dUSt Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Here's an e-mail I sent to both the national and regional director of the Lifeteen program. Let's hope I get a response. I'm very curious as to what they'll say. [font="Times"]************************************* Hello ----------, I'm the webmaster of a Catholic youth website called phatmass.com where we help kids grow in their faith through the use of creative apologetics, hip-hop, etc. I'm writing to you today because of my love/hate relationship with the Lifeteen program. On one hand, I've personally witnessed the awesome effect it has on kids through its promotion of the Eucharist, but on the other hand, I've seen where it's left kids in a state of confusion because of the changes that occur in the Lifeteen mass. I want to promote Lifeteen via my website, but would like some assurances that I'm remaining completely orthodox to the magisterium. On the Lifeteen website, I found the following, "All teens are welcome to gather around the altar as a family to intimately experience the Eucharistic celebration." I've attended Lifeteen masses where the altar gather happens as well. Now, from the EWTN website, Fr Robert Levis has this to say about it, "...to my knowledge the Lifeteen people have no special permits from Rome to bring the kids up to the sanctuary". Also from EWTN, Fr John Echert says this about teens gathering around the altar, "This is NOT in accord with the rubrics of the Mass and is contrary to the long-standing tradition that goes back even to the Old Testament Temple, that the sanctuary is the place of sacrifice and the domain of the priest, who is consecrated to function therein on behalf of the people." Can you see why I'm a little scared to promote Lifeteen? Also, after reading the recently released Redemptionis Sacramentum from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments, it has made me even more apprehensive to promote the program. I notice that in Lifeteen masses, the closing prayer replaces “this mass has ended” with “the mass never ends”. Redemptionis Sacramentum seems to be discouraging this (and the altar gather as well), because in the section on priests, paragraph 31 states, “…They ought not to detract from the profound meaning of their own ministry by corrupting the liturgical celebration either through alteration or omission, or through arbitrary additions.” Also, regarding episcopal conferences, paragraph 28 states, “All liturgical norms that a conference of bishops will have established for its territory in accordance with the law are to be submitted to the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments for the ‘recognitio’, without which they lack any binding force.” To me, this means that unless the liturgical practice has a “recognitio” from Rome, it shouldn’t be practiced. I'm in a tough spot because I would REALLY love to support Lifeteen. Is there anything that you can provide me with that will help alleviate my fears of becoming disloyal to Rome if I do so? Thanks so much. I look forward to your reply. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam! God bless, Dustin Sieber - webmaster, phatmass.com *************************************[/font] What do y'all think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thy Geekdom Come Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Well written...polite, but firm...good job... Did you send it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmotherofpirl Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 (edited) Dust I emailed them awhile ago, and when I asked for specific documents giving them permission they just kept telling me the were working with the Bishops, which is a non-answer. Edited July 7, 2004 by cmotherofpirl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmmerf Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 That's some nice work there. I'm for that. Go you. Yes. Woot. Amen, amen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dUSt Posted July 7, 2004 Author Share Posted July 7, 2004 [quote name='Raphael' date='Jul 7 2004, 01:35 PM'] Well written...polite, but firm...good job... Did you send it? [/quote] Yes. I sent it to four different people. The first one to respond gets a free taco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thy Geekdom Come Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 [quote name='dUSt' date='Jul 7 2004, 02:45 PM'] Yes. I sent it to four different people. The first one to respond gets a free taco. [/quote] LOL Mmmm...free taco... *hacks into Lifeteen email system and sends dUSt a response with my address at the bottom* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apollo Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 [quote]Just got some info from a very good source. As of October 4th, LifeTeen masses will no longer be allowed to do the Altar Gather during the Consencrattion, and can't say 'The mass never ends, it must be lived' at the end of Mass. Apparently, it has been allowed. Rome has reviewed the results, and made this determination, giving some time for LifeTeen to diseminate these new rules. I love LifeTeen, but always had a problem with the Altar Gather. Hopefully this will defuse many of it's detractors, and server to improve the LifeTeen program. [/quote] -Posted by JasJis in the Lifeteen Breaking News thread on Open Mic I think it is settled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RemnantRules Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 lets hope they just get the message! I would've promoted the Website a little bit more though but that's just me. other than that very nice resources and well written all around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeenaBobba Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Hi dUSt, I thought your email was good. You were straightfoward yet gentle. Many of us at phatmass feel the same way about LifeTeen, myself included. I think the organization's a good one, but I'm troubled by the abuses. When these abuses are curtailed, I feel I'll be able to be an unabashed LifeTeen fan. Now, though, it's like taking the good with the bad, and I'm not too crazy about that. God bless, Jen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovechrist Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 good job dUSt! its a great letter. i'm very involved with the LifeTeen site, and i hope to continue that. keep it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Red Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 good job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hopeful1 Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 sounds good dust. my church isn't a fullfledged LT church yet, although the youth mass wedo seems to be like a spin off of the program (I've never been to a lifeteen service, but am familiar with there website). We do have the alter gathering and the alternate ending, but i thought you'd like to know that since i have found out about the liturgical abuses i've stopped going up on the alter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iacobus Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 w00t. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnanc Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 pretty sweet. good job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geetarplayer Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 I heard straight from the mouth of the founder of Life Teen that there will no longer be altar gatherings at the Life Teen Masses. I also know that the webmaster for lifeteen.com is working on remodeling the site. I assume that the aforementioned change will be made on the site. As for the alternate ending, he didn't say anything about that. On a very local level, I'll be talking to my youth minister about it. -Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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