Is Life Teen an orthodox organization?

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I have attended one LT mass, and I almost walked out. I can’t stand the music, the crowding around the altar, the finger twirling and gesturing, and the way they ruin the Gloria. My hubby loved it, thought it was refreshing. Phooey. Orthodox or not, it’s definitely not for everyone.
 
I had to vote “other” because of my unfamiliarity with the organization (movement?).
Give me a couple of years (5), when my son reaches his teens, then ask again.
 
From what I’ve experienced of LifeTeen, it is pretty good. Sure, every organization needs improvement. There could be more catechesis and talks on issues like abortion, contraception, drugs, and the joy of true love. In my opinion, it is almost impossible to get enough catechesis and talks on… As opposed to these teens being bored and stopping their attendance at Mass, I think it is a great alternative. LifeTeen may even keep teens involved enough not to be swayed into another faith (YES!) Still, there can be no violations of the structure, meaning, and flow of the Mass.
 
:confused: :confused: Done away with? Isn’t that going too far? their site is full of orthodox beliefs, they strengthen the faith of the young. Sure the lets hold hands around the altar thing is weird and should be done away with, but come on, what are we SSPX? It should be reformed and made orthodox.
 
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FdeS2:
From what I’ve experienced of LifeTeen, it is pretty good. Sure, every organization needs improvement. There could be more catechesis and talks on issues like abortion, contraception, drugs, and the joy of true love. In my opinion, it is almost impossible to get enough catechesis and talks on… As opposed to these teens being bored and stopping their attendance at Mass, I think it is a great alternative. LifeTeen may even keep teens involved enough not to be swayed into another faith (YES!) Still, there can be no violations of the structure, meaning, and flow of the Mass.
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I never grew up with Life teen and to tell you the truth, when I was in High School it was the type of liturgy that Life Teen celebrates turned me off about Christianity in genearal. But then one day I heard Gregorian Chant and that caused me to reconsider. I found that I prefer traditional worship either the missal of 1962 or the current missal celebrated in a more traditional way. I can’t say Life Teen in general is bad, it depends on the parish and how orthodox the priest is. But my big issue with Life Teen is that it has feel good mentality at mass that teens find is not there when they go off to college. When they discover that their Newman Centers or local churches does not have that, I find that they end up leaving the faith all together. Or they start becoming, “Oh it’s Sunday, but I don’t feel like going to mass.” And they end up going once in a while and on Christmas and Easter.
 
the problem i have is that it is either in conformity w/sancrosanctum consilium or it isn’t. my interpretation of the document is that it isn’t, and i don’t think B-16 is too fond of it either. it’s not up to us to decide weather it is ok or not, but for the church.

if you say it isn’t for me but i don’t have a problem w/it type attidude it leads to relativism. but then again, i can see how you could justify it under SC. it doesn’t explicitly prohibit this kind of music but i have a hard time reconciling this type of mass w/the liturgical traditions of the catholic church, from the divine liturgy to the tridentine mass.

life teen is a novelty which objectively isn’t in line w/the liturgical norms. look at what pius x and pius xii have written about the liturgy and not just cardinal mahony or tautman of the usscb. hopfully b-16 will give us clear guidance weather this kind of stuff is good or not.

i hear at the WYD there is going to be christian rock -that stuff is so lame. if i’m going to listen to low-brow music, let it be gnr, poison and def leppard.
 
oat soda:
the problem i have is that it is either in conformity w/sancrosanctum consilium or it isn’t. my interpretation of the document is that it isn’t, and i don’t think B-16 is too fond of it either. it’s not up to us to decide weather it is ok or not, but for the church.

if you say it isn’t for me but i don’t have a problem w/it type attidude it leads to relativism. but then again, i can see how you could justify it under SC. it doesn’t explicitly prohibit this kind of music but i have a hard time reconciling this type of mass w/the liturgical traditions of the catholic church, from the divine liturgy to the tridentine mass.

life teen is a novelty which objectively isn’t in line w/the liturgical norms. look at what pius x and pius xii have written about the liturgy and not just cardinal mahony or tautman of the usscb. hopfully b-16 will give us clear guidance weather this kind of stuff is good or not.

i hear at the WYD there is going to be christian rock -that stuff is so lame. if i’m going to listen to low-brow music, let it be gnr, poison and def leppard.
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I agree with you, maybe after B-16 gets a first hand look at it at WYD, we’ll see changes coming.
 
I have gone to mass at the parish who’s former pastor originated LifeTeen (St.Timothy’s in Mesa, AZ), and you would be hard pressed to know it was a Catholic church if it wasn’t for the name out front. There isn’t even a crucifix anywhere near the alter. Just a big cross with flowers on it. I know this doesn’t mean all LifeTeen programs are unorthodox but it gives you an idea of it’s originaters way of doing things.
 
