Edge & Life Teen Core
About the Core Member
The Edge or Life Teen Core Member is a person with a deep love for Christ, the Church, and ministering to young people. Core Members are responding to their Baptismal call by serving young people, and are selfless enough to make sacrifices that ensure our young people come to know God through the love of Christ and the truth of the Sacraments.
Each Core Member is asked to discern his/her commitment to the ministry and essentially will make three crucial commitments: a commitment to God (Christ, the Church, and personal spiritual growth), a commitment to the pre-teens and teens (minister to teens through building Christ-centered relationships), and a commitment to Edge & Life Teen (present at Sunday night Mass, Edge & Life Nights, Core meetings, retreats, etc.). However, no Core Member is expected to ever allow these three commitments to override their primary vocation to their family.
Being a part of the Core Team is truly stewardship in action: recognizing the gifts that God has blessed you with, and returning those gifts to God by using those gifts at the service of those who need them. Leading teens closer to Christ is one of the most important works of the Church today.
We are so grateful to our Core Members who make up this diverse group of adults! If you are thinking about joining our Core Team, we encourage you to pray and to contact Dave or Fr. Greg.
Core Members
Barbara Bandarra
Jane Brightman
Jane was born in New Bedford and is the oldest of three children. She graduated from Westport High School, graduated Umass Amherst where she received her B.S. in nurshing and attended Boston College where she received her Masters in Child Nursing. Jane has worked for hospitals in Boston and recently retired from St. Luke’s in New Bedford. Although Jane has retired from nursing, she has not retired from being a nurse.
She has taught CCD in the post-confirmation program at St. Gregory’s in Dorchester and in the confirmation program at St. Julie’s. Jane has been a Core member since the conception of Life Teen in 2007 and joined the Edge Core team in 2010.
David Burton
Bianca Carreiro
Bianca graduated from Westport High School in 2010 and will be attending Bristol Community College in pursuit of her degree in Culinary Arts. She was introduced to Life Teen by her Aunt Dina who also is a Core Member. Since then, she has had a growing desire to step forward and answer God’s invitation to share her gifts.
Bianca has been dancing with Smith School of Dance for the last 10 years and works part time at Lee’s Market in Westport.
Dina Carreiro
Dina has been a Core Member with Life Teen since her youngest son joined the confirmation class in 2008. Since then, Dina has dedicated countless hours of her time to Life Nights, social events and many service projects. She has been married to her husband Roy for over 20 years and has two sons. In addition to helping with Life Teen, she also is a member of the Altar Guild which decorates the Church throughout the year.
Gary Chouinard
Gary has been an Edge Core Member since 2009 and has decided to move to Life Teen Core. He works as a Mechanical Engineer creating implants for the hip and knee. He enjoys being a team member for organizations such as Boy Scouts of America and Life Teen which help shapes are Teens into loving and caring members of our community. Gary is married and has one son and one daughter.
Kim Chouinard
Kim has been a member of St. Julie’s since 1984. She is married to Gary Chouinard and has two children, Kayla and Brett. In 2009 Kim joined the Edge Core Team and has decided to move to Life Teen Core. In addition Life Teen, she also helps at the parish’s largest fundraiser: Septemberfest. She also works full time for the State Department of Education in Rhode Island as an Education Specialist.
Colleen Cregan
David Dearden
Dave has been involved with parish ministry since he was a teenage, starting out at Holy Rosary Parish in Fall River, teaching third grade CCD. In 2000 he became a Youth Minister at St. Michael’s in Swansea and has been a Youth Minister ever since. In addition to youth ministry, Dave has been a member of the REC Team (Residents Encounter Christ) at the Bristol County Jail, Parish Council and Liturgy Committees at St. Julie’s.
After working full time for a number of years as a Paramedic and for a computer software company, in 2007 he decided that he wanted to focus on ministry full time. He became the Youth Minister at St. Julie’s where he started the Edge & Life Teen programs.
Donna Fernandes
Alic Freitas
Alice joined the Life Teen Core in 2010 and has been a member for St. Julie’s parish for several years. She is married and has three children, one boy and two girls. Since 1987 Alice has worked with Children, Adolescents and their families as a Clinical Social Worker. She has her Master’s Degree from Boston University and currently works for New Bedford High School as a Crisis Counselor. What is important to Alice the most is being a Mom, which she loves greatly. Any kind of family outings is most dear to her.
Michelle Furtado
Sue Geier
Nelia Harrington
Nelia has been an Edge and Life Teen Core Member since its conception here in the parish. Although at the time she had no children in the program, she decided that she wanted to be a part of this new ministry at St. Julie’s. Nelia has one daughter, whose son is now part of the ministry. Edge, Life Teen and her family keeps her very busy, but through all that busyness she works full time for a company in Cumberland Rhode Island as a Research Chemist.
Diane Hodge
Diane has been a Life Teen Core Member since 2008 and is married with two children, George and Lezan. Diane joined Life Teen when her daughter was entering the Confirmation program and along with Lezan, decided to stay and continue to serve. Diane is a Teacher at the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School in the Physical Education & Health Department. In addition to Life Teen, Diane volunteers as a teacher for gymnastics for New Bedford Recreation Department. She also loves to knit and sow.
Jeannine Jenney
Jim Lanagan
Jim has resided in Dartmouth since 1984 and has been a member of St. Julie’s for a number of years. He has been married to NAME, who not only is his wife and mother to their three children, but also his best friend. Jim has owned a contracting business for the last 24 years, coaches many sports for the past 15 years and enjoys outside adventures and triathlons. Jim has made God and his family a priority which has brought him much happiness to his life.
Jean McCormack
Kathy Nanopoulos
Kathy joined Life Teen as a Core Member in 2008 when her son Matthew was preparing for Confirmation. Since then she hasn’t left! She lives in Dartmouth and has been a member of the parish for several years. In addition to her son Matt, she also has an older son Ross who graduated from Dartmouth High School in 2010 and has moved off to college.
Kristen Ouellet
Diane Richard
Nick Silva
Mike Tremblay
Mike joined Life Teen in 2007 and has been a member of St. Julie’s parish for several years. In addition to Life Teen, Mike is also in the Knights of Columbus as a Fourth Degree Knight. For fourteen years, Mike was involved with the Steubenville East Conference. For many years the Conference held at the LaSalette Shrine in Attleboro. During the Christmas season, Mike also works at LaSalette with the LaSalette Community. Even though Mike has no children part of the program, his Baptismal call to serve has led him to devoting hours to youth ministry.
Fran Vincent
Fran is currently a 4th grade teacher at Saint Joseph School in Fairhaven and in 2009 received her Masters Degree in Education. She spends her days busily involved with school, serving on math committees and an after school dance program. Fran is married and has three children: Amber, Alyana and Austin. Fran has been a Core member since the conception of Life Teen in 2007 and in 2010 became a Core Member with Edge. Her interest in Life Teen started when her oldest daughter entered the Confirmation program. In addition to Life Teen, she is also a member of the Parish Council.
Suzanne Walinski
