Is Life Teen an orthodox organization?

[GloriaPatri4]

The Life Teen Mass at our church is more of a Pep Rally than it is Mass. Sometimes the teenage girls (who are part of the music)dance in the sanctuary, this is where the cantors and musicians perform. A good proportion of the teenage girls are dressed very imodestly to the point of provactiveness (shorts,hip hugger jeans with their bellies exposed). Most of the teenagers sit together in the pews nearest to the altar (not with their families) which I don’t care for. I feel that families should be sitting together at Mass. Having the teens sit together also encourages irreverence. At our church the Life Teen Mass is just another social event.

Especially disturbing is after the Mass is over the teens and many adults hang out in the main body of the church socializing for up to 20 minutes sometimes (laughing and talking loudly). It’s very hard to pray with these kinds of distractions.

I try my best to avoid this Mass in fact when the teens were still standing around the altar I had two priests advise me not to attend this Mass with my children.

 

[Meggie]

History of Theatere by Robert Cowen
(my Intro theatre Textbook)
“In ancient times theatre (after speaking about the early greeks) was neither spoken nor simply sung. It was chanted in a flowing tone…(talks about development shakesperian diolague, digressess and then states that) The clearest reminants of this type of performance dialogue can still be found today in religious circles as GREGORIAN CHANT.”

Taken from a purely historical Gregorian chant is just a holified verson of performance dialogue of ancient theater…this is an un-biased sourse… history is history no matter how you look at

And about sitting with their parents…the lifeteen which I attend about 70 -80% of the parents are unsuportive of, the program, being “un-Catholic” and attending more than one mass a week, the Catholic Church, or even christanity as a whole.
Our group contains 50-60 teens on any given night and maybe four or five couples attend and then maybe one or two single parents.
Teens should sit together in my opinion…if my friend’s parents came I wouldn’t want to sit alone.

AND PLEASE stop bringing the getting up near the alter thing…its off limits now, completely FORBIDDEN…if they are still doing it then call the head quarters of lifeteen. The parish will be put on probation, if they continue it then they will loose their LifeTeen lisence.

 

[rcn]

Meggie:

the lifeteen which I attend about 70 -80% of the parents are unsuportive of, the program, being “un-Catholic” and attending more than one mass a week, the Catholic Church, or even christanity as a whole.

The grammar in that sentence is so bad, I can’t tell what you’re trying to say.

If you’re saying that 70-80% of the parents have concerns about the LT program, then I’d take that very seriously. Of course teens want to rebel against their parents - if the parents dislike something, that just serves to attract teens to it even more. But clearly if that many parents have “issues” with this program, then something should be done about it.

And if you’re saying that one is “un-Catholic” if one attends Mass only once a week, that is simply not true.

Teens should sit together in my opinion…if my friend’s parents came I wouldn’t want to sit alone.

“Who you sit with” is of no importance. None at all. That is not why you’re there.

There is absolutely no reason to have a mass that divides families. There are no special Masses for seniors, for males age 40-49, etc. Why the special treatment for teens? And what happens when they age out of LT and no longer get the special treatment? Many of them leave, and others go on to create “young adult” programs, which further subdivide parish life.

 

[Exalt]

There are two layers to Life Teen.

First of all, there is the national organization which compiles materials, runs summer camps and training conferences, and has a national website. The national organization (now, with the compliance to the GIRM) is orthodox. Look at the Lifeteen.com website and try to find something that disagrees with Chuch teaching.

Second of all, there is the local parish level. On this account, you have to look at the induvidual parish. Sweeping statements are nearly impossible. If a parish followed the Life Teen materials by the letter, they would be orthodox. Speaking as a Core member and youth minister myself, I know how tough it is to balance the teaching aspect of youth ministry with the social or faith-building aspects. Some of you have said that your youth ministry experiance was terrible. Well, to that I say: we try very very hard to balance our youth ministry so that the widest breadth of people are served and served well. Sometimes we fail, but over all I think we do, in fact, draw teens closer to Christ.

One last point: Last year I went to Mesa Arizona to learn a little more about youth ministry. Those kids were some of the most orthodox youth I have ever encountered. St. Tim’s, at least, is orthodox.

