One of the keys to inviting people to sing is simply that – to invite. Don’t scold the congregation and don’t show your frustration and start saying how you come here week after week to lead them in song and no one sings! This is the wrong approach! Simply invite and affirm them. Remind them that our role at the Liturgy is to practice full, active, conscious, participation as Vatican II tells us. Tell them that it sounds so beautiful to hear their voices singing God’s praise together.
Eventually it was gut-check time. While giving time and talent is great, that’s only 2/3 of what I’m called to do, and I’m either going to be 100% Catholic or not at all. There are no fractions when it comes to living out the Catholic faith, so I began to offer up my treasure as well. And now, I can safely say that my wife and I do the same. I know this is not an easy topic for those of us in ministry.
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.
Is there Parishnormal Activity happening surrounding youth ministry at your parish? – do the Knights of Columbus accuse the teens of taking all their left over ketchup packets from last year’s Parish picnic? – is the key to the closet in the Parish Hall now attached to a Hockey stick because you as youth leader [...]
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.
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” [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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.
Change can be difficult, especially change to the celebration of Mass. Changes to the Mass we are accustomed to can be unsettling, but it is also an amazing opportunity to pray Mass with new eyes and ears. instead of just automatically responding without thinking, these changes to the Roman Missal challenge us to really listen and think about the words we say in Mass. The question is, will we take this opportunity to dive into the beauty and mystery of the holy Mass, or just see the changes to the Roman Missal as an inconvenience, or worse, a detriment to prayer?