blackforest
Well-known member
I like these ideas, especially about making a lot of opportunities available outside of conventional work hours. What do you think? Have any of your parishes implemented them?
Parish Dos and Don'ts from Millennials
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Tis_Bearself
Patron
Millennials aren’t the only people who need stuff scheduled outside of work hours. Most of us are working right up to age 65 these days, and there is definitely a dearth of late afternoon/ evening daily Masses. I can sort of understand it though because the core group who actually goes to daily Mass daily are the retirees. The handful of people who work and are really committed to go to a Mass will get themselves there somehow, whether it means they go to the 6:30 am, the 8 am and come to work a little late, or the 7 pm in Spanish language, or whatever they can figure out.
It’s a bit bothersome though that stuff that applies to all working people would be framed as all about “millennials”.
Plus, the business about “On Eagles Wings” etc being liked by the 50+ crowd… it’s not that they like it because they’re trying to appeal to millennials, they like it because those are the hymns they remember from when THEY were the age of the millennials. Also, I attend a really active Newman Center during the school year and they have a very active student musical group there with like 10 students who play different instruments or sing and rotate in and out for the Masses. (Let’s just say there are varying levels of musical aptitude, but the important thing is that the 17, 18, 19, 20 year olds are participating in the Mass, Adoration services etc.) These kids could play anything they want, the priest is really hands-off. They are playing not only some of the old St. Louis Jesuits stuff, but a whole lot of other contemporary Christian stuff in the same vein that they apparently like. The “Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King” stuff can be heard up the street at the more traditional parish church where the pastor hired a classically trained organist and has enlisted cantors with obvious voice training.
Yes, I know there are millennials who like traditional music too, but I don’t think one article speaks for all of their taste. We are going to be fighting the Battle of Church Music until I am in my grave at this rate.
It’s a bit bothersome though that stuff that applies to all working people would be framed as all about “millennials”.
Plus, the business about “On Eagles Wings” etc being liked by the 50+ crowd… it’s not that they like it because they’re trying to appeal to millennials, they like it because those are the hymns they remember from when THEY were the age of the millennials. Also, I attend a really active Newman Center during the school year and they have a very active student musical group there with like 10 students who play different instruments or sing and rotate in and out for the Masses. (Let’s just say there are varying levels of musical aptitude, but the important thing is that the 17, 18, 19, 20 year olds are participating in the Mass, Adoration services etc.) These kids could play anything they want, the priest is really hands-off. They are playing not only some of the old St. Louis Jesuits stuff, but a whole lot of other contemporary Christian stuff in the same vein that they apparently like. The “Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King” stuff can be heard up the street at the more traditional parish church where the pastor hired a classically trained organist and has enlisted cantors with obvious voice training.
Yes, I know there are millennials who like traditional music too, but I don’t think one article speaks for all of their taste. We are going to be fighting the Battle of Church Music until I am in my grave at this rate.
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Millennials favoring traditional hymns and devotions? Who saw this coming? This is great!
The comments regarding working people are well-taken. In my early years as a Catholic, there were Masses and confessions on weekday evenings. Not so much anymore. We need to bring this back. The retirees (myself included) could attend in the evening just as easily as they do in the mornings or mid-day.
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Genesis315
Guest
I thought this was a good list–but it’s mostly do’s and don’ts in general, not really limited to millenials. And that’s really the point, a Catholic parish is for all the people of the parish, young, old, families, singles, men, women, kids and every race and ethnicity living there and all the charisms they bring for the service of the church and their neighbors in faith and charity, with prayer and works.
I think that’s where the more traditional elements come in too. The songs and customs common at Masses these days are firmly rooted in a particular generation. More traditional elements predate all current generations and can therefore be common to all. That doesn’t mean we can’t have new songs, etc., but they should be organically incorporated into the larger tradition, not replace it. That just alienates the prior generation and creates a divide between them and subsequent generations. Then the next generation will want to replace what the prior did with something else (and there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth from those who did the same to their forebears). Tradition (ie receiving and handing on) unites, novelty and replacement divides.
Also, daily Mass and especially HDO’s at times when only reitrees can go is one of my biggest pet peeves. The retirees I know are all up at the crack of dawn anyway!
I think that’s where the more traditional elements come in too. The songs and customs common at Masses these days are firmly rooted in a particular generation. More traditional elements predate all current generations and can therefore be common to all. That doesn’t mean we can’t have new songs, etc., but they should be organically incorporated into the larger tradition, not replace it. That just alienates the prior generation and creates a divide between them and subsequent generations. Then the next generation will want to replace what the prior did with something else (and there will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth from those who did the same to their forebears). Tradition (ie receiving and handing on) unites, novelty and replacement divides.