 

[Meggie]

rcn:

The grammar in that sentence is so bad, I can’t tell what you’re trying to say.

If you’re saying that 70-80% of the parents have concerns about the LT program, then I’d take that very seriously. Of course teens want to rebel against their parents - if the parents dislike something, that just serves to attract teens to it even more. But clearly if that many parents have “issues” with this program, then something should be done about it.

And if you’re saying that one is “un-Catholic” if one attends Mass only once a week, that is simply not true.

That was a list.
no the “un catholic” thing to do was to go to mass MORE than once a week. My parents and a dozen or more other teen’s parents gave them a hard time for this. The under catatchized generation before us dosn’t like that we have stronger faith.
My own parents fall into this category calling me a “relgious wacko” even tho they are catholics…

Four teens have Atheist parents…OF COURSE THEIR PARENTS DON’T approve

ten or so teens have protestant parents…and I am awed at the bravery of some, esp a girl who’s grandmother is a preacher…

the fact that the parish is spending resources on those teens who have recieved their confirmation…!!!

Mass is HUGE part of lifeteen but its a small part of everything else that goes on.

“Who you sit with” is of no importance. None at all. That is not why you’re there.

There is absolutely no reason to have a mass that divides families. There are no special Masses for seniors, for males age 40-49, etc. Why the special treatment for teens? And what happens when they age out of LT and no longer get the special treatment? Many of them leave, and others go on to create “young adult” programs, which further subdivide parish life.

Its nice to sit with someone…its not manditory, but its nice…if Mass was ment to be celebrated by only one person then we would have bucket seats and not pews…

Mass for seniors…the 7am mass…LOL, seriously tho, different people have different needs. Teens don’t need to know about the same concerns married couples have, and married couples don’t have the same concerns as eldelery widows and widowers

 

[nohself]

There is a lot of bickering and ad hominems in this thread. There are also some great comments so I thought we would make a fresh start, just discussing the issues.

I had begun training to become a core member of Life Teen ministry in my former parish, St. Andrew’s in Rochester, NY. I quit because I became convinced that the philosophy of the Life Teen Mass itself, let alone its practical application, is misguided. I believe this for several reasons:

1. The Life Teen Mass is person-centered liturgy. This is not how it appears on paper, as Life Teen repeatedly asserts, “Lead them to the Eucharist,” but in its application the LTM is about the teens and their personal experiences with God. The Mass should not be person-centered, but Christ-centered.
2. The Life Teen Mass is overly emotional. I understand that teenagers react to things more emotionally than adults in general; however, the LTM produces a “Jesus high.” I know because I’ve experienced it. Nothing is wrong with this “high,” but the teenagers begin to believe that Jesus is only present when they can feel Him in this manner. The LTM becomes a means of “working up” this emotional possession of God’s presence. The “Jesus high” and the teenagers’ dependence on it can be unhealthy.
3. The Mass is a mysterious union of joy and sorrow. The Life Teen Mass rejects (or merely ignores) legitimate sorrow. Teenagers in general do not come to the Mass with a sense of sorrow for their sins and their part in Christ’s crucifixion, but with the expectation of the “high,” as discussed above. This does not pertain to every teen, of course, but this is the overall demeanor.
4. Abuses are common in Life Teen Masses, as discussed in the previous thread.
5. The Life Teen Mass promotes disunity and discord. It encourages factionalism and alienates “traditionalists.” It induces resentment. It divides the Roman rite. Most of all, it further polarizes the Church, widening the divide between liberal and conservative. Possibly the LTM divides parent and child.
6. The Life Teen Mass compromises the identity of the Church. The Life Teen Mass nurtures a pseudo-protestant wing of the Church that is festering.

Jamie

 

[dhgray]

Sean.McKenzie:

The point of this forum is to give witness and testimony, and to find a definitive answer here. One need not be a bishop to clarify how a mass should be celebrated. You took my quote out of context, maybe if you would have added the rest then it would have made a whole lot more sense. Instead, you spout off venemous remarks. If you cannot be Christian enough to simply give you position in a Charitable manner, then why are you posting on a Catholic website?

