Introduction
The concern for teenagers’ and young adults’ participation in and ownership of the Catholic faith has become a near neurotic obsession among Church leaders at all levels. “Practically all of the synodal consultations shared a deep ache in the wake of the departure of young people”. The previous quote was spoken during an international gathering of Catholic leaders in Rome. This gathering is part of a worldwide synod, a systematic process of listening to the experiences of the faithful. This listening has revealed the “deep ache” that was mentioned above. This concern is neither reactionary nor unwarranted. Study after study has brought to light the exodus of younger generations from both participation in the Catholic faith and their self-identification as Catholics. The body of Christ is scratching its collective head and asking what can be done. For many, the starting point is the Eucharistic liturgy and that is, in fact, the focus of this paper.
The specific question is, “How can the Eucharistic liturgy better make use of symbols to better engage young people in fully active and conscious participation?” Being simultaneously clear, yet wide in scope, there are tasks in need of completion in order to arrive at an answer to the question. The first demand is a theological demand. The reader is not well served if assumptions are made about the very term “fully active and conscious participation”. This phrase is found in Sacrosanctum Concilium, the document from the Second Vatican Council that dogmatically articulates the Catholic vision for liturgical worship. Internal to SC, there are often overlooked data that clearly define the Church’s vision for participation. These internal data will be made more explicit and offer a clearer picture of the demanded qualitative mode of participation. In addition to the data internal to SC, the theological demand will be identified through a careful examination of both classical and contemporary articulations of Catholic sacramental theology.
The second demand is the demand of praxis. There are many opinions from adults about “what kids want” in the liturgy. While opinions are legion, the paper includes a direct survey of young people concerning the liturgy. By its nature, liturgical worship is scripted. The sequence of actions and the words prayed and by whom those words are prayed is very clear. The question of engagement of young people in the liturgy moves then to a question of semiotics. What are the manner of liturgical actions, the artistic choices, the use of music, and what style of music is selected to engage teenagers? These are questions of sights sounds, and symbols. These are questions of semiotics that will assist the practical theologian to propose a more informed liturgical praxis with teenagers. The research methods used were both quantitative and qualitative in order to discover liturgical praxis that can help lead to “fully conscious and active participation”.
After an exploration of the theological and praxis demands, the third movement will place theology and praxis in dialogue. Finally, this dialogue will lead to a proposal of new principles for engaging young people in the liturgy. The methodology and movements contained in the paper are greatly informed by Thomas Groome’s Shared Christian Praxis. However, the paper’s movements do not follow the same sequence of movements proposed by Groome in Shared Faith: A Comprehensive Approach to Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry: The Way of Shared Praxis. The sequence of movements as proposed by Groome are: 1) naming and expressing “present action” 2) critical reflection on present action 3) making accessible the Christian story and vision 4) a dialectical hermeneutic to the participants’ story and vision 5) decision or response for living the Christian faith. This paper includes the needed surfacing of present action and deep reflection upon that action. However, these movements are not first as they are in Sharing Faith. The first movement of this paper is the vision the Church has for worship: the theological demands.
Theological Demands
As mentioned above, the foundational principle that places demands upon the liturgy is “fully conscious and active participation”. The full quote is found in paragraph 14 of SC, “Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that fully conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy.” The first theological demand found in this paragraph is found in the nature of the liturgy itself. With the publication of The Spirit of the Liturgy in 2000, Joseph Ratzinger, who was elected as the pope a mere five years after the book’s publication, provided the contemporary reference point for theologians, clergy, and lay taste-makers in defining the nature of the liturgy. He notes, “[I]f we want to discover the kind of doing the active participation involves, we need, first of all, to determine what this central actio is in which all the members of the community are supposed to participate.” As Ratizinger continues, he points out that the central liturgical action is the action of the Logos, the second person of the trinity. It is God’s action. “The real ‘action’ in the liturgy in which we are supposed to participate is the action of God himself”. Perhaps a deeper insight into the action of God in the liturgy can be found in the writings of Edward Schillebeeckx. “Thus Jesus is not only the revelation of the redeeming God; he is also the supreme worshipper of the Father …The man Jesus is personally in dialogue with God the Father; the supreme realization and therefore the norm and the source of every encounter with God.” Summarizing the work of these theologians, the nature of the liturgy is a participation in the Logos, the Son, and his relationship with Father. It is a relationship of love, a relationship of closeness, a relationship of worship.
Both theologians also speak of the sacrificial nature of the Son’s self-giving to the Father. In communion with the Son, our participation in the liturgy is to be a participation in the sacrifice of the Son as an act of love. “But we must still pray for it to become our sacrifice, that we ourselves, as we said, may be transformed into the Logos (logisiert), conformed to the Logos, and so be made the true Body of Christ.” These thoughts provide introductory thoughts to the nature of the liturgy itself and provide a starting place for the theological demand placed upon those who participate in the liturgy. While entrance into the Logos’s relationship with the Father is a starting point, it is not an end point. A look to paragraph 7 further develops the theological demands.
