Ban Youth Masses!

[georgewithfaith]

Enough with the youth masses! There are too many liturgical violations. Teens come to Mass with torn jeans and dirty shirts.

I have watched youth Masses for some 20 years now and I grew up in the Catholic Church during the 1970s a horrible period for the church. I was born in 1969 and unfortunately, the Church changed at that time. Most blatant was the change to the liturgy but also during this time the young liberal clergy took on an attitude of “Kumbaya” at Mass.

The focus on Christ’s sacrifice and suffering for our sins was minimized so that we could gather together in a spirit of “Kumbaya.” We may be the church but we are not Jesus. We cannot wave our arms, dance, chant, hold hands and “Kumbaya” at Mass.

I hope and pray that our Church reforms this practice of “Kumbaya” and minimizes the influence of the touchy, feel good 1970s clergy remaining in the church. Let’s maximize and fill our hearts and souls with the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross!

 

[LoyalViews]

It’s not the church, it’s just a very small minority of Priests in the church. Alot of them are gone with age, but it still seems to happen. Some teens interpret the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as a “Praise and Worship Service” like the Pentecostal and uniting churches have.

Sometimes, when I attend the vernacular Mass, (I prefer the TLM), I see children and teens coming in with ripped jeans, TIGHTS (spandex, or whatever ya call’em), and things that are distracting, and just plain horrid.

I am with you. Youth Masses are banned, always have been, but people are still doing it.
I am with you, the Bishops should keep a closer eye on parishes.

God Bless!

 

[rainalaska]

I enjoy the youth mass. There is a high amount of reverence in my parish, and MANY youth are involved in the mass not being forced to attend. While I may not always approve of what someone wears, would you condemn a homeless person for attending mass in torn clothing. Remember only God can judge our hearts, and if you do not care for the youth mass, don’t go.

 

[Joe_Brown]

I enjoy the youth mass. There is a high amount of reverence in my parish, and MANY youth are involved in the mass not being forced to attend. While I may not always approve of what someone wears, would you condemn a homeless person for attending mass in torn clothing. Remember only God can judge our hearts, and if you do not care for the youth mass, don’t go.

The people who are wearing these mini skirts and dirty clothes have other clothes. The comparison with the homeless cannot be made because they don’t have other clothes.

 

[rainalaska]

The people who are wearing these mini skirts and dirty clothes have other clothes. The comparison with the homeless cannot be made because they don’t have other clothes.

While yes this may be true…why are we concerned with what others are wearing and not focusing on ourselves?

 

[ljubim]

We really should focus on the content of youth Masses, rather than the clothes they wear. That’s where you’ll win the argument

I’m 18 and have been forced to attend a few (on retreats and such where there was no other option). They are sickening. One priest has no authority to experiment with the Mass, it’s God’s, not his.

It’s sad to say, and good to say, that this is one of the driving forces that God used to lead me to the TLM.

 

[puzzleannie]

Enough with the youth masses! There are too many liturgical violations. Teens come to Mass with torn jeans and dirty shirts.

!

what do you think they are going to wear if they come to the regular noon Mass with or without their families? whatever their parents allow them to leave the house in, which has not a sock to do with Mass, the Church, the priests, the music or CCD, and everything to do with parenting. I have not heard Kumbaya in church since I left college which is a few generations ago.

 

[Melchior_1]

Youth Masses are banned

You better get on the horn and get them to cancel Word Youth Day and shut down them Steubie Conferences. Heck, you better shut down that whole University! And you better tell them about the Companions of the Cross and NET Ministries as well.

Unless Youth Masses AREN’T banned because there’s nothing inherently wrong with them, which is why they can continue so long as they meet the requirements set forth by Rome.

Yes, I am aware there are cause for concern regarding them, that some take it too far. I’m also aware there’s a cause for concern about people being so “traditional” they become the new protestants (ie; schismatic groups like SSPV, SSPX, etc etc).

Making comments about the clothing is pretty silly. If it pertains to dress, it’s not an issue with the Mass, it’s an issue with kid’s parents who let their kids walk out of the house looking like prosta-tots or homeless people.

 

[Digitonomy]

There are too many liturgical violations. Teens come to Mass with torn jeans and dirty shirts.

Torn jeans and dirty shirts are not liturgical violations. They may not be the best choice, but there is no rule against them. Some people would no doubt disapprove of women exposing their ankles, or men wearing anything but a 3-piece suit. Getting worked up about others’ choices in clothing is a recipe for unending despair, as it will ever be thus.

As others have mentioned, the content of the masses is more relevant.

I have always hated youth masses, from the time I was the targeted group for these events up to the present. However, I really haven’t observed a lot of liturgical abuses at these masses. More memorably disturbing is the awful music usually present, but it’s not that much worse than older music I detest, like “Balm in Gilead” or “At the Lamb’s High Feast.”

 

[roveau]

A youth Mass is still a Mass. If that’s what it takes to get the youth to attend Mass regularly then I think it is a splendid thing.

I think Christ would say He looks at the heart not at what people wear.

 

[pnewton]

Interestingly enough, nothing mentioned yet about the Youth Masses are wrong from the standpoint of the Church. Now I have seen one or two things wrong in one LifeTeen Mass, and I’m all in favor of fixing abuses. However, the idea of banning Youth Masses is odd. Does one ban youth, youth at Mass or Youth participation?

Kum Ba Yah, My Lord.

 

[curlycool89]

Torn jeans and dirty shirts are not liturgical violations. They may not be the best choice, but there is no rule against them. Some people would no doubt disapprove of women exposing their ankles, or men wearing anything but a 3-piece suit. Getting worked up about others’ choices in clothing is a recipe for unending despair, as it will ever be thus.

