Youth Mass??? Help!!

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I am being totaly honest with you. Even I, a more liberal catholic, was suprised by some of the things that have been done in my church. Our pastor really has taken the reigns of the parish and has done whatever he wants. The bread and wine thing was only one Sunday, though. Almost every diocese has a more liberal parish that does things like this but keeps a low profile.
 
I don’t mean to be rude, but I would run far, very far from that parish. Saying that some churches have questionable motives is one thing, but your pastor saying that what you are eating is “only bread and wine” is heresy.
 
BenCatholic said:
I am being totaly honest with you. Even I, a more liberal catholic, was suprised by some of the things that have been done in my church. Our pastor really has taken the reigns of the parish and has done whatever he wants. The bread and wine thing was only one Sunday, though. Almost every diocese has a more liberal parish that does things like this but keeps a low profile.
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What do you believe about Holy Communion?
 
I believe it is Jesus Christ incarnate. Believing in the True Presence has deepened my faith and helped me through many tough times.
 
BenCatholic said:
I believe it is Jesus Christ incarnate. Believing in the True Presence has deepened my faith and helped me through many tough times.
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What do you think about the priest saying Holy Communion is only bread and wine?
 
BenCatholic said:
I am being totaly honest with you. Even I, a more liberal catholic, was suprised by some of the things that have been done in my church. Our pastor really has taken the reigns of the parish and has done whatever he wants. The bread and wine thing was only one Sunday, though. Almost every diocese has a more liberal parish that does things like this but keeps a low profile.
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Before we get off track here, if the choice was to cram into a smaller space instead of the larger santurary, I would guess it would be better to use the larger space even if it is too big. If it is possible with the lights, one can just light the front part of the church and leave the back part darken. I guess I wouldn’t worry if the larger area make the group seem too small, think of it as you hope to grow larger. but all these decisions should really come from your priest, I am not sure why this has become your concern to plan. It seems like you are bringing up in this thread alot of things going on in your parish that people are commenting on that you have no control over such as knealing at Mass (there are no kneelers) etc. Comments like my priest does whatever he wants or imply that your particular Bishop doesn’t want to do anything borders on gossip than anything else. Without truly knowing your priest, the parish and the bishop, you really shouldn’t be injecting these statements in the thread in response to the other’s questioning what goes on at your parish. Since many on CAF lean to a more traditional Mass, these sorts of comments do more to inflame others. The choice of space used should come from your priest and unless he in leaving up to the youth group which seems kinda fishy here on all accounts.
 
That is his personal opinion and I do like his views on other issues. I love my church beacuse of our vibrant contemporary worship and loving and accepting community , but I can’t stand our priests constant interjection of (radically liberal) politics into the mass. I’m liberal but this priest makes me look like i’m a member of the tea party.
 
My opinion is that none of us here can offer you any real suggestions because they are likely to not be used anyway, and I doubt anyone here would want to give you any advice except to run far, far, far away from that parish.

shudder
 
I think you can help me. I want to know what you think will bring kids to our mass and parish for that matter. I’m open to anything.
 
BenCatholic said:
I think you can help me. I want to know what you think will bring kids to our mass and parish for that matter. I’m open to anything.
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What are you really looking for in help? If this priest is saying things that are contrary to Church teaching then the steps are to document them, approach the priest over them and then go to your bishop with everything. If you have the vibrant community that you state you have, then the youth will come to the youth Mass that is being planned and the large size isn’t going to matter. Is the priest worried about which space to use for the Mass or are you taking this concern on yourself? What is your involvement with this youth group?
I think a number of things here that you presented are not totally adding up and and number of things have been stated about your priest that seem inflammatory which is not the original question or concern you started out with.
 
BenCatholic said:
I think you can help me. I want to know what you think will bring kids to our mass and parish for that matter. I’m open to anything.
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Are you really open to anything? Try “reverence” and forget “relevance.” Try centering your worship on Jesus Christ. Try Gregorian chant and Latin and incense and kneeling (you are young–you don’t need a kneeler.)

