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Category Archives: Liturgy / The Mass

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Audrey Assad on Songwriting

“How do you write songs?” In my travels and my meetings with people along the way, it’s one of the questions I am asked the most. Songwriting is hard to explain. I’ve shaped songs like clay pots, molding them on the wheel of my mind slowly and deliberately; other times they’ve shot like bullets out of my pen in a frenzy of inspiration; and some I’ve spent more than two years on, and still haven’t finished. Like children, every song is different, and they are birthed with varying degrees of struggle and joy. So it’s a tough thing for me to write about, because I am still figuring it out myself. How do you answer a question you are still asking?

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Music for Liturgy: The Old Made New

I love that the liturgy is made up of both the ancient and the modern. Old, steadfast laws and traditions meet the new and ever-changing culture and yield the beautiful, living Church.  At each Catholic Mass, the nave is filled with evidence of what happens when young and old collide. Fresh Easter lilies pose proudly near the antique Presider’s chair, the newborn is held by her grandmother, the altar server presents the Sacramentary for the bishop, and for Life Teen parishes, the drum set tries

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New Roman Missal Websites For Youth Leaders

As I’m sure you have heard already, come this Advent there will be some major changes to the liturgy coming on November 27th 2011. This time of preparation can be a fruitful time for our parishes and our young people.  We at Life Teen want to do our best to equip you with the resources you will need to help your Core Teams, parents, musicians, and teens to understand what these changes are, as well as why they are happening. Here are some websites that we believe will be helpful to you: CatholicYouthMinistry.com/roman-missal

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The Role of Music within the Liturgy

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Fr. Robert Schreiner, priest for the Diocese of Crookston, shares the role of music within the Liturgy. If you have ever had a question about music, the Liturgy, and Life Teen, this is a must watch video. The video comes from the 2010 Life Teen Liturgy and Music Conference.

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The New Roman Missal: An Opportunity for Education

Although I wasn’t alive when The Second Vatican Council finished in 1965, I have heard from many people who were active Catholics in that time of change within the Catholic Mass. Many whom I have talked to were very confused when the changes in the liturgy began taking place. Some were barely told anything about what was changing or why it was changing and just all of a sudden experienced a different liturgy and really didn’t understand why. Some were happy about the changes and others were not so happy.

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A New Missal, But the Same Mass

On November 27, 2011, we will begin using a new translation of the Roman Missal, which will change the words we use to pray the Mass. That date will be the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of a new Church year, so it was chosen as a good day to make these text changes. Let me stress a key point right up front: the words we use in the Mass are changing, the structure of the Mass is not.

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What Instruments Can I Use at Mass?

In recent months I have received many questions from Liturgical Musicians as to what Instruments are appropriate for Liturgy and which are not? Some people feel that only the Organ is appropriate for the Liturgy while others feel it acceptable to use any instrument that can produce a sound. Whenever a question like this comes up, before I answer it, I always think it is best to go to the documents of our Church instead of trying to just answer it myself. After all, the church is making its decisions

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Engaging Busy Teenagers in the Ensemble Without Sacrificing Quality

Today I would like feature our guest music ministry blogger Angus McDonnell. I asked Angus to talk about how to get teens involved with music at Mass while keeping things sounding good.

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Happy [Liturgical] New Year! Ideas for Advent Theme Songs

I’m not saying it’s time to break into “Old Lang Syne” yet, or anything like that, but we are less than a month away from a new Liturgical Year in the Church (November 28th is the First Sunday In Advent). Advent is a great time of preparation for the second coming of Christ and celebration of Lord’s birth in Bethlehem.

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Lent in Your Youth Ministry: Making the Most of the Season

Lent already? How is that possible? One minute we’re celebrating Christmas, we blink, and it is Ash Wednesday. Somewhere in the blur of time we forget to fully enter into this holy season. Often we get so caught up in the day- to-day operations of meetings, phone calls, emails and Life Night planning that we forget to take a second to stop and think about where the Church is leading us.