Also, daily Mass and especially HDO’s at times when only reitrees can go is one of my biggest pet peeves. The retirees I know are all up at the crack of dawn anyway!
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RCIAGraduate
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redbetta
Guest
I wish there were more adult summer events for us university students coming back on break.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
Some retirees would show up in the evening, the same diehards who you’ll find at the 7 pm Holy Hour or holding down the 9 pm Adoration shift. There are elderly folks (my mother was one) who find it easier to do things later in the day because they have physical difficulties and issues when they first wake up and take a few hours to get up, moving, dressed, bathroom needs all attended to, etc . But there are others who have medical issues in the other direction and can’t drive after dark or start losing some alertness/ faculties by dinnertime.
Most parishes I see that are the only option for their surrounding area will try to scatter the Mass times. MWF will be 8 am, T-Th will be 6 pm, that sort of thing. My pet peeve, however, is when you have 5 parishes all within about 5 miles of each other and all of them are having the Masses in the morning at 8 ,9 etc. If I don’t get to Mass by 9 here then I have very limited options for afternoon Masses. Newman Center has it 4 days a week in the afternoon when school is in session, but there are a huge number of breaks and times when the center is closed. They are literally the ONLY afternoon Mass in this whole area. The Newman Center always has a ton of people not affiliated with the Uni at its afternoon Mass to the point where the priest had to move it into a larger space.
When they aren’t holding Mass then my weekday option after 9 am is to either drive about 15 miles to a noon Mass (available at only 2 places) or drive through rush hour traffic about 20 miles to an evening Mass in some other urban area. I simply don’t understand why at least one church in this very Catholic area here with way more priests than average can’t offer a 5 or 6 pm Mass on weekdays.
We are getting a new pastor here soon and I’m wondering whether to mention this to him when he shows up.
Most parishes I see that are the only option for their surrounding area will try to scatter the Mass times. MWF will be 8 am, T-Th will be 6 pm, that sort of thing. My pet peeve, however, is when you have 5 parishes all within about 5 miles of each other and all of them are having the Masses in the morning at 8 ,9 etc. If I don’t get to Mass by 9 here then I have very limited options for afternoon Masses. Newman Center has it 4 days a week in the afternoon when school is in session, but there are a huge number of breaks and times when the center is closed. They are literally the ONLY afternoon Mass in this whole area. The Newman Center always has a ton of people not affiliated with the Uni at its afternoon Mass to the point where the priest had to move it into a larger space.
When they aren’t holding Mass then my weekday option after 9 am is to either drive about 15 miles to a noon Mass (available at only 2 places) or drive through rush hour traffic about 20 miles to an evening Mass in some other urban area. I simply don’t understand why at least one church in this very Catholic area here with way more priests than average can’t offer a 5 or 6 pm Mass on weekdays.
We are getting a new pastor here soon and I’m wondering whether to mention this to him when he shows up.
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Tis_Bearself
Patron
I’m not a Gen Xer and I don’t see how someone wanting to get to Mass is a laughing matter. Excuse me for not getting the joke, but your remark seems a bit rude.
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VanitasVanitatum
Guest
It sounds more like an innocent joke to me.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
I didn’t flag it but I didn’t like it either. Kind of falls in the “let’s discuss the content of the post, not the person making the post” category. Yes, I know I have sinned in that regard on the forum from time to time too, mea culpa.
Let’s move on.
Let’s move on.
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Tell me about it! I didn’t want to go there, but we are definitely not “morning people”, neither my son nor I. We have no reason to be. I am retired and he is homeschooled. You can homeschool anytime, and we usually attend evening Mass. There are some who regard not being a “morning person” as vaguely subversive or something. I had to be a “morning person” for 30+ years and just speaking for myself, I’m glad to put it behind me.
It does seem to be true, though, that most retirees are indeed “morning people”. At the parish we formerly attended, the membership skewed heavily towards retirees, active and retired military, and so on. Once I went to the 8 am Mass and I expected it to be lightly attended. It was virtually standing room only! They do indeed stir early. Who knew?
blackforest
Well-known member
I’m a Gen Xer, and all of this applies to me.
The article is likely focusing on millennials because of their abysmal church attendance numbers.
The article is likely focusing on millennials because of their abysmal church attendance numbers.