OH Sean … I am so sorry. Had I know you were so sensetive I would not have replyed to your posting.

LIFE TEEN is not for everyone. But there are those who need it. That is the only way they can be reached. Once they get on the right road, then they will start to settle down in to the Orshodox Church.

God Bless you.

 

[dhgray]

nohself:

There is a lot of bickering and ad hominems in this thread. There are also some great comments so I thought we would make a fresh start, just discussing the issues.

I had begun training to become a core member of Life Teen ministry in my former parish, St. Andrew’s in Rochester, NY. I quit because I became convinced that the philosophy of the Life Teen Mass itself, let alone its practical application, is misguided. I believe this for several reasons:

1. The Life Teen Mass is person-centered liturgy. This is not how it appears on paper, as Life Teen repeatedly asserts, “Lead them to the Eucharist,” but in its application the LTM is about the teens and their personal experiences with God. The Mass should not be person-centered, but Christ-centered.

You are right, can’t have the teens developing a personal relationship with God.

1. The Life Teen Mass is overly emotional. I understand that teenagers react to things more emotionally than adults in general; however, the LTM produces a “Jesus high.” I know because I’ve experienced it. Nothing is wrong with this “high,” but the teenagers begin to believe that Jesus is only present when they can feel Him in this manner. The LTM becomes a means of “working up” this emotional possession of God’s presence. The “Jesus high” and the teenagers’ dependence on it can be unhealthy.

Definately not! Parents, do not let you kids get dependant on Christ…it’s unhealthy…God forbid they might actually become Christians.

1. The Mass is a mysterious union of joy and sorrow. The Life Teen Mass rejects (or merely ignores) legitimate sorrow. Teenagers in general do not come to the Mass with a sense of sorrow for their sins and their part in Christ’s crucifixion, but with the expectation of the “high,” as discussed above. This does not pertain to every teen, of course, but this is the overall demeanor.

Teens don’t normally go to funerals either. Yes Jesus died. But he also rose again…he came back and we cerebrate.

1. Abuses are common in Life Teen Masses, as discussed in the previous thread.

Not a valid arugment … Abuses happen with or without Life Teen

1. The Life Teen Mass promotes disunity and discord. It encourages factionalism and alienates “traditionalists.” It induces resentment. It divides the Roman rite. Most of all, it further polarizes the Church, widening the divide between liberal and conservative. Possibly the LTM divides parent and child.

I sure you have a reference or litature to back that up?

1. The Life Teen Mass compromises the identity of the Church. The Life Teen Mass nurtures a pseudo-protestant wing of the Church that is festering.

If it is so bad, then why do so many Parishes host LTM? LTM makes the kids WANT to come back to the mass. As for “nutures a pseudo-protestant wing”…SO WHAT? If it brings kids back to the Church, if it keeps connected to the Church, if it is responsible for converting teens to the Church…SO WHAT? If the Orthodox Church is so great, then why are protestant churches growing so rapidly.

YOU CAN NOT take the “cookie-cutter” to Catholicism.

Jamie

Thank you for sharing your beliefs.

 

[michaeljw]

Hello, everyone.

I just came across this thread and thought I’d throw in my two cents. I live in Phoenix where it all began and I’ve been to a number of parishes around the valley. I’ve been to parishes that have implemented LT and those that have not. I was a musician in a “band” for a LT mass for 8 years and a LT core member for 5 years. I’ve been to Mecca… sorry, Mesa (bad joke) for core member training at LT’s home parish.

It’s already been said, and I wish to repeat it for emphasis, that the orthodoxy of the parish liturgy is directly related to the orthodoxy of the pastor. This could be expanded to say that the stronger your bishop is in controlling illicit liturgies, the fewer abuses you’ll see. LT is merely a format that is open to a wide variety of interpretations. Those who choose to remain faithful to the Church’s liturgy can implement LT without a hint of error. I think we’ve heard from several people in this thread who have seen this.

