Youth Ministry & Scripture Study Programs
Altaration: The Mystery of the Mass Revealed
by Mark Hart
The Mass as Teens Have Never Seen it Before. Altaration addresses head-on one of the biggest problems we all face: how do we get Catholic teens to appreciate the awesome beauty and mystery of the Mass…and to actually look forward to attending and participating?
Through a unique learning experience, including powerful cinematography and workbook resources, teens will come to see the Mass and the priesthood in a dramatically new way. Altaration is designed to stir thought, create conversation, dispel myths, and inspire young souls to a deep and lasting love for the Mass. The goal of Altaration is not to fill teens’ heads with information but to pierce their hearts with transformation.
Chosen: This Is Your Catholic Faith
Life-Changing Faith Formation for Teens
Chosen: This Is Your Catholic Faith takes young people on a journey through the entire Catholic faith in all its richness and vitality. Teens will be captivated by the story, from Creation all the way through salvation history, and they will come to see how the sacraments, prayer, and discipleship are the keys to a happy life. The goal of this 24-lesson program is nothing short of winning over the hearts of teens and making them lifelong disciples of Christ.
Chosen’s carefully designed methodology features highly effective and engaging material conveyed through videos, student workbooks, and classroom experience. Featuring twelve of the top youth experts in the Church today and filmed in more than 50 locations, Chosen is unlike any program available in the Church today.
Chosen: Your Journey Toward Confirmation
A Powerful Approach to Confirmation
Chosen’s carefully designed methodology features highly effective and engaging material conveyed through videos, student workbooks, and classroom experience. Guides for leaders, parents, and sponsors––as well as additional online resources––make Chosen unlike any program available in the Church today.
Chosen has been produced in two formats, this Confirmation edition (Chosen: Your Journey Toward Confirmation) and a Teen Faith Formation edition (Chosen: This Is Your Catholic Faith). Both use the same twenty four lessons and only differ in how Confirmation preparation is emphasized and highlighted in the Confirmation edition.
Encounter: A Middle School Bible Study
by Mark Hart
Encounter: Experiencing God in the Everyday is a Catholic Bible study designed specifically for middle school kids. This captivating program guides students toward a powerful Encounter with God.
What Are Kids Looking for?
When you think of the average middle-schooler, you probably don’t picture a saintly youth who delights in spending time in prayer. Most likely you see an average kid who is into movies, the latest tech, video games, or sports. What are they looking for when they occupy their time with these things? Do they simply desire to be entertained, or are they looking for something deeper: a sense of purpose, belonging, happiness? It could be that middle school kids want what we desire, an encounter with God.
Quick Catholic Lessons
Many of those working in Catholic parishes and schools have found the growing library of Fr. Mike Schmitz’s videos on Ascension Presents to be an effective resource. As classroom supplements, these videos can make topics come alive for students. They are also great resources for parish ministry; they work as small-group prompts for campus ministry sessions, for confirmation candidates and their parents, for youth group nights, and many others.
T3: The Teen Timeline
by Mark Hart
The Teen Timeline —or T3— is the teen version of the revolutionary Great Adventure Bible Timeline learning system that hundreds of thousands of Catholic adults have used to learn the Bible. Dynamic teen presenter Mark Hart makes the Bible come alive for Catholic teens by unpacking God’s Word in a way they can relate to. T3 teaches teens the Bible by showing them the “big picture” of salvation history. When young students of the Bible first understand the “story,” they are eager to learn more. The net result: teens begin to wrap their minds and hearts around the Scriptures. They come to see the Bible as a relevant part of their lives.
T3: The Teen Timeline
by Mark Hart
The Teen Timeline —or T3— is the teen version of the revolutionary Great Adventure Bible Timeline learning system that hundreds of thousands of Catholic adults have used to learn the Bible. Dynamic teen presenter Mark Hart makes the Bible come alive for Catholic teens by unpacking God’s Word in a way they can relate to. T3 teaches teens the Bible by showing them the “big picture” of salvation history. When young students of the Bible first understand the “story,” they are eager to learn more. The net result: teens begin to wrap their minds and hearts around the Scriptures. They come to see the Bible as a relevant part of their lives.
