When Did the Concept of Mass by Age Group Begin?

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smndtupidisaftr

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I don’t remember these things existing when I first started going to Mass. Maybe around when I turned 10 (late 90’s) did I first hear about a teen Mass (Life Teen, unfortunately).

It just seems like you have (and forgive my blunt characterization of this) the serious Mass for the adults and the goofy Mass for the teens (although I have noticed blending of the two with time). As to some examples of this, well the most obvious is the music and I don’t need to elaborate on that. During Life Teen Masses I remember the whole church congregating around the altar. When I started going to Mass at college I remember some students telling me that we should not dress up for Mass there because it would make students feel uncomfortable and that they wanted to keep the Mass casual.

So when and how did this idea start that we can and should make youth Masses separate from adult Masses and that therefore we can throw out the rules in the former?
 
smndtupidisaftr said:
I don’t remember these things existing when I first started going to Mass. Maybe around when I turned 10 (late 90’s) did I first hear about a teen Mass (Life Teen, unfortunately).

It just seems like you have (and forgive my blunt characterization of this) the serious Mass for the adults and the goofy Mass for the teens (although I have noticed blending of the two with time). As to some examples of this, well the most obvious is the music and I don’t need to elaborate on that. During Life Teen Masses I remember the whole church congregating around the altar. When I started going to Mass at college I remember some students telling me that we should not dress up for Mass there because it would make students feel uncomfortable and that they wanted to keep the Mass casual.

So when and how did this idea start that we can and should make youth Masses separate from adult Masses and that therefore we can throw out the rules in the former?
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See this article (or better yet, the book it’s based on, which I’m afraid I haven’t yet read myself, although the author is a friend). The idea arose among Protestants in the 1930s and 40s. As Bergler points out on page 2, Catholics at the time did not follow suit. But in recent years, Catholics have begun to imitate evangelicals, combining conservative theology with contemporary worship. Bergler talks about this on p. 6, but he doesn’t give a beginning date for it. I would say probably the 70s, but it seems to have gained a lot of steam in recent years.

Edwin
 
Teen Life was started in 1985 in an attempt to strengthen the faith of teenagers. The Church as a whole has never really sorted by Age group, and personally I would not be surprised if Teen Life is just a fad that ends up fading away.

Even as a teenager I avoided Teen Life Masses I avoid at all costs. I spend most of the time being annoyed at their “relevant” self serving music and don’t give the Mass the attention it should. The places I know that have Teen Life tend more liberal (theologically speaking) parishes. don’t really see much coming out of it taking them closer to God other than a super casual idea toward Mass and the teaching of the Church.

That said, I’m sure some where someone out there has gotten stronger in their faith because of Teen Life, I’m just speaking form my observations on the idea as a whole.
 
When I was a little girl in the 1950’s our 9:00 a.m. Sunday Mass was the children’s Mass. I think that the sermon was geared to children. I never went to that Mass except when I was older and our sodality attended that Mass as a group. I think that the idea of a children’s Mass goes back a ways, so later when this teen mass business started in the 1980’s no one thought anything of it.
 
Marysann said:
When I was a little girl in the 1950’s our 9:00 a.m. Sunday Mass was the children’s Mass. I think that the sermon was geared to children. I never went to that Mass except when I was older and our sodality attended that Mass as a group. I think that the idea of a children’s Mass goes back a ways, so later when this teen mass business started in the 1980’s no one thought anything of it.
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Agree. When I was a child in the 50s our 10.00 a.m. Sunday Mass was the children’s Mass. Also when we made Confirmation the Mass was just for us, no parents in the church. Parents waited outside while the Bishop confirmed us - and preached to us and examined some of us on the Catechism.
 
smndtupidisaftr said:
I don’t remember these things existing when I first started going to Mass. Maybe around when I turned 10 (late 90’s) did I first hear about a teen Mass (Life Teen, unfortunately).
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As others have suggested, there is a history of the Church directing Masses at certain age groups.

What’s changed is the age groups that we think need special Masses. We used to group the teens with the adults.
 
