Whilst a parish could spend months planning one fantastic “Youth Mass”
with all the trimmings, it would be a one off and then it would be over.
It is important to take time and develop a planning team. A parish would have
more on going impact than a youth and liturgy team working together and bringing
in changes slowly to the regular liturgy to make it more “youth friendly”.
Introducing one “new” thing every month or so could eventually build to a
dynamic liturgy , require less intensive effort, have longer lasting effects and
build more community as eventually more people get involved in participating in
preparing for the liturgy.
So what one thing will you start at your next “youth” mass?
Hospitality– having greeters welcome people as they come into Mass. For
a “youth friendly touch” Greeters can be young people, or be
specifically asked to make a point of greeting young people as well (they’re
often ignored)
Have young people standing at all the doors so no one comes in without
saying hello. If you’ve got more doors than greeters, close a couple of
doors.
Invite teenagers to gather around the altar at the consecration. To start
this it is better to let a few people know before hand, spread them around
the church and give them the nod. That way, none has the embarrassment of
being the first person to come forward
Ask the Priest to especially welcome young people at the beginning of Mass
Ask the Priest to invite others to introduce themselves to each other at
the beginning of Mass. A special touch is to remember someone’s name and
use it at the sign of peace.
Start a youth Mass committee with the intention of bringing in many
changes slowly.
Ask the Youth Ministry Co-ordinator, or another gifted speaker, to do a
“warm up” before Mass—Welcome people , esp. young people and the
visitors to the parish, run through a song or two– especially if there are
new songs.
Include young people in the prayers of the faithful.
Short list:
Gather a team
Liaise with PP, pastoral council and liturgy team
Plan one change per month
Evaluate after six months
Catholic Youth Ministry
Diocese of Broken Bay cym@brokenbay.catholic.org.au
Ph:02 9473 4526 Fax: 02 9473 4599 PO Box 125 Wahroonga 2076 Australia To
Broken
Bay