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Canvas
Guest
There are some very good ideas in there. Like being an authentic proper Church rather than trying to “be hip”. And especially having evening Confessions during the week. During the week, the only scheduled Confession times in my Parish are before the 8 am Mass. During Lent, though, they have Wednesday evening Confessions and it is great. Not having to wait until Saturday afternoon can be a real lifesaver to someone with a busy schedule during the week who can’t find the time to go out of town to a Church that has long blocks of weekday Confessions (and it is so much easier to get your Confession over and done with ASAP if you can—and if you have serious sins to confess, safer too).
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DeniseNY
Guest
While I think there are some good suggestions there for consideration, the presentation really leaves a lot to be desired. It comes across really arrograntly and somewhat disrespectful.
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redbetta
Guest
I wish that parishes could collaborate more and set different confession times. Instead, they are do Saturday around 4. In an area that is dense with parishes, they should each offer it at a different day and time. I often can’t get to confession because I work weekends.
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phil19034
Guest
In regards to the Church music selections by Millennials, it is my understanding from some local Newman Centers & teen ministries that the students really are not given full reign over the choice.
They are often steered by the Newman Center director and/or the Music Director away from more traditional hymns for the sake of “unity” and/or because they are told often by Music Directors that the more traditional hymns are harder to perform…
Of course, that doesn’t mean that some Millennials & Gen X really don’t like those kinds of hymns, because I know some who do. But generally speaking, devout Millennials and Gen X prefer authentically Catholic Music at Mass (doesn’t have to be Latin, but authentic).
That’s one of the reasons why our local FSSP parish has more Millennials & Gen X than Baby Boomers.
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phil19034
Guest
I’m Gen X and the list 100% speaks to me and most of the other Gen X people I know.Tis_Bearself:
Gen Xer feeling forgotten and overlooked?
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phil19034
Guest
As a Gen Xer, I think @RCIAGraduate was joking and it has nothing to do with Mass…
We Gen Xers often feel like our Generation is ignored or forgotten about. It always seems like the Baby Boomers are passing the ball to the Millenials and skipping our generation.
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tafan2
Guest
Wow, I am not anywhere near being a millennial, and those suggestions have been at the top of my list a long time. I started trying to attend daily mass about 10 years ago, before that would do so occasionally. Most of the time I make 3 or 4 times a week. But for the last 10 years I have been complaining about mass times. Parishes around here are finally starting to figure it out. But we still have parishes whose daily masses are at 8:00 am, 8:30 am, and even 9:00 am. And guess what, the masses only have old people going to them and some stay at home moms. I typically attend a mass that is at 6:30am, it gets more and more attendees over the few years I have gone to it. They used to have it in their daily chapel, except on first Fridays. But that was standing room only, with people in the hall way outside for the last 3 or 4 years. They finally just moved it into their Church. Another nearby parish has a 6:00 pm mass, they also recently moved it from their daily chapel into their Church. But go to one of the 8:30 ones, it is still the same 20 or 30 people who are in their retirement years. Occasionally I will be at a mass down-town which is at 12:10pm, it has easily 100 people showing up a day.
As to confessions, well most of you guys have heard my theory on that before. But every parish I know which has added confession times on weekday evenings has seens a huge increase in people going to confession. The lines on their “traditional” Saturday time have not gotten shorter, but the lines on the weekday evenings are typically longer.
And then they whole “trying to be hip”, that is the dumbest thing parishes can do. Guess what, they don’t know how, it is doomed to failure. But have some respect for the younger folks, they actually have a better love for traditional hymns and solemn liturgies than the 70 year old crowd (by a long shot). They have a better appreciation for good catachesis than the old people trying who run most of the programs today. The Baby Boom generation, as a general rule, doesn’t get it at all.
As to confessions, well most of you guys have heard my theory on that before. But every parish I know which has added confession times on weekday evenings has seens a huge increase in people going to confession. The lines on their “traditional” Saturday time have not gotten shorter, but the lines on the weekday evenings are typically longer.
And then they whole “trying to be hip”, that is the dumbest thing parishes can do. Guess what, they don’t know how, it is doomed to failure. But have some respect for the younger folks, they actually have a better love for traditional hymns and solemn liturgies than the 70 year old crowd (by a long shot). They have a better appreciation for good catachesis than the old people trying who run most of the programs today. The Baby Boom generation, as a general rule, doesn’t get it at all.
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phil19034
Guest
I think that was more frustration than arrogance.
I have argued many of the same points several times at my parish for years and I often feel like it falls on deaf ears. I thought becoming a ministry leader would make a difference, and not really.
The Baby Boomer pastor, pastoral assistant, and members of the parish committee don’t see it. Even though the GenX Asst Pastor and Gen X staff director of evangelization & outreach agree with me too and have made similar arguments… They too are often shut down by the Baby Boomers in charge of my parish.
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