To accomplish so great a work, Christ is always present in His Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. He is present in the sacrifice of the Mass, not only in the person of His minister, “the same now offering, through the ministry of priests, who formerly offered himself on the cross”, but especially under the Eucharistic species. By His power He is present in the sacraments, so that when a man baptizes it is really Christ Himself who baptizes. He is present in His word, since it is He Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church. He is present, lastly, when the Church prays and sings, for He promised: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”.
Paragraphs 7 and 14 are among the most quoted from SC. They are interconnected and are needed to understand each other. Paragraph 14 urges the Church to participate in the action of Christ and paragraph 7 calls out four manners by which Christ is present in the liturgy: 1) Christ’s minister, the priest 2) especially in the Eucharistic species 3) Christ’s word spoken in the reading of the scriptures 4) when gathered Church prays and sings. There is an important inclusion in this seventh paragraph: “that when a man baptizes it is really Christ Himself who baptizes”. Fully conscious and active participation is unlocked when this phrase curious quote is examined in light of these four manners by which we can understand Christ’s presence in the liturgy. For that unlocking, a turn to sacramental theology is warranted.
Catholic theology notes that there are two sides to the sacramental coin. The first side of the coin or the first principle is ex opere operato.
This is the meaning of the Church’s affirmation that the sacraments act ex opere operato (literally: “by the very fact of the action’s being performed”), i.e., by virtue of the saving work of Christ, accomplished once for all. It follows that “the sacrament is not wrought by the righteousness of either the celebrant or the recipient, but by the power of God.” From the moment that a sacrament is celebrated in accordance with the intention of the Church, the power of Christ and his Spirit acts in and through it, independently of the personal holiness of the minister. Nevertheless, the fruits of the sacraments also depend on the disposition of the one who receives them.
Very simply translated, ex opere operato means “from the work being worked”. By the fact that a sacrament is being performed, there is power in the sacramental rite and their power is constituted in their effective bestowal of grace. The grace that a sacrament intends to make manifest is, in fact, made manifest provided that the proper minister makes use of the proper material, proper words or “form” with the proper intention of conferring grace. This is what is meant when paragraph 7 says, “when a man baptizes it is really Christ Himself who baptizes”. In a fuller explanation, Edward Schillebeeckx writes:
The sacraments are the are saving mystery of the worship of Christ himself in ecclesial visibility; the mystery of his worship (of the Father), to which the infallible response is the effective bestowal of grace. This infallible connection is now present in the sacraments, expressed by the term ex opere operato, or “by the power of the rite.” For what reason? For a double reason. In the Church’s ritual symbolic act, not only are Christ’s prayer and worship really present and visible and sacramental form, but really present also is the infallible response to this prayer, the effective bestowal of grace.”
Considering the four manners by which Christ is present in the Eucharistic liturgy in light of ex opere operato, the presence of Christ in the eucharistic species is clearly made manifest ex opere operato. The proper minister (the priest) offers proper the material (wine and unleavened wheat bread) using the proper prayer (the Eucharistic prayers of the Church) with the intention of having the real presence of Christ made manifest. When these are in place, there is an effective bestowal of grace, to use the words of Schillebeeckx, in the eucharstic species.
It would seem that the presence of Christ through his minister is also made manifest ex opere operato. The effective bestowal of grace is not dependent upon the holiness of the minister because “when a man baptizes it is really Christ Himself who baptizes”. If the proper minister (the bishop) has consecrated a man with the proper prayers of the Church (the ordination rite) while using the proper material (sacred chrism oil) with the intention of ordaining him as a priest, then he does, in fact, become a priest. His presence at the eucharistic liturgy is a way that Christ is made manifest in the liturgy ex opere operato. It seems that this would be the case with the reading of the Scriptures, as well. The proclamation of the word of God is not dependent upon the faith or moral standing the one who proclaims the Scripture.
“Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart”.
“So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me empty, but shall do what pleases me, achieving the end for which I sent it.”
Therefore, the presence of Christ made manifest in the Eucharistic elements, in Christ’s minister the priest, and in the word of God proclaimed are not dependent upon anyone’s disposition. They are not dependent upon how engaging they are. They are not dependent upon the dynamism, the artistic flare, the passion, the faith, the architecture, the decibel level, the language, the vestiture, nor any other contingency. They are effective bestowals of grace simply by the work being done. Is this also true for the fourth manner that the presence of Christ as described in paragraph 14 of SC?