I have seen downright wacky liturgies at parishes without LT programs. I have also seen liturgical abuses at other parishes with LT. Since we were blessed with a new (and solid) bishop 14 months ago, many of these parishes have started to eliminate some abuses (change doesn’t happen overnight.) Despite the liturgical issues, one of these latter parishes has turned out 5 seminarians and one consecrated religious - all of whom were teens in my LT program when I was a core member. Coincidence?

The parish I now attend used to have many liturgical problems and a fledgling LT program. I witnessed a remarkable transformation when a young, new, orthodox pastor took over. This parish is now one of the fastest growing parishes in the valley and has been selected by the bishop as the location of a weekly Tridentine Mass. They still have a LT program, and it is doing remarkably well. It integrates well with orthodoxy.

So, my experience has shown that with or without Life Teen, the pastor is who determines whether the liturgy will be celebrated licitly or not. A LT program will not force an otherwise orthodox pastor to begin mucking up the liturgy. Nor will it force an unorthodox pastor to change. But LT can hardly be expected to do that.

Those people who are frustrated with liturgical abuse should take it up with the pastor armed with humility and charity as well as the Church documents to back up your complaint. I’ve had some success with this. Get a group of concerned parishoners together to meet with the pastor all at once if necessary. You can discuss it with the bishop as a last resort.

LT has produced too much good fruit to be criticized as “unorthodox”. That label is best reserved for those individuals who have misused the program.

Peace,
Michael

 

[dhgray]

Dear Michael,
Welcome to the forum and thank you your very posting.

God Bless,
DHGray

 

[lacoloratura]

Sean.McKenzie:

Also, with regards to the music, the contemporary stuff needs to go, why else do we have hymanls, yet we pay no heed to them least of all Life Teen “messes”
why else are the hymnals there?

Why does it have to be traditional hymns or nothing? Why is it that we cannot allow for varying taste in music at Mass, as long as the content is appropriate and the quality of the music, within the genre, is good? (And please don’t tell me that there is no such thing as good quality contemporary music. That is a matter of opinion, not fact.)

Why do I post here? I don’t, often. But as a professional church musician, I get frustrated when people make blanket criticisms.

 

[oat_soda]

Why is it that we cannot allow for varying taste in music at Mass, as long as the content is appropriate and the quality of the music, within the genre, is good? (And please don’t tell me that there is no such thing as good quality contemporary music. That is a matter of opinion, not fact.)

the church teaches that gregorian chant has pride of place. pius X said in a letter on sacred music that the closer music approaches gregorian chant, the better fit it is for the liturgy. so it’s not that contemporary music is always bad, but that gregorian chant is better. at least according to sacrosanctum consillium and st. pius X.

On these grounds Gregorian Chant has always been regarded as the suprememodel for sacred music, so that it is fully legitimate to lay down thefollowing rule: the more closely a composition for church approaches in its movement, inspiration and savor the Gregorian form, the more sacred and liturgical it becomes; and the more out of harmony it is with that supreme model, the less worthy it is of the temple.
adoremus.org/MotuProprio.html

 

[lacoloratura]

oat soda:

the church teaches that gregorian chant has pride of place. pius X said in a letter on sacred music that the closer music approaches gregorian chant, the better fit it is for the liturgy. so it’s not that contemporary music is always bad, but that gregorian chant is better. at least according to sacrosanctum consillium and st. pius X.

Fine - but if someone doesn’t like Gregorian chant, and would like to attend a Mass with contemporary music, does that mean he/she should be denied? I LIKE chant, but just because it’s #1 on the Church’s hit parade doesn’t mean there isn’t room for #2, 3, 4, etc.

 

[thomist]

Wow - what a response this thread has begotten!

As for the original question, one of the latest posts answered it well (michaeljw). I first encountered at St. Tim’s in Phoenix right after it had begun. My impression wasn’t good becasue the regular parish liturgy wasn’t either.

When you check its sources, LT claims to “obey the bishop” - but that isn’t the Bishop of Rome. There is - obviously - no clearly stated heresy / heterodoxy. But equally obviously there is no clearly stated orthodoxy. LT’s claim to fame is simply that it brings teens into a more active role in the parish, gets them closer to Christ (though that is NEVER explained, and responses vary as much as anywhere else - from orthodox to neo-pagan).

