Tuesday night activities, for most teenagers, may include homework, dinner with their family, and maybe some TV or Facebook browsing. Two and a half hours of church might not be on the agenda.

Teenagers of Christ the King Catholic Church, and many of their Catholic and non-Catholic friends, find Tuesday night to be a great night for church, as it is the night of the Christ the King prayer meeting that is specifically geared towards high school students, drawing up to 300 adolescents to the sanctuary for charismatic and traditional worship.

Teens gather to worship at Christ the King on their usual Tuesday night prayer meeting.

Photo by Cathryn Torgerson.

The worship portion of the meeting, according to teen parishioner Fiona Cousino, is a powerful and spiritually transforming hour and fifteen minutes.

“[The prayer meetings] are a time to come together as…teens and fall in love with a God who loves us…I get lit on fire,” said Cousino, referring to the spiritual fervor that ensues during each weekly gathering. “I am strengthened for the week [after each meeting].”

The weekly event takes place from 7 to 9:30 pm. The evening commences with a casual hangout time with games and basketball in the parish center, but Eucharistic Adoration is also an option held in the sanctuary. At 8:15, the teen-led music begins including a harpist, guitarists, keyboardist, and vocalists, and the participants gather in the sanctuary to openly worship, pray, and talk to one another about their the issues and concerns in their life.

According to Christ the King’s youth ministry director Brad Schmidt, the prayer meetings empower teens to lead holy, Christ-centered lives in-part because of the freedom they are given to apply their individuality to worship.

“We give them an opportunity to use the gifts they've been given - using teens in music ministry, giving talks, and participating in prayer ministry,” Schmidt said. “Tuesdays are an opportunity to truly empower the teens to make the faith their own.”

Schmidt also attributed the powerful effect of the prayer meetings in drawing such a high number of teens into prayer is the encouragement to express their love of Christ in age enjoyable ways, which compliments, and may differ, from participation in Mass.

“I think that Tuesday Nights are different because we let the teens be teens” Schmidt said. “Teens, adults and children all worship differently, and it's vital to have a place where the teens are ‘at home.’”

Tuesday night prayer meetings take place weekly, but will not be held on December 8 and 22.

An important facet of the prayer meeting, Cousino stated, is the long term implication on the teen’s individual lives, leading towards a better future for them and the whole of the Christian community, including the Catholic Church.

“It's just really cool to be a part of this generation of youth, [who is] the future of the Church, and to spend time praying together, knowing that…we play a role in history, and we can change the world we live in.”

Anna is a contributor for AnnArbor.com and participates as a youth minister during the Tuesday night prayer meetings. Although she loves being a part of the teen program at Christ the King, she had no idea the job would require her to occasionally gallop around in a metallic faux spacesuit. You can reach Anna at Anna.AnnArbor.com@gmail.com.