation in Mass. In some parishes, failure to turn in weekly envelopes may result in being considered unregistered.

2. Financial Support for the Parish: Tithing envelopes provide an opportunity to contribute financially to the life of our parish, aligning with the precepts of the Church. They help us recognize how we have supported the parish through donations of our time, talent, or treasure throughout the week. 

Each year the Archbishop of Santa Fe requires that we ask certain questions to the teens that are about to be confirmed and to request the Sacrament of Confirmation.

This form builds the letter automatically for the teen they just need to answer the questions and it will build the letter for them.

The form is open 2 months before the Sacrament of Confirmation.  
 
Letter to the Archbishop Form