It is not unusual to hear paragraph 14 misquoted. When recalling these four manners, one may hear that Christ is present in the minister, in the Eucharistic elements, in the Word, and in the people. However, SC does not say “the people”. No. It says “when the Church prays and sings” (emphasis added). In the beginning of this current treatment, it was mentioned that Catholic sacramental theology has a two-sided coin. One side is ex opere operato, by doing the work, the presence of Christ is made manifest. On the other side of the coin, there is a needed human response to the effective bestowal of grace. The presence of Christ leaves those who encounter his presence with a choice to either cooperate with the effective bestowal of grace or not. Ex opere operantis is the other side of the coin that describes the individual Christian’s disposition toward the sacramental encounter. “[T]he opus operantis of the recipient does have a part to play in sacramentalism considered as the actual reception of grace bestowed sacramentally.”
This leads to the next theological demand. The gathered Church is to bring something qualitative to the liturgy. The nature of the liturgy demands this qualitative element. Considering the language of SC, the fourth manner that Christ is present in the liturgy is not made manifest ex opere operato. The demand is not that the faithful simply gather in a common place. There is a required action. If the language of paragraph 7 said that Christ was made manifest during the gathering of the baptized, then one could argue that the presence of Christ is ex opere operato. The work of baptism makes one a member of Christ’s body and when they are gathered, the presence of Christ is there. However, SC did not make use of this language. When the language that paragraph 7 uses is examined, then light is shown on paragraph 14. Fully conscious and active participation requires more than simply being present. Moreover, there is more than an internal disposition. There is work, there is an action required of the worker, the gathered Church, upon which a presence of Christ in the liturgy is dependent. Going deeper into paragraph 7 reveals more of what is theologically demanded.
It can be helpful to read SC in the English translation as has been done to this point. However, the document was written in Latin and when the Latin is examined, surprises are found. What is translated as, “when the Church prays and sings”, was written “praesens adest denique dum supplicat et psallit Ecclesia”. The surprise is found in the words behind “prays” and “sings”. The most common Latin words for “prays” and “sings” were not used, namely “oratio” and “cantare”. If these are the most common Latin words for “prays” and “sings”, why were these words not chosen? Why instead was “supplicat” chosen as the word for “prays” and why was “psallit” chosen for the word “sing”? In these distinctions, the final theological demand will be revealed.
In The Spirit of the Liturgy, Ratzinger addresses the etymology of the word oratio, the seemingly likely choice for “prays”. “Perhaps it would be useful to note here that the word oratio originally means, not ‘prayer’ …but solemn speech.” The Church does not say, then, that solemn speech is required on behalf of the gathered Church. Instead it is supplicat, the root of the word “supplication”. In supplicat, humility and dependency are expressed. Supplicat is closely related to pleading. Therefore, there is a manner of Christ’s presence that is dependent upon the gathered Church expressing dependency upon God in prayer.
“The singing of the Church comes ultimately out of love. It is the utter depth of love that produces singing. ‘Cantare mantis est’, says St. Augustine, singing is a lover’s thing. In so saying we come again to the trinitarian interpretation of Church music. The Holy Spirit is love, and it is he who produces the singing.” The use of a word other than cantare does not diminish the words of St. Augustine. Certainly if one is to pray prayers with a disposition of dependency upon God, then that prayer should also express “a lover’s thing”. Psallit does not dismiss cantare. It describes cantare. Psallit is a particular manner of singing and describes the source of the song. It is evident that it is a cognate of “psalmody”. This means the Psalms uniquely inspire the content. In the Psalms, the Church finds the whole realm of human emotion in relationship to God. Lament, praise, repentance, exaltation, memory of God’s action: all of these are expressed in the Psalms. This is the content. However, psallit is most widely distinguished from cantare because it involves accompaniment by instrumentation. In the oldest mean of psallit, it is singing while being accompanied by a plucked instrumentation, e.g. a lyre or a harp. When the faithful sing, there is to be the expression of the whole range of human emotion through instrumentally accompanied singing of text particularly found in the Psalms.
Considering all of this, the theological demands of the liturgy include:
The Church is to enter into the nature of the liturgy.
The nature of the liturgy is the Church’s participation in the relationship between the Logos and the Father.
The Church is to participate in the relationship between the Logos and the Father consciously, fully, and actively.
There is an aspect of Christ’s presence in the liturgy that is dependent upon the disposition and action of the Church.
One action is for the Church to pray in humble supplication as an expression of dependency upon God.
Another action, not to the exclusion of others, is to bring sung voice to the breadth of human emotion in relationship with God that is accompanied by music.
These are theological demands. Now there is a need to examine praxis in hopes of finding that which will meet the theological demands of the liturgy with the principle questions centered around that which will lead to prayerful supplication and voiced song.