Whoopee. If all we’re going to get from it is an adolescent version of adult apathy + bubbling hormones, dump it. The quality of any ‘Catholic’ program is its CLEAR fidelity to orthodoxy AND orthopraxy (the right practice of our faith in and out of liturgy). This “program” does not have this - which is why in some places it does good and others does not.

An example of this is in LT’s adamant demand that teens be allowed to select music for “their” (??) Mass because _____ (fill in the blank). This can be OK if, and it’s a big IF, they are first TAUGHT what sacred music is, what it is used at Mass for, what the different moments of the liturgy are, the scriptural readings for that day, applicable canon and liturgical law requirements, and how global events, national holidays, liturgical seasons and parish life situations all must be considered in selecting music for Mass.

---

In short, they must be taught how music enables us to “pray twice”. I’ve heard horrid music selections from ‘music ministers’. Everyone should get some knowledge of liturgical music and what is appropriate when (example: DO NOT sing ‘Joyful Joyful He is Risen’ on Christmas Eve, NOR ‘Silent Night’ on Easter Vigil!!!)

Currently, the leadership seems to think that as long as some song is “chosen” by teens, then it is appropriate and anyone who objects to - say - Mettallica or Ice T is simply a pre-vatican II conservative.

---

Also, LT claims that one of its ultimate goals is to encourage a lifelong participation in Catholic life through the parish. So why do they so adamantly demand a teeny-bopper Mass to further divide our parishes??? A better solution is to incorporate the youth into parochial ministries along with the adults as soon as they are competent to participate (as lectors, musicians, choir singers, etc.), while still having a youth group which meets and socializes within itself (with various events: classes, discussions, outtings, retreats, parties, etc).

Along with these examples of music and parish splintering is the more foundational problem of ‘WHAT’ is taught. The methods almost don’t matter - if the content is true the program will be good, and if the teaching content contains falsehoods the program will not only be bad - it’ll be disastrous. This is where LT should have a clearly stated position of adherence to the Magisterium in all matters of belief and behavior (= faith and morals). Without such a foundation, ANY parish program will be merely social at best and ultimately crumble from boredom.

 

[Prometheum_x]

Thomist,

I was just hired as the LT music minister at my parish. The music will have a tendency to be more “modern” in terms of playing style, but the music is chosen from a pre-selected repertoire of music that the entire parish holds in common. New songs are introduced, but only insofar as they are in harmony with the liturgy and teachings of the Church.

My job is twofold: First, to provide musical mentoring for younger musicians, in order that they be better musicians and be better equipped for using music for sacred purposes in the Church at large. Second, to help the youth, by way of music, to draw deeper into the life of the Church even as I do so too – and that very much involves the liturgy. Thus, for every Mass for which I plan music, I will be consulting the Ordo for my archdiocese (entitled “The Order of Prayer in the LItrugy of the HOurs and Celebration of the Eucharist”).

And I can assure you there will be no Metallica or Ice T at these masses. . . unless they have written sacred music that I am completely unaware of. . .

 

[flick427]

Life Teen needs to be done away with. What is next? Are they going to have a Senior Citizens Mass and a Mass for married people only?! What a great idea!!! We could have seperate Masses for each age group…wouldn’t that be awesome to have all that seperation!..Oh no, wait a minute, that is a lame idea…

Ugh!!! What a mess!

There is nothing wrong with having a group to help the youth, but under NO circumstances should the Holy Mass be compromised and “bent” to fit the needs of a certain group. I understand that if their is a youth retreat and their just happens to be a Mass with all young people in attendance (plus adult supervision of course) then they can have Mass…but it should be exactly as if I were to go to any other Mass. If people think they need a Mass to fit thier needs and lifestyle, than we do not understand what Holy Mass is about. It is not our job to try and bring the Lord Our God down to our level as the Protestants to…it our DUTY to bring our whole being to HIS level through Jesus Christ who was slaughtered by ALL OF US because of our negligence and hatred for what is Good and Holy. We should be on our knees, reverent and rejoicing in our hearts, not by clapping our hands like a bunch of people at a concert. We do not just worship God how we please, we worship him how He deserves to be worshipped and how He revealed it to us through Jesus and His church, God does not change, we change…we owe it to God to show Him reverence in a beautiful Mass just as a bridegroom would not deprive his beautiful bride of everything he can to make her wedding day perfect, he is self giving and does not care of his own trivial concerns and wants, but only of his beautiful bride and giving himself completly to her forever…and the bride will do the same for him. God is however under no obligation to lower Himself to our level. Not one of us can ever grasp what is means as it says in scripture for God Almighty to make himself lower than angels to save us wretched sinners, yet we always seem to give him halfhearted offerings, and why? I do not understand…

