What do traditionalists think of LifeTeen Masses' appeal?

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mcliffor

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Your average lifeteen Mass breaks any numbers of liturgical rules and is loaded with abuses. It is community oriented and seeks to be more “Teen” than sacred, giving it an intimate communal character. Obviously, this goes against everything traditionalists, or the Church for that matter, says the liturgy should be. But so many churches say their lifeteen masses are standing room only. I know that Bishop Dooher of Boston was given the position because of his success leading such a program and the amount of vocations the program drew. His Excellency seems to prefer street clothes too.

Could it be that liberal programs and priests are bringing about vocations, and that there’s something lacking in a Church that stands in the way of youth ministers and the charismatic renewal? Is it really the profane entertainment Masses that bring men to the priesthood?
 
Such masses are a disgrace. You might as well spit upon the Eucharist.
 
Whether these people are wrong or not in how they perform mass, they think they are doing what is right, and helping people.
 
I would be surprised if lifeteen masses have any fruits of any significance. If they were to produce vocations, it is likely they would turn out to be the types who put on these shows. The church doesn’t need any more clowns.

To see what produces vocations - look at statistics. Traditional orders such as the FSSP, and, like it or not, the SSPX, are full of young vocations. Many young Catholics are attracted by tradition, not the childish superficial games they play at these events in order to attract people.
 
But in **Sociological and Cultural Issues Affecting the Rise of Priestly Vocations in North America, the USCCB said:
**“**As Catholic youth mature, the importance of youth programs (i.e., NET, TEC, LifeTeen, and others), campus ministry programs, and lay movements are seen as fruitful to priestly vocation efforts by creating essential environments for discernment.”

Why are they fruitful if they degrade the Mass, the priest’s prayer?
 
mcliffor said:
But in **Sociological and Cultural Issues Affecting the Rise of Priestly Vocations in North America, the USCCB said:
**“**As Catholic youth mature, the importance of youth programs (i.e., NET, TEC, LifeTeen, and others), campus ministry programs, and lay movements are seen as fruitful to priestly vocation efforts by creating essential environments for discernment.”

Why are they fruitful if they degrade the Mass, the priest’s prayer?
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I wouldnt trust the USCCB on issues of the Liturgy if my life depended on it.
 
As a 17 year old I can tell you one thing- a lax faith and a disgraceful Liturgy does not create an enviroment for discernment.
 
Caesar said:
As a 17 year old I can tell you one thing- a lax faith and a disgraceful Liturgy does not create an enviroment for discernment.
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Why then are they so popular? When I sleep through my alarm, I end up having to go to Mass at Villanova, which has something very much like a Life Teen Mass (a band, glass chalices, dozens of Eucharistic ministers, only the priest in vestments, no kneeling, etc) and the place is packed with people! Kids who could be any number of places doing any number of things and they decide to come to Mass instead. I found NET ministries so demeaning when I was 16 (Catholicism is about Community, don’t trouble yourself with doctrine and eternal life) that not only did I not want to become a priest anymore, I wasn’t sure I still wanted to be Catholic…but I seem to be in the minority. The majority of Catholics preffer rock to incense, and eventhough the FSSP masses I go to have young people, there are never as many as there are at the Life Teen masses.
 
Caesar said:
As a 17 year old I can tell you one thing- a lax faith and a disgraceful Liturgy does not create an enviroment for discernment.
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I take issue with the fact that you avail yourself of every opportunity to bash any deviation from your vision of what the Church should be. As a 22 year old, I’ve been to youth Masses that would probably make you apoplectic- but you know what? They foster vocations too! It’s unfair to call my faith “lax” and my liturgies “disgraceful” simply because I enjoy Masses that are less formal than the TLM- even a Mass at which a community of young people comes together to adore the Eucharistic Christ. EDIT
 
mcliffor said:
Your average lifeteen Mass breaks any numbers of liturgical rules and is loaded with abuses.
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Personally, I hold the view that it not always the existance of abuse that equates to not being faithful to orthodoxy. Rather it is the stubborness of continuing the abuse in spite of specific instructions not to carry on doing so. Some who are involved in liturgical preparation are not sure, have misconceptions or have been misinformed. An average Catholic would not even know what is inside the GIRM let alone heard of Redemptionis Sacramentum. It is rather the duty of those who know to inform/teach and do it with charity.
 