Meggie, just wondering, was the Life Teen program you were in --was it in full compliance from the beginning, did you have dances and abuses taking place?
 
Psalm45:9:
But my big issue with Life Teen is that it has feel good mentality at mass that teens find is not there when they go off to college. When they discover that their Newman Centers or local churches does not have that, I find that they end up leaving the faith all together. Or they start becoming, “Oh it’s Sunday, but I don’t feel like going to mass.” And they end up going once in a while and on Christmas and Easter.
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~ I’ve seen the same thing over and over again in helping with the Catholic Student Center at the local university (as well as during my involvement at a different Newman Center where I went to college). The kids from parishes with full-fledged LT programs had the hardest time integrating into a “normal” liturgy, even when it was college youth serving in all the auxillary position and the priest alterd his homily to better apply to the students. About half of them ended up protestant or non-practicing within 2 years. Kids from parishes that had teen mass and yourt program without (fully) adopting the standard LT fare had a much easier time making the transition.
 
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Meggie:
Well excuse me for not having perspective…
…you try being 19, alone in a family that hurts you…going to church every week but not knowng anything about being Catholic…
…you try finishing three years of highschool of one and getting into college honors program, you try going to Adoration for the first time, you try going to confession for the first time in years, you try that!!! Then I want to see YOU stand up to your Catholic parents when they tell you not to go to Daily Mass, you stand up to them when say Catholics don’t read the Bible…

You try to be any one of my friends…one who converted from athiesm, teens growing in identity after their parents divorces…
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That’s my story, been there, done that. I did it all without Life Teen.
 
A distinction needs to be made between the aspects of LifeTeen that involve the Liturgy and the aspects that involve catechesis. Conceivably, a “Lifeteen” parish could do an excellent job with both the Liturgy and catechesis or do a good job with one and not the other.

I am the Lifeteen music coordinator at my parish and where it is my responsibility I make every effort to be in conformance with the relevant documents, such as SC and the GIRM.

2 observations:

First, LifeTeen need not be mutually exclusive with organ music and Gregorian chant. My intention is to slowly incorporate some of the more ancient classics into the LifeTeen music repetoire.

Second, we should remember that at one time both Gregorian chant and organ music were new to the Liturgy. I was just reading this evening in a music history book that it took a number of centuries before the organ was accepted into the western Liturgy because for a long time it was regarded as a pagan instrument.
 
Second, we should remember that at one time both Gregorian chant and organ music were new to the Liturgy. I was just reading this evening in a music history book that it took a number of centuries before the organ was accepted into the western Liturgy because for a long time it was regarded as a pagan instrument.
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rock music is totally incompatible with the liturgy. if you allow rock music, why not rap, dance music, or death metal or punk rock for that matter? obviously, there are transendent truths about music.
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.Tra le Sollecitudini (motu proprio) Pope Saint Pius X
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click on the above link to find all of the relavent documents concerning sacred music. i don’t think you’ll find any support or acceptance of rock music.
 
From the GIRM 2003 at the USCCB website
  1. All other things being equal, Gregorian chant holds pride of place because it is proper to the Roman Liturgy. Other types of sacred music, in particular polyphony, are in no way excluded, provided that they correspond to the spirit of the liturgical action and that they foster the participation of all the faithful.50
Since faithful from different countries come together ever more frequently, it is fitting that they know how to sing together at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, especially the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, set to the simpler melodies.51

Movements and Posture
  1. The gestures and posture of the priest, the deacon, and the ministers, as well as those of the people, ought to contribute to making the entire celebration resplendent with beauty and noble simplicity, so that the true and full meaning of the different parts of the celebration is evident and that the participation of all is fostered.52 Therefore, attention should be paid to what is determined by this General Instruction and the traditional practice of the Roman Rite and to what serves the common spiritual good of the People of God, rather than private inclination or arbitrary choice.
II. Arrangement of the Sanctuary for the Sacred Synaxis
(Eucharistic Assembly)
295. The sanctuary is the place where the altar stands, where the word of God is proclaimed, and where the priest, the deacon, and the other ministers exercise their offices. It should suitably be marked off from the body of the church either by its being somewhat elevated or by a particular structure and ornamentation. It should, however, be large enough to allow the Eucharist to be celebrated properly and easily seen.115

III. The Arrangement of the ChurchThe Places for the Faithful

The Place for the Reservation of the Most Holy Eucharist
  1. Places should be arranged with appropriate care for the faithful so that they are able to participate in the sacred celebrations visually and spiritually, in the proper manner. It is expedient for benches or seats usually to be provided for their use. The custom of reserving seats for private persons, however, is reprehensible.122 Moreover, benches or chairs should be arranged, especially in newly built churches, in such a way that the people can easily take up the postures required for the different parts of the celebration and can easily come forward to receive Holy Communion.
Care should be taken that the faithful be able not only to see the priest, the deacon, and the lectors but also, with the aid of modern technical means, to hear them without difficulty.

