Q & A with Steven Dwyer Steven Dwyer is part of a dynamic duo that makes the Life Teen program at St. Thomas More Catholic Community in Henderson, NV, sing. He serves as co-director of this program with his wife, Amanda, heading up the youth ministry activities at the bustling parish of 6,000 families which is located 15 miles from Las Vegas, NV.
Q. Tell me about yourself. Did you grow up in the Las Vegas area? A. I was born in New York but
moved with my parents, Steve and Juliann Dwyer, to Las Vegas when I was six. We joined St. Thomas More in 1987, when Mass was being held at the Palm Mortuary. I made my First Communion there and served as an altar boy. When the parish center opened in 1989, my mother started working as the religious education director. I helped her out around the parish, after school.
Yet, it wasn’t until last summer, when he attended the Viatorian Youth Congress that he says he really understood what it meant to be Viatorian. Viator caught up with him last spring to explore those thoughts and to find out just what drives him.
Q. Tell us about Life Teen and what makes it such a big draw. What is it that makes it different from a traditional youth ministry program? A. Life Teen's motto is "Leading Teens Closer To Christ" and we Q. What about your experiences as a teen in the parish. Did they leave really make that our goal in every single thing that we do. In Life an impact on you? Teen, we believe in teaching, and in doing, so we make it fun in order to grab the attention of the teenagers and keep them A. I was a core team leader in our Life Teen program from the time interested and yearning for more. For example, even if we have a movie night, we turn it into an interactive movie night so that we can teach positive messages and relate it back to our faith.
that it began at St. Thomas More in 1998. I felt it was very rewarding being a leader, but I also learned just as much as I taught. I met Amanda at church in 2000. We were both on core team together, and she was also working part time at the church. We were married at St. Thomas More by Fr. Bob Bolser, CSV, on November 8, 2003. The position of director of Life Teen opened up in 2005. Amanda and I waited several months before ever applying, but we felt a strong calling to apply for the position together.
Q. How many teens are we talking about? A. We get an average of about 300 teens each week. Q. Is there any one component that makes the biggest impact? A. Our retreats are a big key to the program. They're great for the
Q. How have the Viatorians influenced your faith formation, both as a teen, and now working along side them? A. Growing up in St. Thomas More, I was aware that we were in a
leaders who get more time for relational ministry and they're good for the teens because they can get away from everything — no phones, internet, or TV — and just slow down, have fun, spend time with God, and share the same morals and faith with their peers. It gives them time to pray, to learn, and to focus on themselves.
Viatorian parish, but I never really knew what that meant. It wasn't until after high school that I started to realize what being a part of the Viatorians was truly about. I gained a much better understanding of who the Viatorians are, last summer, after spending time at the Viatorian Youth Conference. I was able to see firsthand the community to which we belong, and just how much they value lay involvement, how much they value young people by giving them their start in leadership roles.
Q. What do teens remember most about Life Teen? A. I’d have to say it’s our special, five-day retreat called LIGHT or
Living in God’s House Together. It is a work retreat where teens from the parish go into the community and do service such as landscaping, painting, feeding the homeless, and general clean-up jobs. The retreat takes place in the summer and if you have never experienced a Las Vegas summer, well, it's VERY hot. It's not uncommon to be at 115 degrees. For 100 teens to give up a week of their summer vacation to do service work in that heat, we find incredibly humbling. The teens often say this is the most memorable experience they have in their high school days!
Q. How have the Viatorians impacted your work with Life Teen? A. Our priests at St. Thomas More are great. Despite their busy
schedules, they're always willing to give their time to be available to teens, or help us out with retreats and Life Nights. They also do a great job with making our Life Teen Mass very welcoming and focused on the teens. I know for a fact, our teens feel very appreciative of our Viatorian priests and the program.
youth ministry 5
Eileen Daday