mcliffor said:
Why then are they so popular? When I sleep through my alarm, I end up having to go to Mass at Villanova, which has something very much like a Life Teen Mass (a band, glass chalices, dozens of Eucharistic ministers, only the priest in vestments, no kneeling, etc) and the place is packed with people! Kids who could be any number of places doing any number of things and they decide to come to Mass instead. I found NET ministries so demeaning when I was 16 (Catholicism is about Community, don’t trouble yourself with doctrine and eternal life) that not only did I not want to become a priest anymore, I wasn’t sure I still wanted to be Catholic…but I seem to be in the minority. The majority of Catholics preffer rock to incense, and eventhough the FSSP masses I go to have young people, there are never as many as there are at the Life Teen masses.
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Maybe they would be better off as liberal protestants. In fact, having been to a couple services for the United Church of Canada (a liberal prot sect here in the great white north) I can tell you that many “Catholic” Masses (although several parishes I have seen prefer the term “Worship Service” to “Mass”…) are quite similar to what you might find in a liberal protestant auditorium.

I dont care how many people these things draw, they are becoming less and less Catholic and more like liberal protestant services or evangelical things.

Do these Masses (I know they are valid, but sometimes I have a hard time accepting that…technicalities…) inspire devotion to the Eucharist? Do they instill proper morals and values? A love for the Church? Are they even remotely Catholic?
 
mcliffor said:
Your average lifeteen Mass breaks any numbers of liturgical rules and is loaded with abuses. It is community oriented and seeks to be more “Teen” than sacred, giving it an intimate communal character. Obviously, this goes against everything traditionalists, or the Church for that matter, says the liturgy should be. But so many churches say their lifeteen masses are standing room only. I know that Bishop Dooher of Boston was given the position because of his success leading such a program and the amount of vocations the program drew. His Excellency seems to prefer street clothes too.

Could it be that liberal programs and priests are bringing about vocations, and that there’s something lacking in a Church that stands in the way of youth ministers and the charismatic renewal? Is it really the profane entertainment Masses that bring men to the priesthood?
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If liberal programs and priests are bringing about a boom in vocations, then why is it the “conservative” orders and dioceses that are having more vocations than liberal ones?
 
I’m a LifeTeen CORE member in Montgomery Alabama. Our LifeTeen Mass is an exercise in reverence, and in keeping with all established norms for the celebration of Mass. The music is anything but pop or rock, and is sacred in nature. The Life Night held immediately following Mass is a time of fellowship and learning for the kids entrusted to us. These young people are there because they want to be, and the witness to our faith that they render is really inspiring. Quite a few of our youth attend public school, and the time they are able to spend with Life Teen is vital in their continuing instruction in our faith.
 
PhilipCal said:
I’m a LifeTeen CORE member in Montgomery Alabama. Our LifeTeen Mass is an exercise in reverence, and in keeping with all established norms for the celebration of Mass. The music is anything but pop or rock, and is sacred in nature. The Life Night held immediately following Mass is a time of fellowship and learning for the kids entrusted to us. These young people are there because they want to be, and the witness to our faith that they render is really inspiring. Quite a few of our youth attend public school, and the time they are able to spend with Life Teen is vital in their continuing instruction in our faith.
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👍 Thats the problem when blanket statements are made.
 
mcliffor said:
(a band, glass chalices, dozens of Eucharistic ministers, only the priest in vestments, no kneeling, etc) and the place is packed with people! Kids who could be any number of places doing any number of things and they decide to come to Mass instead. … The majority of Catholics preffer rock to incense, and eventhough the FSSP masses I go to have young people, there are never as many as there are at the Life Teen masses.
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Glass chalices may not be used! But the part about kneeling…well the Syro-Malankare Rite one stands throughout. Yet as a Latin Rite Catholic there still are rubrics to be followed. Like the posture of another rite? On can always discern and switch.
 
mcliffor said:
Your average lifeteen Mass breaks any numbers of liturgical rules and is loaded with abuses. It is community oriented and seeks to be more “Teen” than sacred, giving it an intimate communal character. ?
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the 3 or 4 parishes with which I am acquainted, have participated in the LifeTeen Masses on occassion and know those who are running the program have complied with the orders that were given a few years ago to bring those liturgies in compliance with the GIRM and RS. no more standing around the altar, more appropriate dress for those attending, properly trained EMHCs, using the church instead of the public park, etc. The two parishes I know most about, since my kids and grandkids participate there, have about 1/3 to half the congregation at lifeteen Masses made up of adults and younger children. the music is no better or worse than the average parish “guitar Mass” and in fact better performed than most since the music groups practice more together.

if these abuses still pertain in your area approach the pastor and discuss it with him.
 
