Parish Dos and Don'ts from Millennials

Status
Not open for further replies.
Or videos. There are plenty of videotaped lecture series that would be great. We had one that was very good…but the only options were 11am or 5pm on a weekday.
 
Gorgias said:
Very cool! What’s attendance like? (What is your parish demographic – is it a large parish? Young families? Mostly retirees? A good mix?)
Click to expand...
I attend a huge parish with an impressive diversity of ages. Father Smarty-Pant’s talks are standing-room only if you don’t get there on time. When my childcare arrives late, I’ve shown up with a portable camping chair, lol!
Tis_Bearself said:
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.
Click to expand...
You did inspire me to check out our local Newman Center. The daily Mass times are a lot more manageable for working and stay-at-home parents. Thanks for the idea - I can’t believe I overlooked that!
 
I remember a friend was looking for a place to go to confession. He called a parish in a particular city and the secretary told him that there was no confession scheduled for that parish. His reply was, “So you mean to tell me that no one sins in that city?”
 
Canvas said:
I understand there are chronic shortages of ordained Priests in some areas, but hearing Confessions is one of the most important things that they can possibly do. The Church should have at least a block set aside for confessions before any Mass. If they have a Mass, there is a Priest there already who can hear at least some confessions before the Mass.
Click to expand...
Confessions in our parish are held on Saturdays from 9:00- 10:00 a.m. and from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. (right before Sat vigil Mass).

The problem with this is all of us who work on Saturdays. Health care workers who work a 1st shift have hours from 7:00 a.m. - 3:3:0 p.m., and we often end up coming in earlier and/or staying later to finish the huge amount of work. And we really can’t opt out of weekend work in health care.

The hospitals and clinics in our city are the largest employers in our city, so this is a lot of working people, not just a few.

I used to rush after a Saturday workday to make it to Confession. But it has been a long time (about two years) since I have actually been finished by 3:30 p.m. in my hospital due to heavy workloads and short-staffing. Usually I’m happy to be done by 4:00 p.m. I have actually stopped taking organ duty for Saturday vigil masses at any parish in my area because I’m often not able to make the Saturday vigil Mass due to work. (Thank goodness my parish has a Sunday, 6:00 p.m. Mass!)

So if I need to confess, I often end up making an appointment.
 
One approach: maintain the components of mass to ensure it’s valid, and modify where allowed, e.g. more modern music with guitars, drums, electric piano, modified lighting, etc. followed by prayers, a charismatic sermon (whether by a priest or his delegate - maybe an eloquent Deacon). Not to replace the traditional mass, but as an extra mass. This could effectively inhibit folks leaving for non denominational and other Protestant denominations. Get people up on their feet singing praise to Jesus!!!
 
Eh…90% of the time that just ends up being patronizing. Better to actively recruit younger people and ask them to help out.
 
@Erikaspirit16 Ha! Me too. But that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t appeal to some!

This mass could be in addition to other, more traditional masses.
 
Last edited:
Why drums at Mass?
Is hideous.
Why assume that millennials are tasteless?

What priest has time to add a Mass just for one age group - - with bad liturgical music on purpose?
 
Last edited:
@Loud-living-dogma This isn’t just for one age group. To the extent people felt the drums are not what they want, they could continue attending other masses. What I am proposing would be additive and could help reduce attrition and MATERIALLY influence excitement for people who are far from Christ to participate in mass
 
Last edited:
I think hey do that at this point because it bugs Gen Xers so much 😉
 
Erikaspirit16 said:
I’d get on my feet alright–to walk out the door!
Click to expand...
A lot of Catholics are walking out the doors of their churches and heading for churches that offer this kind of music.

A lot of Catholics don’t believe that music can be a reason why people leave the Church. They are wrong. Very wrong. I believe, based on my years in the Protestant churches (47 years), that music is often THE reason people go church-shopping.

I know Catholics who attend Mass, and then head down the road to one of the megachurches to hear good music.

My husband and I faithfully attend Mass and I play organ/piano at Masses in my parish and other parish. But we also enjoy going to concerts of Southern gospel and gospel music, and occasionally traditional and contemporary praise concerts, in Protestant churches. I also attend hymn sings whenever I see them advertised. We really miss the music in our Protestant churches.

25% of the members of one of the Protestant churches that I was involved with for ten years (and loved it) were ex-Catholics. And one of the main reasons why they left the Catholic Church was because of the music. They loved the music in our church. P and W hadn’t been “invented” yet, but we definitely praised the Lord in our music. My kids still remember how much they loved singing in that church, and it’s been over 25 years since we left it (moved away).

I’m not saying that all the Masses should switch to Casting Crowns style of music. But I think that Lifeisbeautiful3 has an idea worth thinking about and perhaps trying, maybe in a modified way, in parishes that are seeing their people leave. As long as a “traditional” option is available for the parishioners, I see no harm in trying something new, as long as the GIRM is OK with it.
 
