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SemperJase
Guest
Wouldn’t that be exactly what would happen in an altar call?
I grew up in a non-denominational church. My experience says yes, that is what would be happening.
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I grew up in a non-denominational church. My experience says yes, that is what would be happening.
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Sabda
Guest
is an invitation to draw closer to Christ really considered a protestant thing?
No, however, when a Catholic wants to bring people to Christ they present the richness of the Catholic Faith to them. The reason I’m cautioning you on this is the way you are presenting this to us is very Protestant. That immediantly raises a great many red flags for us parents. We as parents need to be very careful and make sure that our kids are taught the true Catholic faith and not something different.
shouldn’t we do everything we can to help these kids draw closer to Christ and reach the 1200 who aren’t attending youth group?
Yes, we should. However if these kids do not go to Mass on any kind of a regular basis than chances are very high that they are going to be very weak in their faith. This is were you are going to need to be very careful. In this case I would not only recommend you work with a priest but I would also recommend contacting whoever leads the catechist classes or the RCIA classes. From my experience it’s not always the priest. Let the kids know exactly what it is they are missing. Which is the Mass and the Sacraments. This is the best thing you can show these kids.
I consider this a very Catholic thing, considering the first large “altar call” (or invitation if you prefer) is recorded in the book of Acts and was given by St. Peter himself - Acts 2:41 says “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day.”
As far as your question to the above. Read the passage carefully.
**So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. **
It says “those who received his word were** baptized**”. It does not say that they said the Sinner’s Prayer or excepted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. It simple says they were baptized. When Protestants do an altar call do they baptize people at that very moment? From what I have heard they don’t. This is a difference between many Protestants and Catholics. Since these kids are already Catholic it’s safe to say they have already been baptized. The best way to help these kids in their walk with Christ is to educate them. Not do anything remotely resembling an altar call.
No, however, when a Catholic wants to bring people to Christ they present the richness of the Catholic Faith to them. The reason I’m cautioning you on this is the way you are presenting this to us is very Protestant. That immediantly raises a great many red flags for us parents. We as parents need to be very careful and make sure that our kids are taught the true Catholic faith and not something different.
shouldn’t we do everything we can to help these kids draw closer to Christ and reach the 1200 who aren’t attending youth group?
Yes, we should. However if these kids do not go to Mass on any kind of a regular basis than chances are very high that they are going to be very weak in their faith. This is were you are going to need to be very careful. In this case I would not only recommend you work with a priest but I would also recommend contacting whoever leads the catechist classes or the RCIA classes. From my experience it’s not always the priest. Let the kids know exactly what it is they are missing. Which is the Mass and the Sacraments. This is the best thing you can show these kids.
I consider this a very Catholic thing, considering the first large “altar call” (or invitation if you prefer) is recorded in the book of Acts and was given by St. Peter himself - Acts 2:41 says “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day.”
As far as your question to the above. Read the passage carefully.
**So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. **
It says “those who received his word were** baptized**”. It does not say that they said the Sinner’s Prayer or excepted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. It simple says they were baptized. When Protestants do an altar call do they baptize people at that very moment? From what I have heard they don’t. This is a difference between many Protestants and Catholics. Since these kids are already Catholic it’s safe to say they have already been baptized. The best way to help these kids in their walk with Christ is to educate them. Not do anything remotely resembling an altar call.
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demerzel85
Guest
Problem: “Getting it”
Solution: Proper Orthodox Catechesis
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Victorious
Guest
With all due respect, this sounds like the (more benign) assumptions my Protestant friends regale me with about the Catholic faith as a whole: that because Catholic worship is structured, it’s empty and meaningless rote repetition, and therefore Catholics must be devoid of real zeal for God. It’s also unproven: how do you know that there is no benefit to traditional Catholic devotions for those who are struggling in their faith?
In fact, not only is it unproven, it’s untrue. I know from experience that praying the Rosary, going to Mass, going to confession, visiting Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and other “rote” Catholic devotions yield great benefits when you’re struggling in faith, or feel tepid. Probably those are the times when they are most beneficial, because the very struggle to do these things pleases God and builds up our spiritual muscles.
Catholics who are ignorant of their faith need (1) orthodox catechesis; (2) to pray more, especially the Rosary; (3) to frequent Mass and the Sacraments. If I had kids, and there was a program to get them reinvigorated in the faith, I would not allow them to participate in it if it focused on anything other than these things. You just can’t come up with anything to improve upon them.
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McKevin
Guest
This is an effort to draw them closer to the church through Christ, we’re not planning on having them come forward the be “saved” - if there is mortal sin in their lives then we will pray with them, encourage them, and follow up with them to attend reconcilliation with a priest and begin a Catholic-based discipleship program.
I have lunch today with my spiritual director and plan on getting his thoughts on this, thanks for all of your heart-felt feedback!
**Sabda - **
as for your thoughts on the verse I quoted, please consider that they “received his word” before they were baptized. While Catholics today are baptized, some never come to the place where they recieve his word. Also, consider the term “baptism by desire” and the fact that Catholics today do not baptize new believers until the Easter vigil, while protestants handle it in many different ways. The church I grew up in would take the new believers out to the pond and baptize them immediately after they made their decision to follow Christ. At a church I attended later in my childhood, we would go down to the river and baptize them - just like St. Peter handled the first converts
before the liturgy of baptism vows ever existed.Peace.
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Stephen_C
Guest
Mckevin,
First I would like to commend you on trying to make a diference with the youth at your parish. :clapping: There is a lot of good advise in this thread so I won’t go there. Back in the 70’s when I was a teenager (two years before dirt) I was involved in a Catholic youth retreat program called TEC (Teens Encounters Christ) It was a weekend retreat for Catholic Highschool Juniors/Senior Boys and Girls. May want to look into that…If this program is still out there. As I recall it was sponsored at the Diocese level.
First I would like to commend you on trying to make a diference with the youth at your parish. :clapping: There is a lot of good advise in this thread so I won’t go there. Back in the 70’s when I was a teenager (two years before dirt) I was involved in a Catholic youth retreat program called TEC (Teens Encounters Christ) It was a weekend retreat for Catholic Highschool Juniors/Senior Boys and Girls. May want to look into that…If this program is still out there. As I recall it was sponsored at the Diocese level.
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McKevin
Guest
Well guys (and gals) my SD would seem to vote “no deal”, at least in the way that I have worded this post…it is great to be Catholic and I thank all of you for your reponses! Basically, what it boils down to is that we have 1300 high school youth who are baptized in the faith and although everyone wants them to follow Christ, there is something special about being a believer, and an emotionally-charged altar call could turn some of them away, but sharing my story with a song and time for reflection seems the way to go. God richly bless everyone who posted!
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demerzel85
Guest
Emotionally charge can appeal to some, but at the same time turn of others. Even in the realm of the workings of the Holy Spirit, some are sensitive while some are just not. Yet even for those who are sensitive and desire something emotionally charged, these elements are still not the fullness of the Catholic faith. Faith and Reason go hand in hand.Well guys (and gals) my SD would seem to vote “no deal”, at least in the way that I have worded this post…it is great to be Catholic and I thank all of you for your reponses! Basically, what it boils down to is that we have 1300 high school youth who are baptized in the faith and although everyone wants them to follow Christ, there is something special about being a believer, and an emotionally-charged altar call could turn some of them away, but sharing my story with a song and time for reflection seems the way to go. God richly bless everyone who posted!
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