All right! First post here I come!!! 😃

I have an interesting perspective on this thread seeing that I was in Life Teen for four years of high school, heard God’s call, and after a year of college, entered the seminary and am currently in my third year as a seminarian. So, needless to say, I have a little bit of experience when dealing with this particular issue…

First off, I am not one of those goofy types who supports liturgical dance, glass chalices, the Beatles as liturgical music, or liturgical acrobats with trampolines during the Preparation of Gifts (I haven’t actually seen that last one; I made it up. 😛 )

I joined LT as a 9th grader needing to be confirmed after moving from rural South Carolina. I was barely Catholic; I went to Mass because my mom made me; but essentially thought like an evangelical Protestant. It was in LT that I first leaned that the Church really believed that the Eucharist was the Real Presence of Jesus Christ. At first, the LT appeal was admittedly the community, but after I made some friends, it quickly became all about the Lord. Even after some tension erupted later between some of the teens, my focus on Christ stayed strong. The Lord has been drawing me closer to him ever since then.

I must confess, before I was in LT, I did not understand the point of going to Mass. Now, obviously, having done much reading about the teachings of the Church and growing in prayer, I no longer need LT music or the great community to stay strong spiritually. Since entering the seminary, I have been blessed to learn more about and genuinely grow to love Latin, Gregorian Chant, and the rest of the Latin RIte Liturgical Tradition. But, I must say that my time in LT began this love of Christ and His Church.

Where they exist, abuses in LT Masses result not from LT itself, but rather from people (including some priests) who are simply misinformed. Since entering the seminary, I have found that the best way to deal with this problem is to discuss it with the youth minister. She and I have a mutually respectful relationship. While I wish that the environment (especially before Mass) was a little quieter and that some improvements were made to the music (it is not rock and roll, but softer; but some of the songs don’t always pertain to the Mass of the day and some are just plain cheesy), I believe that (at least at my parish) the LT Mass is celebrated reverently.

I’m sure there is more that I want to say, but I’ll just summarize:
I DO NOT like: liturgical dance, glass chalices, fluffy homilies or theology, and loud music that distreacts from rather than serves the liturgy .
I DO like: the Eucharist (understatement of the day), incense, vestments, good homilies, good music that aids in worship and creates a spirit of prayerfulness, and Life Teen (and yes, they can exist together).

Pax et bonum!
 
demerzel85 said:
Personally, I hold the view that it not always the existance of abuse that equates to not being faithful to orthodoxy. Rather it is the stubborness of continuing the abuse in spite of specific instructions not to carry on doing so. Some who are involved in liturgical preparation are not sure, have misconceptions or have been misinformed. An average Catholic would not even know what is inside the GIRM let alone heard of Redemptionis Sacramentum. It is rather the duty of those who know to inform/teach and do it with charity.
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THIS is the wisdom and discernment that we need in the priesthood, rather than hyperbolic rhetoric and knee-jerk jingoism.
 
mcliffor said:
Why then are they so popular? When I sleep through my alarm, I end up having to go to Mass at Villanova, which has something very much like a Life Teen Mass (a band, glass chalices, dozens of Eucharistic ministers, only the priest in vestments, no kneeling, etc) and the place is packed with people! Kids who could be any number of places doing any number of things and they decide to come to Mass instead. I found NET ministries so demeaning when I was 16 (Catholicism is about Community, don’t trouble yourself with doctrine and eternal life) that not only did I not want to become a priest anymore, I wasn’t sure I still wanted to be Catholic…but I seem to be in the minority. The majority of Catholics preffer rock to incense, and eventhough the FSSP masses I go to have young people, there are never as many as there are at the Life Teen masses.
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Lot of kids go to for Pensacola for Spring break too. It doesn’t mean it is a good place to go, and I would bet that a fair number that go to these lifeteen and such things go for the same reason. Hook ups. Sorry, but I’d bet you dime to a dollar thats the truth.

I’d sure like to se the statistics that bear out these type of Masses actually bring anyone in the faith let alone vocations.
 
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