T3: The Teen Timeline
by Mark Hart
T3 Acts: The Keys and the Sword equips teens with a foundational understanding of the main characters, doctrines, events, and journeys that make up this incredible “gospel of the Holy Spirit.” Beginning with the Ascension and Pentecost, these four sessions offer a deeper look at Sts. Peter and Paul, the evolution of the early Christian Church, the call to evangelization, the sacramental ministry, the first Christian communities, the trials of an evangelist, the call to offer our lives as a living witness, and much more. T3: Acts will leave your young people laughing, engaged, and ready for more!
T3: Acts is filled with heroic moments, powerful testimonies, daring escapes, and incredible adventures. Your teens will forever be changed when they encounter the heroic lives of the holy men and women who dedicated their lives to spreading the good news of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church.
T3 Matthew: Thy Kingdom Come
by Mark Hart
Created and hosted by popular author and youth speaker, Mark Hart, Matthew: Thy Kingdom Come picks up where T3 left off, as Mark takes your teens on an in-depth journey into the heart of God. Follow along as the group encounters the authentic Jesus of the gospels. Enter into the drama of Christ’s family tree, the birth of our Savior, His duel in the desert with Satan, and the life-changing truths of His Sermon on the Mount. Experience Jesus’ ministry unfold through His miracles and parables. Be there as our Lord triumphantly enters into Jerusalem on His way to the cross, tomb, and resurrection.
Your teens will feel like they are walking along with the apostles, as they learn about the inception of the Catholic Church, the papacy, and the sacraments, firsthand.
T3 Revelation: The Lion and the Lamb
by Mark Hart
The book of Revelation has captured the interest of modern adults and teens alike. With all that has been written and sensationalized in recent novels and films, this has become the most talked about (and most misunderstood) book in Sacred Scripture. But what exactly does our Church teach about this seemingly “cryptic” book of the Bible and how in the world do we begin to break open something so complex with our Catholic teenagers?
T3 Revelation: The Lion and the Lamb unpacks the myths about Revelation, the end times, the mark of the beast, and so much more. T3 Revelation gives your teens an invaluable foundation for understanding the book of Revelation, while pointing out its modern significance, practical application, and daily relevance to a teenager’s life. In each of the four lessons, Mark skillfully unpacks the book’s main points and key chapters, while continually referring to the wisdom offered by our Catholic faith.
The Dating Project
by Jason & Crystalina Evert
The Dating Project is a thought-provoking, award-winning documentary about the “hookup culture” that not only sparks conversation, but also encourages single people to take action. The film follows five single people trying to figure out dating in the age of social media, texting, hanging out and hooking up.
Ascension is proud to offer A Guide to the Dating Project for both group and individual study.
Featuring Jason Evert and other leading Catholic authors, this guide is written to accompany the film and spark potentially life-changing insights and conversation. It includes study questions and articles related to dating and discernment, as well as the “Dating Assignment” featured in the film.
Theology of the Body for Teens: Middle School Edition
by Brian Butler, Jason Evert, and Colin & Aimee MacIver
The Theology of the Body for Teens Middle School program is divided into 8 unique segments that reflect the pedagogical approach of John Paul II’s revolutionary teaching. The program gives sixth through eighth graders the answers to their tough questions concerning their bodies, their sexuality, and their future. The program has been designed specifically as a catechetical program to fit perfectly into Catholic schools, youth ministry, CCD, and homeschooling settings. Theology of the Body for Teens Middle School Edition has been granted the Imprimatur. A High School Edition is also available.
YOU: Life, Love, and The Theology of the Body
by Brian Butler, Jason & Crystalina Evert
A Life-Changing Experience for Teens. Identity. Gender. Love. Chastity. The world is a difficult place for teens, and it has become increasingly hard for parents and educators to help teens discover the truth about their bodies, their sexuality, and their unique call to love.
In an age of “selfies” and egocentrism, You cuts through the noise to present an authentic view of the human person. It presents young people with the extraordinary story of their creation as unrepeatable individuals. But the program doesn’t stop there.
YOU: Life, Love, and the Theology of the Body introduces teens to the truth that life is not, in fact, all about them; it is about going out of themselves to be a sincere gift for others.