Praxis Demands: Surfacing and Deeply Reflecting on Current Practice
The task is framed by a rather pragmatic question: what will draw young people into the heartfelt prayer of supplication and into prayerful song as called for by SC? This is the aim of discovery that was undertaken in quantitative and qualitative research conducted in the states of California, Florida, Indiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. As mentioned in the introduction, the questions turn to semiotics. With the eucharistic liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church possessing a predetermined flow of worship, specific readings designated for each celebration, and limited options in the Eucharistic prayers, few elements are left open to the local community to choose. These choices include the manner of movements, the symbols employed, the music chosen, and the language employed. These choices are the points of disagreement as Church leaders seek to engage younger generations in worship.
A brief scan of liturgical and youth ministry web sites and publications will reveal the tone of the debate. Some say that young people are in search of traditional expressions of the liturgy. This would include the opinion that young people want to return the liturgy prior to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. This is commonly named the “Traditional Latin Mass” (TLM). Also, one can find those who advocate for the use of more contemporary movement, music, and art. This would include music that has emerged from modern worship music used in evangelical churches and from movements such as Elevation Worship, Hillsong, Bethel Music, and Maverick City. While these may represent the poles of the debate, most Catholic parishes in the United States are outside of these poles. Traditional hymnody, Spanish language songs, and music composed by Catholic writers since the the 1970s are also quite commonly found in US parishes. Music, movement, and art all widely vary and the advocates for each expression mentioned above believes they are providing young people with the religious experience teenagers are seeking. However, there is scant data that indicates the thoughts and the perspectives of young people themselves. It is for this reason that primary research has been conducted in the development of this paper.
Research Methods
The research consisted of a quantitative survey and focus groups. The survey measured young people’s reaction to 1) six videos 2) six works of visual art 3) and six songs. In a study of semiotics, each of the three surveyed areas were highly symbolic. Among the most highly symbolic moments in the Roman Catholic liturgy is the preparation of the gifts and altar. This richly symbolic moments occurs after the universal prayers (the prayers express the petitions that are being offered by the gathered community) and it provides one of many symbols.
After the universal prayers are offered, the unconsecrated bread and wine are most commonly brought to the priest by lay members of the congregation. The ancient symbolism of the bread and wine is explained by the sacramental theologian Johannes Emminghaus. In reference to gifts that were brought to the altar during the 3rd and 4th centuries, Emminghaus writes, “Thus in what was brought one gave oneself and one was in a sense identified with what was given.” The first symbolic action of the preparation of the gifts and altar is the presentation of the bread and wine to the priest. The traditional interpretation of this action is the presentation, yes of the bread and wine, but also of the people themselves. Occurring after the universal prayers, there is the sense that the prayers of the congregation have been united to the bread and wine. When lay members of the congregation present the gifts of bread and wine, it represents the offering of the congregations prayers and, as Emminghaus points out, their very lives.
Bringing these gifts to priest, there is an exercise of both priesthoods, the ministerial priesthood of the ordained minister and also the sacrificial offering of the congregation in the priesthood of all believers. As the priest receives the gifts, he then turns to altar and lays them there in a preparatory blessing over the gifts (the prayer over the gifts). The people and their prayers have been placed on the altar to be offered in communion with the eucharistic sacrifice.
Third, the rite calls for an optional use of incense. After the prayer over the gifts, the priest circles the altar with incense. This is reminiscent of Psalm 141:2, “Let my prayer be incense before you”. It represents the offering that the congregation has brought to the altar of sacrifice rising to God. These three elements, 1) the eucharistic elements of bread and wine, 2) the prayer over the gifts at the altar, and 3) the incensation of the gifts and altar present the congregation with symbols ripe for interpretation. The six videos that were presented in the quantitative survey were six different expressions of the gifts and altar. Each of the six presentations are representative of six different, yet common, manners of expressing this ritual. In the order that they were presented, the first was from the TLM as celebrated at the cathedral church in the Diocese of Sacramento. The unique characteristics of this example include: 1) the use of incense 2) the use of Latin language chant in a Gregorian mode 3) the priest was offering the liturgy ad orientum. This means that the priest was facing the altar rather than facing the people while preparing the gifts and while incensing the altar. As the name indicates, this manner represents the most traditional expression.
The second example of the preparation of the gifts and altar is from St. Augustine’s Catholic Church in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC. This is a predominately African-American church with the following characteristics. Gospel music was used to accompany the liturgical action. The piano and choir were both directly behind the altar rather than being at the side of the altar or in a choir loft at the back of the church. In most Catholic parishes in the United States, the musicians and singers are commonly found at the side of the altar or in a choir loft at the back of the church. The priest faced the people and also used incense.
The third example is from St. Ann Catholic Church in Coppell, TX, a suburb of Dallas. This expression of the preparation of the gifts and altar is accompanied by a the hymn “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today”. The priest was accompanied by two deacons and all three men wore more adorned vestments of gold fabric as they incensed the altar. The priest faced the people in this expression.