If you make the service seem like a contemporary popular concert, the young people will think, “I can hear this same music, only better, at the local bar/concert/club/etc.” If you make the service the worship of Almighty God, they’ll know they’re experiencing something that is found nowhere else.

I really do think that this is a troll, however.
 
GwenL said:
Are you really open to anything? Try “reverence” and forget “relevance.” Try centering your worship on Jesus Christ. Try Gregorian chant and Latin and incense and kneeling (you are young–you don’t need a kneeler.)

If you make the service seem like a contemporary popular concert, the young people will think, “I can hear this same music, only better, at the local bar/concert/club/etc.” If you make the service the worship of Almighty God, they’ll know they’re experiencing something that is found nowhere else.

I really do think that this is a troll, however.
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agree 100%, This thread probably was done to inflame others and get their reaction to a number of things OP posted.
 
No way this is real. Even my liberal college church didn’t go this far. There was no kneeling, but they didn’t remove kneelers or do all of these other things. It’s too extreme to be true.
 
Sorry but at least 3 churches in my diocese don’t have kneelers. You say this is too extreme another church in my diocese refused to comply with the new mass and co-consecrates (I know it sound rediculous). All the dioceses around us are more conservative but to be honest unless you really have seen what our diocese does you would think i’m making it up. We has d a bishop in the 1980’s that had the altar rails and pews removed from many of our parishes and replaced them with chairs and newer altars. And by the way if I wanted to lie I woudn’t do it here in a place of God. I’m sorry if I offeneded any of you, this was never my purpose I really just wanted to help you to understand the nature of my parish.
 
Does your pastor really want the teens to attend Mass separately from their parents, their younger siblings, and the rest of the parishioners?

I would suggest that one of your regularly-scheduled Masses – in the Church – be designated as a “teen Mass” every Sunday. Confirmed teens can be trained to read the readings and be commissioned as EMHCs. Teens can be trained to serve at the altar. Teens can lead the singing (and hopefully the music selected will be appriopriate for the entire congregation to sing, and hopefully teens will allow adults to join them in the choir). Teens can be trained to usher. Of course, adults should train and supervise.
 
YoungTradCath said:
Genuine Catholic faith.
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👍

Where to have the Mass seems like less an issue then teaching the faith. It does no good to bring kids in for the sacraments if the faith is watered down so much as to be unrecognizable. If following the rubrics is enough to drive the parish to break off then I’m not sure how much of this matters.

As a side note I have worshiped in numerous churches without kneelers, but that never stopped us from kneeling. If I was standing on broken glass and Christ was before me I’d certainly kneel; that’s exactly what happens at the consecration.
 
Usige said:
👍

Where to have the Mass seems like less an issue then teaching the faith. It does no good to bring kids in for the sacraments if the faith is watered down so much as to be unrecognizable. If following the rubrics is enough to drive the parish to break off then I’m not sure how much of this matters.

As a side note I have worshiped in numerous churches without kneelers, but that never stopped us from kneeling. If I was standing on broken glass and Christ was before me I’d certainly kneel; that’s exactly what happens at the consecration.
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exactly. And on a more legalistic note, the vatican has actually said in documents and other writing that lack of kneelers alone is not an acceptable reason not to kneel. Now lack of kneelers and old age might be, but to say that the congregation as a whole should not kneel due to lack of kneelers is simply wrong. There’s no other way to say it.
 
Here’s the citation to backup what I was saying above:
QUERY 3: In some places kneelers have been taken out of the churches. Thus, the people can only stand or sit and this detracts from the reverence and adoration due to the Eucharist.
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REPLY: The appointments of a place of worship have some relationship to the customs of the particular locale. For example, in the East there are carpets; in the Roman basilicas, only since modern times, there are usually chairs without kneelers, so as to accommodate large crowds.*** There is nothing to prevent the faithful from kneeling on the floor to show their adoration, no matter how uncomfortable this may be.*** In cases where kneeling is not possible (see GIRM no. 21), a deep bow and a respectful bearing are signs of the reverence and adoration to be shown at the time of the consecration and communion: Not 14 (1978) 302-303, no. 4.
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