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Tag Archives: Liturgy / The Mass

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And So This is Christmas: Music and the Christmas Liturgy

By | December 19, 2012
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My advice is this: During the Christmas Season, sing the Christmas songs that people really know well.

Sure it’s okay to add in a few new songs that can deepen the experience and the meaning of Christmas, but be careful not to sing too many new or unfamiliar songs at Christmas. Instead of doing a lot of new Christmas songs, maybe rearrange a few of the carols to make them sound a little different, but be sure not to change the melody around so that people don’t even recognize the song they are singing. Add in some different grooves or instrumentation and maybe take out some chords to make the tune feel more contemporary.

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2 Essentials to Avoiding Youth Ministry Burnout

By | October 30, 2012
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I paused for a second as the youth minister I was talking to blurted out – “I’m officially burned out.” She seemed almost embarrassed to be admitting it. I could tell by the dull stare on her face that she was struggling to find any joy in her ministry. I had seen the look before and over the past 24 years in youth ministry I have realized that there are two key things that anyone involved in youth ministry must do to avoid burnout and by the way they have nothing to do with a more balanced life or hiring an assistant.

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Some Parishes . . .

By | October 2, 2012
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Some parishes place too little value on relational ministry with teens. (Teens are relational in nature, if the Church doesn’t foster relationships with teens, they will find relationships elsewhere.)

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These 40 Days of Lenten Music

By | February 14, 2012

In just over a week we enter into the sacred season of Lent. Forty days of fasting, prayer, almsgiving, and a call in this “Year of Faith” proclaimed by the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, to strengthen our faith and to help strengthen the faith of others. So what will change? In our own lives, will we just give up the same thing we gave up last year again or will we really take the time to reflect upon those things that lead us away from Christ? Will we truly seek to put those things aside and

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The Final Countdown to the Roman Missal

By | November 7, 2011

Well there is a countdown going on today and it has nothing to do with 80’s rock bands, but everything to do with the third edition of the Roman Missal. We are only 19 days away from this new translation of the current Sacramentary we use at Mass. So here’s the question … are you ready?! I hope the answer is: “Yes!” If you are worried that you may have forgotten something, let’s start with the obvious.

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Video: Helping Our Catholic Teens Understand Liturgical Change – Fr. Richard Hilgartner

By | September 16, 2011

Fr. Richard Hilgartner, Executive Director of the Secretariat of Divine Worship, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), shares some of the changes behind the new translation of the Roman Missal. He particularly talks about the challenges and opportunities about sharing these changes in the context of youth ministry. Video is taken from the 2010 Life Teen Liturgy and Music Conference.

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[Video] Word for Word – Parents and Adults

By | September 14, 2011

Why are the words of the Catholic Mass changing? Fr. John Muir confronts the misconceptions about the changes with truth and clarity. Fr. John helps parents understand the recent history behind the newest 3rd Edition of the Roman Missal and how it grows from the 1st and 2nd editions. Fr. John compares the “dynamic equivalent” and the “formal equivalent” of how we translate words from Latin to English, and then explains the elaborate process used to create the new Roman Missal. Finally,

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[Video] Word for Word – High School

By | September 14, 2011

Mark Hart helps high school teens understand HOW and WHY the words of the Mass are changing. Mark compares the “dynamic equivalent” and the “formal equivalent” of how we translate words from Latin to English, and then explains the elaborate process used to create the new Roman Missal. Finally, Mark challenges teenagers to rediscover the meaning behind the words we pray at Mass each week. For more information go to IsMassChanging.org. For an overview all the videos you can download go here

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[Video] Word for Word – Middle School

By | September 14, 2011

This video helps middle school youth understand WHY and HOW the words of the Catholic Mass are changing. The video gives a casual history of the words we use at Mass, and then gives specific examples of what to expect at Mass later this year. For more information go to IsMassChanging.org. For an overview all the videos you can download go here on CatholicYouthMinistry.com [add_to_cart item="2011-09-03"]

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Is the Catholic Church changing what songs are sung at Mass?

By | September 14, 2011

Although I’ve only been alive a short period of time compared to how long the Church has existed, it is clear to me through studying history that the debate over what music is suitable for Liturgy has been going on for a long, long time. In recent years this musical debate has taken to a new highway, the Internet.