Catholic Sensibility

Over the past seventeen years, a lot has changed. In 1990, I made a deal. I had been spending two years teaching "Liturgical Music" to school kids as a "special," a supplement to their regular music class. Forty minutes every two weeks for grades 1-5. Then I would get the pre-adolescents (grade 6-8) every week. All ninety of them. One teacher would sit in the back and "assist" with discipline, but believe me, it was a pretty crummy time. The principal objected when I began playing musical games and adapting youth ministry activities for them. "Just teach them liturgical music and leave the religion to our staff." You can imagine how that went over. One of the seventh graders, perceptive girl, told me, "The only reason we have to go to you is so our teachers can have a coffee and cigarette break." So as I said, I made a deal. With maybe two exceptions, the faculty dreaded "planning" liturgy. If they ended the sham of learning liturgical music (I didn't call it a sham to their faces) I could teach all the music they needed 3 minutes before Mass, I would take over all the liturgy planning duties. If the principal denied me, I think she would've had a revolt on her hands. So starting the Fall of 1990, I worked with a volunteer committee from each class: six or seven kids. We worked together to plan their Masses. Sink or swim, each committee was responsible. It was a much happier year for all concerned. The first Masses, planned by the 8th and 7th grade: pretty routine. But the younger kids were more enthusiastic and as I went down into 6th, 5th, and 4th grade, it began to have a faint whiff of competition. "The 7th graders just asked three moms to sing, but we could get our whole class to do it." On the second rotation, the older kids had responded in a good way: they took it almost as seriously as the eight- and nine-year-olds did. The fourth graders talked their art teacher into helping them with a massive Thanksgiving mural based on Deuteronomy 8:7-18. The fifth graders wrote a rap song, "Take advantage of times to pray; ask the Lord to get you through the day." More kids played their instruments for preludes and preparation. I thought it was dawning on them they really had a say in the Mass and what went on. Whatever your comfort level with kids' involvement, be you a teacher, priest, liturgist, or whatever, the goal of getting kids excited about Mass can indeed be part of the ministry thrust in your parish. The kids I've known respond to adults that give them serious music, serious readings, and serious challenges to tackle. Those first kids are all in their twenties now. I wonder how they're doing these days. Still involved, I hope.