Why can’t they go to a music concert – why does any (or every) church service have to become a pop show?
Why ruin Mass for everyone, to pander to the people that just want “good” music? I know a lot of former Catholics who love a good 1970s
style guitar Mass, but guess what, they quit attending Catholic Church over time anyway. So they ruined music at Mass for no reason…
 
Last edited:
Loud-living-dogma said:
Why ruin Mass for everyone, to pander to the people that just want “good” music? I know a lot of former Catholics who love a good 1970s
style guitar Mass, but guess what, they quit attending Catholic Church over time anyway. So they ruined music at Mass for no reason…
Click to expand...
Why not have Masses with different styles of music?
 
There was a great article, I need to find it. A quote from a young adult in that article said (I paraphrase) I can go to a rock concert or a club for entertainment, they cannot give me the beauty of a candlelit Easter Vigil when the ancient prayers are chanted.

We can debate about music attracting/driving away, when the real issue is relationship. When a person falls in love with Jesus, when they have a real relationship with Him and His Church, nothing can keep them away from Mass. Not even less than perfect music.
 
“Not even less than perfect music”.
That’s a charitable take.
It can be hard to stomach though, week after week, for those who have truly terrible music.
 
Last edited:
TheLittleLady said:
We can debate about music attracting/driving away, when the real issue is relationship. When a person falls in love with Jesus, when they have a real relationship with Him and His Church, nothing can keep them away from Mass. Not even less than perfect music.
Click to expand...
That kind of defines a “real” relationship as one that leads the faithful to be willing to withstand any penance. While it could be argued that is technically true, it also remains true that the Catholic Church is not the only denomination that proposes to offer a “real” relationship with Our Lord.

Besides, wouldn’t a reasonable person wonder why people who have a “real” relationship with the Almighty are willing to offer Him music that essentially everyone in the building knows is not the best they can do? If the quality isn’t what people would offer if someone “really important” were going to be there and wanted to hear them sing, why is the quality good enough for that Someone they say is by far the most important to them?

When words don’t match actions, count on people to believe the actions.
 
Last edited:
Elf01 said:
Why not have Masses with different styles of music?
Click to expand...
There isn’t a reason not to, provided the range in styles under consideration are all appropriate for worship. Not every kind of music is appropriate for worship. Archbishop Sample recently released a letter on sacred music to crystalize the Church’s thinking on this matter:

Because the place of sacred music is so important, I am issuing this pastoral letter on the nature, purpose and quality of sacred music. This is an important discussion to have, since so often the music selected for Mass is reduced to a matter of subjective “taste,” i.e. what style of music appeals to this or that person or group, as if there were no objective principles to be followed. There are indeed objective principles worthy of study and proper implementation, as will be shown.

At the outset, it must be acknowledged that pastoral musicians have labored long and hard in the wake of the Second Vatican Council to help accomplish the Council’s goals as it concerns the renewal of the Sacred Liturgy, especially the Mass. Indeed, many have made it their lives’ work to provide music for the Sacred Liturgy…Although much of what follows may contravene the formation that many have experienced over recent years, this is in no way to be interpreted as a criticism of those dedicated church musicians who have offered their service with a generous heart and with good will.
Archbishop Alexander Sample, pastoral letter on sacred music in divine worship “Sing to the Lord a New Song”

After laying out the necessary features of sacred music in detail, he concludes the section,
"One often gets the impression that, as long as the written text of the music or song speaks about God, then it qualifies as “sacred music.” Given what has been articulated here, this is clearly not the case. As an example, the Gloria of the Mass set to a Polka beat or in the style of rock music is not sacred music. Why not? Because such styles of music, as delightful as they might be for the dance hall or a concert, do not possess all three of the intrinsic qualities of sanctity, artistic goodness (beauty) and universality proper to sacred music. While Catholics rightly expect genuine sacred music in all its forms to have spiritual and emotional impact, there is a necessary divide between that and what generally we call entertainment.
 
Last edited:
Interestig take by the Bishop that Polka and Rock lack something intrinsic that presumably other types of music have in his opinion.
 
Padres1969 said:
Interestig take by the Bishop that Polka and Rock lack something intrinsic that presumably other types of music have in his opinion.
Click to expand...
That’s not just his personal opinion. Other Church documents on liturgical music have made the same case (even if they don’t mention “Polka” or “Rock”).

The GIRM mentions music in terms of the dignity of the Liturgical action, expressly recommending Gregorian chant and polyphony.

The document Sacram musicam, one of the documents of Vatican II, talks about music in liturgy, pointing out the role of choirs, congregational singing, etc. It mentions the role of sacred music in terms of ‘beauty.’ It also discusses universality.

So, the bishop isn’t just offering his personal opinion. His comments are grounded in the teaching of the Church.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top