Life Teen - Yes or No?

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I was just wondering what everyone’s opinion of Life Teen is…

From what I’ve seen it looks great.
 
The masses are awfully long… but the preaching is usually very good. I wish the kids would come to mass dressed up in more than a t-shirt and jeans, too. But that’s my view. My children enjoy life teen at a neighboring parish, but not enough to want to go weekly.
 
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Cupofkindness:
The masses are awfully long… but the preaching is usually very good. I wish the kids would come to mass dressed up in more than a t-shirt and jeans, too. But that’s my view. My children enjoy life teen at a neighboring parish, but not enough to want to go weekly.
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I confess I have actually only been 1 time. A friend of mine helps run the program at a neighboring parish so I went to check it out and compare it to my parish. The whole thing (Mass and meeting) was 2 1/2 hours. The organization and presentation of the meeting was just great to me. The Mass was essentially the same as what I get on any given Sunday.
 
Personally I think the motive is great and wholesome, but I question what seems to me to be a lack of reverence towards the Mass. IMHO it’s as if the program seeks to make Mass more “exciting” to teens as to make it more relevant. I think that if kids were taught exactly what Mass is and symbolizes, it wouldn’t have to be made more relevant through special teen masses, special music, etc.
I don’t think I’d object to my teens going though (if I had any 😃 ). I have been involved w/ youth ministry though so I guess my opinions are valid!! 😉
 
Neither of my teens could ever stand Life Teen. They found the music terrible, the lack of reverence for the Blessed Sacrament distressing and in general the “party” atmoshpere inappropriate. They found other ways to socialize. But every parish will be different, and they were that age when Life Teen was at it’s most …I can think of the right word to express it.
I would check it out on a parish by parish basis.
 
we have life teen at our parish, my kids are not teens yet but my oldest will be in one year and if she is interested then I’m for it and will be if my younger kids are interested.
 
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tkdnick:
I was just wondering what everyone’s opinion of Life Teen is…

From what I’ve seen it looks great.
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I had serious problems with LT up until they stopped their liturgical nonsense. When LT first started they were standing during the Eucharistic Prayer and taking the kids up on the altar for the Consecration. That has now stopped.

Now I have no problem with it. The “life night” programs are very good (at least in my parish) and the kids are very engaged in their faith.
 
We have LifeTeen at our parish but I can’t get my teens involved! They go to the mass a lot since it is on Sunday evening but don’t stay after.

I thought this program was over the top at first. Way too much dancing in the aisles for me! It has toned WAY down over the past couple of years. They still clap at times, do hand signals for the Alleluia - I can’t participate, it just isn’t in me and my kids don’t feel comfortable with all that either. I do like the music!

The one thing about our parish is if you go to this mass in the summer - you wouldn’t believe what some of the girls are wearing - if the eucharistic ministers are showing their midsection, I think that it should be addressed! So far nothing has been said!
 
Well, I am only 21, so in my high school days I went to life teen a few times.

I really didn’t like it. The Mass was about half an hour longer, and I have always prefered the traditional music to the pop type band they had at the Life Teen Mass.

Although, I must confess I never went to the whole party after. Maybe I would of enjoyed it more. Ah well.
 
Though not in lifeteen myself, I have been around my friends who were in it, and I did not hear great things. Of course, I recommend actually getting to know the particular Lifeteen group at your parish since each group is different and does different things. However, according to my girlfriend who was a member of lifeteen through high school, it was a matter of who was most religious… If you didn’t go to every meeting or didn’t stand after Communion in praise, you were seen as “less faithful…” Generally, it seemed as if they wanted you to conform to their way of seeing the Mass and of doing things, rather than encouraging you to do as much as you wanted in your own way. (not to say that the youth group leaders meant for this to happen, but the kids took it this way.)

Like I said, look into your particular lifeteen group, they might do it differently. However, if you want to get involved with Church, I recommend joining discussion groups and talks. Especially in this time of their lives, young men and women need to be thinking more about their faith, rather than learning hand signals to some rather obnoxious songs… (at least at my parish).
 
Wow, lots of comments on the Lifeteen Mass. Anyone had experience with the program aside from the Mass?
 
I used to go to the regular Mass in the morning with my family and then sometimes to another Catholic church in the evenings with a friend for the LT Mass. I found it annoying because the priest would talk down to the teens during the homily. My friends thought the homily was great, but I liked the “adult” homilies a lot more and felt that the LT homilies were demeaning and that I wasn’t getting anything out of them (I was 15-16 at the time). In our current church, the homilies at the LT Masses don’t seem any different from the morning Mass 🙂
 
I went through LifeTeen all during Highschool - loved the Mass (my parish did it very well and reverently although with a little more spirit then the morning masses). As to the program afterwards - in general it’s fine. I think the month is split up into 1 Catechisis nights, 1 empowerment night (adoration with music), 1 “issues” night (i.e. issues that may be facing your teen - drugs, sex, gossip, etc.) and 1 social night - at least that’s what it was in my church.

I loved it but I think how well the program is carried out depends alot of the “core team” the adults/young adults leading it - if they are cool and can connect with teans then the program will be cool, if not…might as well just sign them up for these message boards or some other adult focused bible study ;).
 
Anthony's Mom:
I went through LifeTeen all during Highschool - loved the Mass (my parish did it very well and reverently although with a little more spirit then the morning masses). As to the program afterwards - in general it’s fine. I think the month is split up into 1 Catechisis nights, 1 empowerment night (adoration with music), 1 “issues” night (i.e. issues that may be facing your teen - drugs, sex, gossip, etc.) and 1 social night - at least that’s what it was in my church.

I loved it but I think how well the program is carried out depends alot of the “core team” the adults/young adults leading it - if they are cool and can connect with teans then the program will be cool, if not…might as well just sign them up for these message boards or some other adult focused bible study ;).
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I think the core team at my parish is pretty cool, especially the music guy. . . :cool:
In response to the original poster’s question, it depends on the group of people running it. Some groups use the LifeTeen name as an excuse to do whatever they want to do with the Mass – and for that, have given LifeTeen as a whole a bad rap.

Involved in what I saw as a good LifeTeen program at my parish, I was, however, skeptical of the parent organization. . . until I went to the home parish for a LifeTeen conference. I am no longer a skeptic. They are a high quality organization and are zealous for the Catholic faith. Any errors they may have committed in past years has been caused by their passion for bringing the Gospel to teenagers. Both in my conversations with the heads of the organization and their group presentations, I was left with a very good impression. They love Jesus, the Eucharist, Mary, the Church, the Pope, etc.

As far Catholic organizations go, they are very young, having just celebrated their 20th anniversary, and as such show some of the signs of immaturity that most new things tend to have. I, for one, I look forward to their future, as I anticipate that it will bring many good things.
 
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