Fourth, the setting turns from St. Ann in Texas to St. Ann in suburban Atlanta, GA. This parish in Marietta, GA was once the eastern hub for the youth ministry movement, Life Teen. This movement was marked by liturgies that were specifically crafted to engage high school aged teenagers. With its origins in the mid-1980s, “Life Teen Masses”, as they came to be known, were in the cutting edge of youth ministry. These liturgical celebrations had features that drew praise and criticism in equal measure. They made use of modern praise and worship music that was widely used in white evangelical circles. Teens were called from their pews and invited to stand together around the altar during the eucharistic prayer. Also, some of the language in the liturgy was changed. Many of these practices have ceased in recent years; however, the movement’s use of modern praise and worship music remains a defining feature. That is the case with the video of the preparation of the gifts and altar that was used in the survey. The sample was taken from St. Ann’s Sunday evening liturgy which directly precedes their evening youth programming and in this liturgy, modern praise and worship music was employed. The priest faced the people; however, no incense was used. It was the only example of the preparation of the gifts and altar that did not make use of incense.
The fifth church represents an expression that might be the most commonly found in the United States. The vast majority of Catholic Churches make use of music composed by Catholic song writers who have been writing since the mid-1970s. If there is a song that typifies this era of music, it is “Here I Am, Lord”, by Dan Schutte. This is indeed the song that accompanies the preparation of gifts and altar seen at the Church of the Annunciation in Orlando, FL. The video clip included people from congregation bringing forward the gifts of bread and wine to priest, the incensation of the altar, and the priest facing the altar. It is an expression of this liturgical moment that would be familiar to the majority of Catholics in North America.
The sixth and final video does include a significant change. The language of both the music and prayer was Spanish. This parish in Deltona, FL is similar to many of the expressions in its use of incense and in the priest’s facing the people. With these six expressions included in the survey, the primary question to be answered is, “Which expression makes young people want to pray”? This key data point is informed by the definition of “fully conscious and active participation” in the liturgy found in SC. If a presence of Christ is dependent upon the disposition of the people, then the key question is that of prayer. Therefore, the respondents were asked to indicate all that apply from the following:
It makes me want to pray.
It’s beautiful.
It is not relatable.
This is kind of Mass I want to go to.
It makes God feel close.
It makes God feel far away.
I don’t want to go to a Mass like that.
It does not want to make me pray.
This is like my church.
This is nothing like my church.
The second category of symbol that was surveyed is the visual arts. Images of Christ presented to the young people included: 1) an icon from Eastern Christianity, 2) a modern, angular representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 3) an acrylic image of Christ reaching downward from the cross, 4) a depiction of a multiracial Christ, 5) a triptych back altar that has a crucifix flanked by the statues of two Saints, and 6) a large crucifix from the mid to late 20th century. For both the preparation of gifts and altar and these visual arts, the central question is about prayer. With each presentation, the survey respondents were asked to name all that apply to their reaction to the presentation:
It makes me want to pray.
It’s beautiful.
I like it.
I have a strong negative reaction to it.
It’s not relatable.
I would like to see this where I go to Mass.
It makes God feel close.
It makes God feel far away.
I would not like to see this where I go to Mass.
It does not make me want to pray.
We have something like this at my church.
We have nothing like this at my church.
The third and final category was musical. Similar to the diverse offerings in the two categories above, six pieces of music were presented to the respondents. The first was a Latin language a cappella antiphon from Gregorian chant. The second was the traditional hymn, “Holy God We Praise Thy Name”, accompanied by an organ. The song “O God, You Search Me” was the third piece of music presented. With a copyright of 1992, “O God, You Search Me” represents contemporary Catholic liturgical music which would fall between traditional hymnody and modern praise and worship music. Moving across the spectrum finds the song “Our God Is Here”. This fifth song is also written by a Catholic songwriter; however, rather than leaning toward hymnody, it is written in the style of modern praise and worship music. Sixth, a Spanish language setting of the Our Father, “Padre Nuestro”, is presented with instrumentation used in Mariachi music. Finally, “Who You Say I Am” is a modern praise and worship song that is currently widely used in Evangelical churches and Catholic youth ministry events. As with the previous two categories, the survey respondents were asked to name all that apply to their reaction to the presentation:
It makes me want to sing.
It’s beautiful.
I like it.
I have a strong negative reaction to it.
It’s not relatable.
I would like to have this music I go to Mass.
It makes God feel close.
It makes God feel far away.
I would not like to have this music I go to Mass.
It does not make me want to sing.
We have music like this at my church.
We have nothing like this at my church.
