Life Teen

[Mercy me]

[quote name='LouisvilleFan' post='1279469' date='May 22 2007, 08:22 PM']However, employers have considerably more leverage over their employees. Most people don't want to get fired, so they'll follow the rules whether they like it or not. Church, on the other hand, is optional for most teens. If it's not worth the trouble, they'll go to a Baptist church or no church at all.[/quote]

What I was saying is that in Florida we dress in a significantly more casual manner than other parts of the country. Let's face facts that some summer attire is distinctly immodest.

This is not an issue unique to Lifeteen and I would suggest that I new thread be created to further the discussion. Lifeteen does not support immodest dress.

[kujo]

[quote name='Mercy me' post='1279341' date='May 22 2007, 06:41 PM']I beg to differ. You absolutely should not be lenient with teens. They are learning the boundaries of what is proper. It is how the rules are that is key here.

Being in Florida myself, I understand that dress is a challenge here. In no small part because f how relaxed the dress is everyday here. I work for a huge Fortune 50 company and yet in Florida we wear jeans to work. It would never happen in New York. When jeans is business attire, proper dress at mass gets to be a challenge. However, there are minimums that must be enforced. We used to have sweaters available for the girls who couldn't remember that backless is not right. I suggest something simular.[/quote]

Agreed. But we must be sensitive to cultural factors. From what I've observed growing up in South Florida, the hispanic culture is a bit more permissive of provactive dressing for girls. Now, that's all fine and good, but most Brazilian jeans and frilly-blouses aren't appropriate for mass; however, we can't expect them to make a complete 180, certainly not at the start of their faith journey. We have to lovingly encourage them to dress differently, providing as much support as possible.

As I said, it's a tight-rope walk. It's difficult.

[quote name='Seven77' post='1279353' date='May 22 2007, 07:00 PM']i believe Father is right on the money... modesty needs to be addressed and it's very pastoral to do so.

kujo, if properly explained in love, with catechesis and on their level---wouldn't that be the way to go?[/quote]

Of course that's the way to go. I'm not saying we should abondon the effort to keep things modest in our ministries. I'm just saying we can't expect things to happen instantaneously; rather, with time and patience and love, these things can be changed.

[quote name='LouisvilleFan' post='1279469' date='May 22 2007, 09:22 PM']However, employers have considerably more leverage over their employees. Most people don't want to get fired, so they'll follow the rules whether they like it or not. Church, on the other hand, is optional for most teens. If it's not worth the trouble, they'll go to a Baptist church or no church at all.[/quote]

Good point. We can't expect to drop the hammer down and read a list of "Thou shalt not's" and expect these teens to stick around. Again, love, patience and understanding...these are the things that will lead to the sort of conversions we want here.

[Mercy me]

Agreed. God bless.

[jmjtina]

wow.

I'm hispanic, and I agree that the culture encourages immodest dress, but that is just the American culture all together. Ever seen a Barbie?

My priest, purely hispanic through and through, WILL NOT allow you to have a Quincenera, or wedding without checking out the dress. He will speak on immodest dress and throughly make it clear that you WILL NOT come to Mass dressed immodestly even on an ordinary Sunday.

And the teens and adults abide by it. And they keep coming back.

Love demands sacrifice. It must be done in charity. And my priest throughly supports our youth program and the teens. What you expect them to do, it will happen. Lifeteen does prepare teens to swallow that kind of talk and accept it in love and know it is for the best.

At least the LT I know.

[kujo]

[quote name='jmjtina' post='1280079' date='May 23 2007, 07:01 PM']wow.

I'm hispanic, and I agree that the culture encourages immodest dress, but that is just the American culture all together. Ever seen a Barbie?

My priest, purely hispanic through and through, WILL NOT allow you to have a Quincenera, or wedding without checking out the dress. He will speak on immodest dress and throughly make it clear that you WILL NOT come to Mass dressed immodestly even on an ordinary Sunday.

And the teens and adults abide by it. And they keep coming back.

Love demands sacrifice. It must be done in charity. And my priest throughly supports our youth program and the teens. What you expect them to do, it will happen. Lifeteen does prepare teens to swallow that kind of talk and accept it in love and know it is for the best.

At least the LT I know.[/quote]

First off, I should apologize. I was in [b]no way[/b] trying to indict the Hispanic culture. I was just using an example.

Kudos to your priest for his stand-up nature. He seems like a really rockin' man of God.

[chelsea]

i just typed a whole long thing then my computer stopped working.

I got involved with lifeteen two years ago-ish. I was a self-proclaimed athiest and somehow ended up at this weird meeting for a group a teenagers. I didnt know why i was there. It was at that meeting that I had my first moments ever in Adoration. It was at that meeting that my heart was converted. I fell in love with Christ.

My youth minister instilled in me a great devotion to the Eucharist. Mass and adoration are crucial to our faith life as Catholics. I discovered this at lifeteen. My first retreat- called Mount 2000- was completely centered around the Eucharist. While I cannot say this for all the teens there, i deeply experienced the Love of Christ at lifeteen.

as ive matured in my faith, i've become independent from lifeteen. I still attend the lifeNights and the lifeteen mass, but ive also been able to worship God from outside the comfort of lifeteen. about a month ago, i made the decision to never wear jeans or sweatpants to mass or Adoration again. This has been a complete sacrifice and VERY difficult- its hard to see my peers looking 'cute' or 'hot' while I look more conservative. However, I have learned that reverence for the Eucharist is so much more important than social acceptance.

I love lifeteen. I think its a great jumpstart to anyones faith life. Every lifeteen has their problems. With prayer, we can hope to reveal the truth to all teens.

<3+ Chelsea

[LouisvilleFan]

Well, you don't hear anyone saying we should do away with Catholic education, but you see girls dressed rather immodestly gathered around the school every day around 3pm who probably just got out of Sister Birkenstock's Religion class. If most LTs are encouraging modest dress and teaching authentic Catholic theology, they're ahead of the game.

Edited May 23, 2007 by LouisvilleFan

[Mercy me]

Modest clothing is not always the most fashionable. I truely believe that many of the people who are dressing immodestly do not know that they are doing so. They are just dressing in the fashion of the day. It all comes down to us trying to live a Christian life in a society that is not Christian.