Okay I may be 14 but I do know what is traditional and what is not. When we moved down south the masses were different but still had tradition in them. Over the course of ten year it has quickly started to die out. Our parish now has these bongo drums modern songs, and, has just recently a few members are starting to wave their hands during songs. Al right last time I check this is not southern hills rocken mega church of Christ. I believe it is called a Roman Catholic Church. What happened to the ringing of the bells during communion and older songs derived from latten? I ask you all to keep these traditions alive in our troubled world. Do any of you notice tradition fading in your area?
Hi! I didn’t read through the entire thread, but just wanted to give you my thoughts. I was like you at 14 way back in the 1990s. ha! ha! The mass back then was much less traditional than what it is now in my neck of the woods. I didn’t know any other kind of mass, though, so although I always felt something was missing, I just thought that this was the way it was… until I attended more traditional masses while studying abroad in college. Now, it seems in my diocese, many of the parishes have been moving back to a more traditional mass, which has been a relief to me. It really depressed me for a while where the only traditional mass I could find was in a few parishes in the city. There are some parishes that are not like that, but as long as I can attend mass somewhere else, I’m fine with it. I’ve also found in my parish and in other parts of the diocese and our neighboring diocese, ever since the MP was announced, I’m seeing more younger people my age (younger I mean 20s and 30s) wanting to kneel while receiving communion and some even wearing veils, which was never the case before. It was like they were in traditionalists hiding in the closet. I consider myself more in the middle, but leaning more towards the traditionalist side. When I can, I will wear my mantilla, but since I’m a cantor, I feel it wouldn’t be right for me to wear it since it is a NO mass and it’s not required to wear one. Yet, I was torn, so I asked a young (30s), more traditional priest of whom I know what I should do and he agreed that since I am up in front of the congregation, by me wearing the mantilla would be making a statement which I do not intend to make, so it would be better for me not to wear it when in the role of cantor.
I personally believe bongo drums, strumming guitars and tambourines are kind of mediocre for mass, for a variety of reasons which I won’t go into here since I’ve discussed music before in other threads and as discussions about sacred music always hits a sensitive, personal nerve with some people. BUT this is what I’ve come to peace with: Now that in my diocese I don’t have to deal with music like that at every mass which was the case in my childhood, it doesn’t bother me so much any more.
At my home parish, they have traditional masses, guitar masses, and band masses. They used to have lots of bongos and tambourines, but a couple of years ago, a huge uproar came from the parishioners (this is a young, family-oriented parish) regarding the state of liturgical music. It came to the point where the parish took surveys from all the parishioners. So, now there is a happy medium with no bongos or tambourines. You’ve got masses with “pop”-like music and masses that have the traditional hymns ranging from centuries ago to 20th century.
But here’s the thing that some people have touched on… although sacred music can and does help in the spiritual uplifting of an individual’s soul, it shouldn’t be the main reason why someone would choose to go or not go to mass. If the youth decide that they don’t want to attend mass anymore because of the music, whether chant or folk or rock, then something was missing in their learning as a Catholic. I couldn’t stand most of the music at mass when I was a child and a teen, but it didn’t stop me from attending mass.
As I got older and became a better musician as well as became much more sensitive towards things, I would become ill or panicked when I had to attend mass with either poorly performed music or badly composed music, but I found ways to attend mass. It didn’t stop me from being Catholic.
I understand you lamenting the lost of tradition in your parish at home, but I am sure today you can find parishes which have more of the traditions that you are yearning for. No matter what, though, don’t give up on the Church even if you become disheartened or disappointed by it whether by something serious like a horriable scandal or something not as serious like having bongos at mass. It is God’s Church, pray for the people in it and get involved to help make her the best she can be. God bless!
so that they’re exposed to the Message? If we don’t get them in the front door, haven’t we failed?