The Preparation of the Gifts and Altar
The data collected from the 61 responses to the survey and from the focus groups in San Diego, CA and Brentwood, TN were in pursuit of the essential question: “What are the sights, symbols, and sounds that make teenagers want to pray and sing at the Eucharistic liturgy”? Among the six ways that the presentation of the gifts and altar were expressed, St. Ann in Marietta, GA which made use of modern praise and worship music and Annunciation in Orlando, FL which made use of contemporary Catholic music were the most commonly cited expressions that made them want to pray with exactly 50% of the respondents. When analyzing the data in light of SC’s call for the gathered church to supplicat, it would seem that the conclusion would be clear: contemporary expressions of the preparation of the gifts and altar would be the preferred manner of ensuring fully conscious and active participation in the liturgy. However, the cathedral in Sacramento which expressed the preparation of the gifts and altar through the TLM received the most responses to the statement, “It makes me feel close to God” and among the fewest responses regarding what made them feel as though God was far away or not relatable. It was not an off-putting manner of preparing the gifts and altar. Moreover, among all responses, the TLM was cited as the most beautiful with 76% saying such and the one that made them feel closest to God at 63%. St. Ann in Marietta was the second most commonly cited expression that made teens feel close to God at 52% and was the second most commonly cited as beautiful at 58%.
Between the two expressions to which the data indicate a deeper analysis is warranted, the TLM is the one that employed more symbols. The most obvious is that of incense. When a focus group was asked about the use of incense during, the participants were not able to attach any particular meaning to the use of incense. As one participant said, “It looks aesthetically pleasing, but I never understood the significance. I see the priest does it three times and does it in the sign of the cross and I know that has meaning, but I’m not clear on what it symbolizes.” With that said, young people do attach meaning to the action of incensing the gifts and altar. Although the teens did not articulate the traditional interpretation of the symbol, Psalm 141:2, “Let my prayer be incense before you”, the symbol of incense seems to speak in an effective manner as is reflected in the following comments:
“It makes a stronger connection between me and the overall mass. It brings me to the mindset, ‘OK. This is mass. This is the time that I’m close to God.’”
“It brings me to mental purity. It brings clarity. It takes away distractions and it brings my focus to what is happening.”
“It’s a sign that shows God that we’re with him and that he is important to us.”
Based on the responses from the survey and the focus group, the symbols of the TLM should not be ignored. The manner of chant, the incense, the vestments, the number of ministers, and the orientation of the altar combine to create an experience that makes young people feel close God and makes them want to pray. It should also be noted that contemporary praise and worship songs also makes the respondents want to pray. This should also not be ignored in the pursuit of praxis that meets the theological demands. Continuing to look at the symbols in and surrounding the liturgy, the next category is that of sacred art.
Sacred Art
When presented with the six images of sacred art, the survey respondents indicated that the traditional crucifix flanked by two statues of Saints (triptych) and the late 20th century rendering of the crucifix were the two that most made them want to pray. Between the two, 62% cited the modern cross as the piece of art that most made them want to pray while 54% identified the triptych. Later in the paper it will be shown that nostalgia, the word used by the respondents, has a powerful affect. Perhaps nostalgia, or at least familiarity, has prompted the respondents to indicate the modern cross most moves them toward prayer. In addition to the high rating regarding prayer, 62% of the respondents indicate that they have something like this in their own church. Curiously, liking a piece of art does not necessarily translate to prompting one to pray. The most liked piece of art was the multiracial depiction of Jesus. While it was the most liked, it was among the lowest rated in both making them want to pray and what they wanted to see in their church. Taking the findings in this category as a whole, it is fair to say that the familiar and the traditional expressions, the triptych and the contemporary cross, were the pieces of art that most caused the young respondents to want to pray. Don Browning notes, “(Charles Sanders) Peirce originated the semiotic and communal theory that (Josiah) Royce developed into the idea that interpretation always proceeds within a community”. What is sacred art? That which the community reveres as sacred.
Music
As was seen in the category of the preparation of the gifts and altar, music is intimately intertwined with the rituals themselves. This is especially true in the TLM where Gregorian chant is part of the rite itself. Music’s power as a semiotic is difficult to overstate and it is central to the debate on what is appropriate for worship with young people. Listening the opinion of young people themselves, they also clearly identify music’s importance. At times, their thoughts on music in the liturgy appear to be commentaries on SC as they describe the presence of Christ made manifest through a praying and singing congregation. Consider the following thoughts expressed from the qualitative study.
“The music when everyone is singing is my favorite part of mass. I feel so united to everyone. I feel connected towards God, towards the church, towards everyone.”
“Music is my favorite part of mass. You get that sense of community and singing is prayer twice.”
“So many kids are too shy to really sing, but when other people are really engaged in singing it makes people want participate in it more and brings a new way of participating in mass.”
“The music really changes the atmosphere at mass. The music really sets the tone when it comes to youth and it impacts them”.
With these thoughts being expressed, what music did they identify in the quantitative study? Among the six songs that represent six different genres of music, “Who You Say I Am”, the modern praise and worship song, rated as the song that most made them want to sing. It wasn’t the song that they liked the best. That was the Spanish language song “Padre Nuestro”. Even 71% of the non-Hispanic respondents said they liked the song. The song judged as the most beautiful was the hymn, “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name”. Despite the likability of “Padre Nuestro” and the beauty of “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name”, it would appear that “Who You Say I Am” is the song that meets the theological demand. The findings from the qualitative study present an answer that goes beyond an appealing melody.