 

[HumbleSinner]

Life Teen co-founders sued

Accused of facilitating sex attacks in1985
Joseph A. Reaves

---

The Arizona Republic
Jan. 28, 2005 02:00 PM

Two co-founders of Life Teen, the nation’s largest Catholic youth ministry based in the Valley, were accused Thursday in a lawsuit of covering up and helping carry out sexual attacks on a 14-year-old boy two decades ago.

The lawsuit, filed in Maricopa County Superior Court, also claimed that the Life Teen program at St. Timothy’s parish in Mesa had “a social culture which inappropriately focused upon sexual activity . . . and fostered an environment that led to inappropriate sexual behavior.”

Named as defendants in the suit were Life Teen co-founders, Monsignor Dale J. Fushek and Phil Baniewicz, along with former priest Mark Lehman, resigned Bishop Thomas J. O’Brien, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, the Diocese of Phoenix, St. Timothy’s Parish and Life Teen Inc., the program founded at St. Timothy’s parish in 1985.

Jennifer Swanson, spokeswoman for Life Teen, said the suit was being sent to the organization’s outside legal counsel for review. But she denied the allegations.

“Life Teen has transformed lives of countless teenagers, families and communities,” she said. “Such an impact can be proven and we will not allow a lawsuit to impede teens developing a friendship with Christ.”

Baniewicz denied the allegations through Swanson but refused further comment. A spokeswoman for the diocese said the church was withholding comment until it could study the suit.

The LifeTeen board put Baniewicz on administrative leave Friday morning. Swanson said the board has appointed a team to conduct an internal investigation of the allegations, and another team to work on the organization’s legal options.

The lawsuit repeated and expanded allegations brought to the diocese last month by William J. Cesolini, who said he was sodomized at St. Tim’s parish in 1985 by Lehman while Fushek watched and performed sexual acts on himself without stopping to help or report the attack to authorities.

In addition, Cesolini also claimed in his lawsuit that in 1985 he was sexually abused “on more than one occasion” by Baniewicz, a longtime close friend of Fushek and current president of Life Teen.

“We continue to believe that the initial claims made against Monsignor Dale are false and are even more outrageous now that they include Phil Baniewicz,” Swanson said.

Michael Manning, Fushek’s personal attorney and legal adviser to Life Teen, called the allegations “reckless and untruthful.”

“This is outrageous,” Manning said. “(Cesolini) has already tried to stain Monsignor Dale and others. This needs to get to a jury quickly so we can be vindicated.”

Cesolini, a one-time seminarian, said he regained his memory of the decades-old molestations in February 2003 after another priest made an unwanted sexual advance on him. He went to a church-paid counselor, who helped him gradually recover the details of the trauma.

continue reading by following the link below

azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0128fushek28.html

 

[Genesis315]

dhgray:

The biggest problem I see here is lack of understand and an unwillingness to support something other and the OLD way. I know individuals from Life Teen. They are great. OK, they may not be your typical Catholic, ok so they like Loud music, ok so they actually sing and dance in Church. THE MASS IS A CELEBRATION. Too many “ROBOT” Catholic forget that.

Here’s a definition of “celebration” from Hyperdictionary

[n] the public performance of a sacrament or solemn ceremony with all appropriate ritual

Note the word “solemn.” The Mass is not the same kind of celebration as a birthday party or a block party. Remember, it is a commemoration of the Last Supper and the sacrafice on Calvary. No one was dancing then. The Mass is a solemn occasion and the proper mood should be enforced.