As a guy, I have to say that I hate wearing a suit. Luckily, field positions don’t require wearing one. The full suit only comes out at interviews and important events like a wedding.

I attended the last mass at our college, which I guess you could call the student’s mass. It often had acoustic guitars, which were used only during regular singing times. It was a very reverent mass though. The priest who usually was the celebrant is newly ordained and very good; no ad-libbing there. Reads the black, does the red, and goes at a fairly slower pace than most. At another parish I attended, the “teen mass” consistently had the more faithful lyrics for the Gloria and Holy Holy. So it depends on where you are really.

 

[karennascargo3]

Wow, makes me want to say something about casting the first stone and judging others.

Frankly, in this day and age, I’m *exceedingly thankful *for any youth (and their participation) in the church. I’m a senior citizen and I love the youth mass and seeing the young folks take part in our parish. Even if not my cup of tea, the meaning behind it far out weighs any objects I have.

And IMHO, why would it be any of our business what someone wears to church?

 

[srlucado]

Ban Youth Masses!

Naah. Quite the contrary.

Masses should be customized. As someone said, “whatever it takes.”

Then there’ll be the Young Parent Mass, the Grouch Mass, the Just-Getting-My-Ticket-Punched Mass, and of course, my personal favorite, the Scott Mass.

–Scott
“Hey, it really is all about me!”

 

[ljubim]

Digitonomy, you have misquoted. I didn’t say that, Georgewithfaith did.

No worries, I’ve seen this happen with other threads and I think it must be a forum glitch

The main danger of youth Masses is that in the beat of the music and the loud exciting atmosphere, teens can be tricked into a false spirituality that they think is God, but it’s just happy endorphins from all the dancing and beat. Then in the future when God wants to speak to them, they are unable to hear through the noise, or even to recognize His voice. I’ve been to a few hellish Masses like this that teens popped up their holier-than-thou swaying orans posture, and jumped back and forth dancing to the songs… DURING MASS (nearly knocking me over). And no, hellish Mass is not a contradiction, this was not the work of God, He was up there on the altar being ignored because we wanted to have a dance party at the very moment of His sacrifice, having our own personal fun in ignorance, at the foot of His cross. Teens need the true faith, not these crazy inventions. We are so lost and even the Church can give us no answers because the adults are hiding Her from us, thinking all we need is a good time. And we don’t even know better.

 

[benedictgal]

What the proponents of Youth Masses may not understand (let alone admit) is that the Fathers of the 2005 Synod on the Eucharist found music used at these liturgies to be quite problematic, labeling them as a shadow in the liturgy:

**In other responses some lamented the poor quality of translations of liturgical texts and many musical texts in current languages, maintaining that they lacked beauty and were sometimes theologically unclear, thereby contributing to a weakening of Church teaching and to a misunderstanding of prayer. A few responses made particular mention of music and singing at Youth Masses. In this regard, it is important to avoid musical forms which, because of their profane use, are not conducive to prayer. **Some responses note a certain eagerness in composing new songs, to the point of almost yielding to a consumer mentality, showing little concern for the quality of the music and text, and easily overlooking the artistic patrimony which has been theologically and musically effective in the Church’s liturgy.

Lex orandi, lex creandi. We pray as we believe. Unfortunately, a lot of the music used at these Masses comes from the Protestant Praise and Worshp genre, some of it trying to masquerade as Catholic. Sadly, there have been a lot of liturgical abuses at these Masses.

Lamentably, as I see it, we are cheating the youth out of their patrimonal, sacred heritage. They have just as much a right as the adults to have a Mass free of liturgical abuse and rich in the Church’s sacred tradtion, including proper, sacred music. The Mass needs to be something beyond them, something beyond the ordinary. They do not realize that at the Mass, the veil between heaven and earth and time and space is lifted. They may not even be aware that they are not the only ones present at Mass, that they are surrounded by a cloud of unseen witnesses, the Church Triumphant and the Church Suffering. The music used at these Masses certainly does not take that into account.

 

[Digitonomy]

"benedictgal:

What the proponents of Youth Masses may not understand…

That’s a pretty broad brush - based on his participation in World Youth Day, I think we can count the holy father as a proponent of youth masses.

Digitonomy, you have misquoted. I didn’t say that, Georgewithfaith did.

No worries, I’ve seen this happen with other threads and I think it must be a forum glitch

Not so much a glitch in the forum, as a glitch in one of the forum members. I was going to agree with part of what you said, but since it was about the OP, I changed my mind and decided to quote from that - but forgot to change the name.

 

[benedictgal]

That’s a pretty broad brush - based on his participation in World Youth Day, I think we can count the holy father as a proponent of youth masses.

I would not necessarily go that far, Digitonomy. The Holy Father made not a few changes to the WYD Mass, giving it solemnity and dignity. The music was a huge improvement over previous ones. He is leading by example.

Furthermore, the Synod Father were the ones who brought these concerns to light. Whether one chooses to believe it or not, there are serious problems with the way that these so-called Youth Masses are celebrated, with music being one of the chief problems.

 

[ljubim]

Not so much a glitch in the forum, as a glitch in one of the forum members. I was going to agree with part of what you said, but since it was about the OP, I changed my mind and decided to quote from that - but forgot to change the name.

Love the small print. Hakuna matata

 

[LilyM]

The only ‘Youth Mass’ around here is at the Cathedral.

Apart from the fact that the music is performed by a youth group rather than the regular Cathedral choir, there’s little to no difference with any of the regular Masses around here.

They don’t use a notably different musical style or guitars n drums or anything - it’s middle-of-the-road Haugen/Haas-type stuff. Not brilliant but not particularly woeful.