“The song ‘Who You Say I Am’ has the energy and makes me want to dance and sing. I reminds of our camp when we had praise and worship. It was the same kind of music and everyone gathered around to sing. That’s why it was my favorite song.”
“For everyone on core team, ‘Who You Say I Am’ has a lot of meaning. Whether we are on retreat, at camp, or even at our 5pm mass that song is kind of nostalgic now. It really does engage my friends.”
“That song is attached to one of my core memories from Camp Emmaus”.
The responses indicate that the song is attached to moments of religious significance outside of the liturgy. Those who spoke about “Who You Say I Am” referred to camps or other prayer experiences. This phenomena is not limited to this song and is not limited to ecclesial events. Religious attachment to particular symbols also was seen among those who grew up in a house where Spanish was spoken or those who had Spanish speaking grandparents. Perhaps of finer distinction would be to say Spanish praying homes and grandparents.
“I pray both in English and Spanish, but I prefer to pray in Spanish because my family prays in Spanish.”
“Growing up, my mom took me to pray rosaries to the Virgin and sometimes we would host it. When I pray in Spanish, it brings me back to those happy memories of childhood and in those moments I feel closer to God.”
In the examination of the preparation of the gifts and altar, the TLM was an expression to which considerable attention was given. The question now emerges, “How do young people respond to Gregorian chant when it is not surrounded by the other symbols associated with the TLM”? An entrance antiphon that was chanted in a Gregorian mode from the TLM was also presented to the survey respondents and also in the qualitative study. With a response rate of 46%, it was among the pieces of music that most made the teenagers feel close to God and it also received the second highest response when asked about beauty as 60% found it to be beautiful.
“The Latin song brings me a clarity of mind.”
“The Latin made me calm and I could just listen and pray along with it.”
“The song in Latin makes me feel safe”.
These statements represent the appeal of Latin chanted in the Gregorian mode; however, when considering the theological demands from the previous section, the responses were lower. It rated the lowest among the six songs on two of the key criteria: 1) makes me want to sing 2) I would want to sing this at my church. The conclusions indicate that language matters and context within which music is used outside of the liturgy matters. “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name” and “O God, You Search Me” were the most commonly cited songs when asked what music was used in their church. However, they were not rated among the most liked. It should be said that “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name” was the second most cited song that made the respondents want to sing. In contrast to that datum, it did not rate highly when ask if they would want it used in their church. They indicate they are ambivalent to the hymn. Returning to the conclusion, songs that are attached to religious experience outside of the liturgy are more likely to engage teenagers within the liturgy.
In light of the research undertaken with teenagers’ responses to preparation of the gifts and altar, sacred art, and music, the following praxis demands emerge:
The incensation of the altar, while not completely understood, is a meaning laden action.
Multiple ministers and more solemn vestments and actions are beautiful, not off-putting.
Familiarity with symbols revered as sacred by the community, in fact, renders the symbol as sacred.
Examination of the symbols used in religious experiences outside of the liturgy will yield symbols that will engage teenagers within the liturgy.
Dialogue
The first three theological demands of the liturgy that were cited in the first section of the paper represent a rather sophisticated understanding of the eucharistic liturgy. Recalling these first three, they are: 1) to enter into the nature of the liturgy, 2) to participate in the relationship between the Logos and the Father, 3) to participate in this relationship consciously, fully, and actively. The participants in the research did not identify entrance into the relationship between the Logos and the Father as the aim of their liturgical involvement. Instead, they said they are looking for two things. First, they want something that is going to engage them in their enthusiasm. Second, they are looking for something that will bring them to a peaceful connection to God and others. They describe a certain flow of the liturgy that would begin in a celebratory manner and move toward greater solemnity within which there is unity among the people that have gathered.
“When I was at (the international gathering of youth in Portugal) World Youth Day, I prayed the Our Father with people from all over the world at the closing mass and everyone prayed it in their own language. I was cool to feel so unified.”
“I like to be a Eucharistic minister. You receive the eucharist yourself and then you get to give to people. I feel really connected to God because you’re giving the body of Christ to people.”
“I like when the priest is blessing the gifts and we all get to kneel down. We are all waiting for Jesus to come down in that moment.”
“I like when we receive the bread and wine. I feel a real connection with God because I don’t always have time to pray. When I receive the bread and wine is a time that feel close to God.”