The Place for the Choir and the Musical Instruments
  1. The choir should be positioned with respect to the design of each church so as to make clearly evident its character as a part of the gathered community of the faithful fulfilling a specific function. …
  2. In accordance with the structure of each church and legitimate local customs, the Most Blessed Sacrament should be reserved in a tabernacle in a part of the church that is truly noble, prominent, readily visible, beautifully decorated, and suitable for prayer.125
usccb.org/liturgy/current/revmissalisromanien.shtml

Posted by Angels Watchin:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=53279
 
oat soda:
rock music is totally incompatible with the liturgy. if you allow rock music, why not rap, dance music, or death metal or punk rock for that matter? obviously, there are transendent truths about music. click on the above link to find all of the relavent documents concerning sacred music. i don’t think you’ll find any support or acceptance of rock music.
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First of all, again you must remember that the music was at one time new. But that is not what is important to this discussion. The main point is this: Life Teen does not use rock music in the mass. Although the Life Teen music is more contemporary than Motzart, it is a far cry from rock music.
 
You are absolutley correct. However you logic fails, and i will tell you why. Yes gregorian chant and traditional music was at one point new, however, the Church has made these melodies or hymns the official hymns for the Church. Just because the music in life teen falls into the same circumstance (it being new) it is not recognized by the Church, i have not seen Jars of Clay, Caedmons Call, Matt Redman, nor even Tom Booth etc. recieve that honour. Even still, yes gregorian chant was new at one point new, i’ll grant you that, however, it was instituted by The Holy Father, Pope Gregory. Has JPII or B-16 instituted these Christian artists into the norms for music? NO!!!
 
I was at my first Life Teen Mass this past weekend by accident (I was out of town). I nearly feinted when they all went up to the altar and huddled around it arm in arm.

Worse was the sign of peace. Nearly 30 people up there and every one had to hug every other one.

And even worse??? When the life teen upcoming activities were announced all these kids starting hooting and hollering at the top of their lungs. That’s when the heart attack nearly happened. They were literally screaming at the tops of their lungs.

Never again!
 
These threads and polls regarding Life Teen are becoming more and more pathetic. Do you all really think the abuses are because of the Life Teen organization? Or could it be you are blindly missing the fact that each parish has a priest who is supposed to be in charge of what happens within their parish. Life Teen in itself is not to blame for the renegade priests in this country who chose to follow thier own ideas instead of the church’s.

These renegade priests allow abuse to continue with complete disregard to the church. If we do away with LIfe Teen, the abuse will still be present in the other masses. Unless you have visited every single parish in which Life Teen is present and can say without a doubt that all of them are full of abuses that are not seen in the regular masses, your arguments are nothing more than insessant whinings about something you simply don’t like on a personal level.

I will agree that any abuse is wrong and should be stopped, but let’s be fair and point the finger at the right person. I will say it again, it is the priests in these parishes who continue to allow abuses in their parishes, not the Life Teen orginization or any other group for that matter.
 
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iamrefreshed:
I was at my first Life Teen Mass this past weekend by accident (I was out of town). I nearly feinted when they all went up to the altar and huddled around it arm in arm.

Worse was the sign of peace. Nearly 30 people up there and every one had to hug every other one.

And even worse??? When the life teen upcoming activities were announced all these kids starting hooting and hollering at the top of their lungs. That’s when the heart attack nearly happened. They were literally screaming at the tops of their lungs.

Never again!
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This is a perect example of a priest who has chosen to not follow the direction of the Life Teen orginization themselves. Directions wre given for all Life Teen parishes to stop allowing the teens to stand around the Alter as of last October, and yet here we are with a parish still doing this almost a year later.

Is the fault of LIfe Teen? No. It is the fault of a priest following his own ideas and not conforming to the rules. Where is the Bishop in all of this?

We need to start pointing our fingers in the right direction. Or, should we even be pointing our fingers at all?:whistle:
 
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iamrefreshed:
I nearly feinted when they all went up to the altar and huddled around it arm in arm.
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BIG NO NO! Lifeteen was supposed to stop this, but these renegade priests seem to do whatever they want.
 
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