I guess it was what area in the country you lived in. We never had a “children’s Mass” in the 50’s in our Church and when we were confirmed the adults also attended the service. I remember when we received First Communion, the church was packed (with adults) and the Knights of Columbus actually “crossed swords” over our procession into Church and we had a procession afterwords.

Seems especially now with the NOR Mass, why should there be a “dumbing down” of the Mass! Kids understand more than we do, don’t believe that there should be special prayers or anything but I notice that parishes do still have them. I can understand though if you have a children’s choir it would be encouraging for children to attend this Mass.

We sometimes attend a Mass on Sunday in another parish that was supposed to consist of teens playing their instruments and more of a “folk religious music” but it hasn’t turned out that way and I notice that few people attend it anyway.

And yes, I’m looking forward to a “cranky Mass” for us seniors!
 
I guess where I grew up it started in the late 60s with the Folk Masses of the day. Those were usually celebrated at youth events before they migrated to the parish churches.
 
Maybe since we started giving out Sacraments by age group, it gave people this idea.
 
Marysann said:
When I was a little girl in the 1950’s our 9:00 a.m. Sunday Mass was the children’s Mass. I think that the sermon was geared to children. I never went to that Mass except when I was older and our sodality attended that Mass as a group. I think that the idea of a children’s Mass goes back a ways, so later when this teen mass business started in the 1980’s no one thought anything of it.
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I too remember going to the childrens’ Mass back then. Parents weren’t even allowd in. They had to go to mass in the school and pick us up at the end of mass.
 
In the 50s and 60s, we had an upstairs and downstairs church. The 8:30 AM downstairs was for the children and the adults went to Mass upstairs. We were even sorted by grade.
The only time we were allowed upstairs was for First Communion in the second grade. Confirmation was every three years for grade 6,7, and 8 and on a Saturday morning.
 
I’ve never been to a Life Teen MASS, and I dont want to go either. Myself included and yoth my age generally (this is a growing trend), we dont want the guitars, the everybody happy go lucky kind of MASS. We want the Hardcore Catholic stuff. Im a Hardcore Catholic, I want the “Bells and Smells” MASS. Catholic youth my age, generally want the incensce, the bells, the Lingua Latina, The sacred silence, the Heavenly Chant, the extreme reverence etc. We have generally had enough. This isnt a circus, this isnt mtv hour, this isnt pay per view entertainment. This is Calvary, truly and wholly re-enacted in an unbloody manner. This is where the gate of Heaven touchs sinful earth, this is where the power of the most unbelievable force is acted out. A sacrifice is offered, not a guitar concert. Sorry to burst anyones bubble, but thats just me, Im a hardcore Catholic and proud of it!!
 
Oh look, more people assuming that just because teens can choose to go to a different Mass with different music, that it’s somehow wicked and evil and they’re not good Catholic. Weee. Saying that the music is “self serving” just because YOU don’t like it, and it obviously means they’re not giving Mass the respect it deserves. Gross.

I woulda done effing CARTWHEELS up the sidewalk to church if we had something like that, so stop insisting “My generation only wants High Mass” because sorry, you don’t speak for all of us.
 
Sorry let me rephrase myself, MOST of my generation wants High MASS.

And of course, if you dont like it, I’m not calling you a bad Catholic damned to hell etc, Im just merely stating what the majority of Catholic youth are now going for. Its why the guitar MASS is just adults and you barely see any kids, you walk into an FSSP sunday MASS, and its full of kids!!
 
mymamamary said:
Sorry let me rephrase myself, MOST of my generation wants High MASS.

And of course, if you dont like it, I’m not calling you a bad Catholic damned to hell etc, Im just merely stating what the majority of Catholic youth are now going for. Its why the guitar MASS is just adults and you barely see any kids, you walk into an FSSP sunday MASS, and its full of kids!!
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Aagain, NO. that’s where YOU live. Where I live, the youth want a Life Teen group. Stop encompassing what YOU believe as “most”. Have you met everyone in your generation, in every state? Every parish? No? Well, looks like you can’t prove your claims then.

And the OP’s disgust at Life Teen is more than enough to determine what HE thinks of Catholics who attend that. “Unfortunately?” as though it’s someone disgusting and best avoided in and of itself? That’s nice.
 
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