In these responses, there is certainly nothing that is contradictory to the theological demands. In fact, the language, the symbols, the gestures, and the music of the liturgy seem to lay a foundation for a more reflective dialogue about the nature of the liturgical phenomenon. In their desire, they have expressed the second epiclesis (the second calling down of the Holy Spirit) that is found in Eucharistic Prayer III:
Look, we pray, upon the oblation of your Church
and, recognizing the sacrificial Victim by whose death you willed to reconcile us to yourself,
grant that we, who are nourished
by the Body and Blood of your son
and filled with his holy spirit,
may become one body, one spirit in Christ.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit and being made into one body in Christ, might help to bring language to the sentiment that resonates with the young people that were surveyed. A deeper reflection on the manner of their religious formation would be warranted. Does their formation include a mystagogical catechesis comparable to that which has been ascribed to Cyril of Jerusalem in mid-4th century? This would be a topic for greater research. If not, it seems that the young respondents would benefit from such reflection.
Turning to music, there are numerous opinions. It is common to find the opinion that only Gregorian chant be used as it is proper to the liturgy as was mentioned above. Others would say that it is appropriate for other songs to make their way into the liturgy. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, the instructional guide for the celebration of the eucharistic liturgy, offers the following instructions for the selection of music:
The main place should be given, all things being equal, to Gregorian chant, as being proper to the roman Liturgy. other kinds of sacred music, in particular polyphony, are in no way excluded, provided that they correspond to the spirit of the liturgical action and that they foster the participation of all the faithful.
Within this statement there are two of the theological demands that had been name. Song is to lead to participation and should be in harmony with the spirit of the liturgy. If Gregorian chant moves people toward supplicat and psallit equally to other forms of song, then it should be used because it is proper to the liturgy. However, if other songs are in harmony with the spirit of the liturgy and lead to fully conscious and active participation better than Gregorian, then they should be used instead.
The research indicates that religious meaning gets attached to songs and to language that fall outside of the liturgy. Joseph Ratzinger analogy of the synagogue and the Temple can offer insight into the use of songs that have resonance with the respondents. Within the the Temple is the Holy of Holies which contained the Ark of the Covenant. The synagogue pointed toward and was oriented by worship in the Temple. This orientation for the synagogue toward the Temple is analogous to the way that communal prayer outside of the liturgy points toward the liturgy. To make use of Ratzinger’s analogy and to attach language to that which he describes, there are antechambers to the eucharistic liturgy. Family prayer, worship services at camps, prayer meetings, and the like would be examples of such antechambers. For Catholics, these experiences of prayer are oriented toward liturgical prayer as seen is in SC, “the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed”. What the synagogue is to the Temple, the antechambers are to the eucharistic liturgy. The experience of cited by the respondents indicate that songs associated with the antechambers of liturgy want to make their way into the liturgy itself. Does the praxis of song, symbol, language, and gesture of the antechambers fulfill the remaining three theological demands of 1) bringing the gathered people into a disposition of receptivity to God’s action, 2) bring symbolic expression to prayer of supplication, and 3) bring sung voice to the depth of human relationship to God? If so, that which has place in the antechambers should be invited into the Holy of Holies.
Proposal of New Principles
Three primary principles are proposed for liturgical worship with teenagers: 1) attention to the symbols that are used in and emerge from the antechambers of the liturgy, 2) the inclusion of liturgically traditional gesture, vestiture, and action, 3) mystagogical reflection upon the symbols and the religious phenomena encountered in the eucharistic liturgy in a communal context. In regard to the first principle, a question for further study emerges: “do the religious symbols within the liturgy form religious attachment or is the liturgy the place were symbols find their a home”? This binary formulation is an admittedly oversimplified framing of the question. However, it doesn’t mean that it is not a helpful formulation. In fact, it goes to the heart of the question of semiotics in the liturgy. Where does the religious imagination get formed? What is the relationship between the antechambers of the liturgy and the liturgy itself? There are certain elements found within the liturgy that are not found in other places. Altars, vestments, incense, ceremonial priesthood: these are either exclusively or uniquely liturgical. Yet, the responses from the participants yield that these symbols are only moderately illuminated in the spiritual eye of the modern Catholic teenager. The attachment of meaning to these symbols and language is greatly informed by the symbols and language that come from the antechambers of the liturgy. More research is needed to better understand the interplay between the inherently liturgical symbols and actions and the symbols that are formed in family prayer, in retreats, own camps, and other antechambers of the liturgy were the religious imagination is formed.
The theological demands of the liturgy require an understanding that those who participate in the liturgy fully consciously and actively are entering into the relationship between the Logos and the Father. The symbols inherit to the liturgy contain it, but they don’t explain it. This is a missed opportunity. The participants in the research conducted were not able to articulate this relationship; however, they were on the cusp. If the symbols formed in the antechambers are married to the richly symbolic manners and gestures found in traditional liturgical expression and if the manner of catechesis is a deep mystagogical reflection upon the symbols associated with the liturgical encounter, there every reason to believe that a new generation of Catholics teens will enter into the fully conscious and active participation that the very nature of the liturgy demands.