 

[michaeljw]

I mentioned earlier that my parish recently underwent a change with the arrival of a new pastor. In light of these recent posts concerning Life Teen’s affect on the sacred and solemn nature of the liturgy of the Mass, I’d like to elaborate further.

When I first came to my current parish, the LT program was run by a former (you could perhaps say reformed) “Young Life” minister. The music was run by a local recording artist and energetic performer. Suffice it to say that members of this thread would have a field day listing all the things that would bother them about what was going on in the liturgies here.

Then the new pastor came. He was young - ordained only 4 years earlier - and a model of obedience to his bishop and more importantly to Rome. Within months of his arrival, the music minister left. The youth minister’s contract was not renewed and a new minister was brought in. Incense was brought back to the liturgy along with the bells at consecration.

The sanctuary underwent a face lift as the wooden altar was removed and the sacrifice of the Mass returned to the permanent stone altar under the baldachin. The ambo and presider’s chair were replaced with something more suitable for the sanctuary. Homilies became “meatier”, and the Prayers of the Faithful contained intentions prayed weekly (not “weakly”) against abortion and contraception.

The pastor meets every week with the music minister and personally approves the music that is selected for each Mass. In many cases, if an appropriate song is not available for the psalm, the music minister writes one that is faithful to the scriptural text. Often the psalm is chanted. The music still has a contemporary style overall, but one that is more reserved than before. Periods of silence once again punctuate key moments of the liturgy.

The only difference between the Life Teen mass and the others is that some of the music selections are different - usually the second communion and the closing song are different - the latter sometimes played with a bit more gusto. But again, the pastor ensures the music does not detract from the liturgy. Teens do not gather around the altar. Clapping and hand-waving, while not being squelched outright, are no longer encouraged as they once were from the previous music minister. Teens get the “smells and bells” of a pious Mass coupled with orthodox, challenging and relevant homilies from confident, masculine priests.

I’m sorry to go on for so long, and I don’t mean to suggest that every parish should make the same changes that I describe. I just want to stress that the Life Teen program in no way inhibited this pastor from making these changes and ensuring the liturgy was as close to what the Church intends it to be. The Mass is affecting these teens and doing what Life Teen wants - drawing them closer to Christ. The increase in teen attendance at Mass is evidence of this.

Bringing Life Teen to any parish will not ensure that parish’s orthodoxy or its heterodoxy. I say again, only the pastor can truly affect what goes on in the liturgy and the other programs sponsored by the parish. To blame Life Teen for bad liturgy is to take the spotlight off of the one who deserves it.

Now, I have great admiration for all our priests, regardless of my opinion of the liturgies they serve. They are men of God and worthy of our respect. I would recommend the book “Goodbye Good Men” to anyone who hasn’t read it. It effectively demonstrates how many priests were trained to adopt a more “liberal” view of things. As a result, the country has been burdened for many years with some priests who have chosen to make unfortunate changes to the liturgy.

We are now in the “new springtime”. A younger crop of priests is coming (many a product of the Life Teen program). With our prayers and support, they will restore the liturgy from the circus it has become in many places to what it has been for centuries: an encounter with Heaven.

Peace,
Michael

 

[Prometheum_x]

Genesis315:

Here’s a definition of “celebration” from Hyperdictionary

[n] the public performance of a sacrament or solemn ceremony with all appropriate ritual

Note the word “solemn.” The Mass is not the same kind of celebration as a birthday party or a block party. Remember, it is a commemoration of the Last Supper and the sacrafice on Calvary. No one was dancing then. The Mass is a solemn occasion and the proper mood should be enforced.

From www.merriamwebster.com:

1 : marked by the invocation of a religious sanction <a solemn oath>
2 : marked by the observance of established form or ceremony; specifically : celebrated with full liturgical ceremony
3 a : awe-inspiring : SUBLIME b : marked by grave sedateness and earnest sobriety c : SOMBER, GLOOMY
synonym see SERIOUS

I fail to see how dancing per se is at odds with solemn occasions. Just as there are diverse forms of music there are diverse dance forms. It may still remain true that there is no place for dancing in the context of the Mass, but that is not because the Mass is a solemn occasion. One can dance with grave sedateness and earnest sobriety.