Posted on 06/02/2005 11:17:53 AM PDT by Pyro7480
On 21 May 2005, I attended the bacculareate Mass at Villanova University in southeastern Pennsylvania. My sister was graduating from this school, which was founded by Augustinian priests in the mid-19th century.
The Mass took place in the early evening at the university's stadium, and other than a brief shower, the liturgy started well. A choir sang Palestrina's Tu es Petrus prior to the beginning of the Mass. I was delighted to hear that particular piece of music. However, I should have a heeded a warning of sorts that was right in front of my eyes. There was a table close to the stage were the Mass was going to be offered, and sitting on top of the table were glass chalices, which obviously were going to be used during the Mass.
The atmosphere of the Mass shifted quickly as the processional hymn began. The line-up of the ministers began in a normal fashion. At the very beginning of the procession was a graduate in academic garb carrying a censor. However, not far behind were other graduates carrying multi-colored banners. They were the oddest things I had ever seen processed in during a Mass. It wasn't clear at all what their point was. The colors used weren't Villanova's colors. In fact, they used bright pastel colors. But they didn't have much to do with the Mass itself, so it was a forgiveable error.
The banners, however, was just the beginning of events that could be described as the results of lapses in judgement. The music during the Mass itself belonged to typical post-1970's composing, so that wasn't exactly unexpected either. But when the time for the offertory came, my heart began to sink. The hosts that were to be consecrated were brought in to the stage where the altar was in large wicker baskets. It wasn't immediately clear at that point but inside the larger wicker baskets were smaller wicker baskets, lined with white cloths of some sort, which actually contained the hosts. The wine that was going to be consecrated were brought in large glass/crystal containers.
Both the hosts and the wine were left in their containers during the entire Eucharistic prayer. When time came for communion, baskets containing consecrated hosts were brought to each side of the field. The smaller wicker baskets containing the hosts were taken out of the larger baskets, and most of the distribution of the Blessed Sacrament was taken care of by lay people, most of whom were college students.
When one of them came with the basket, the rest of my family went for Communion, but I decided not to go. I prefer to receive Our Lord's Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, from the hands of a priest or deacon. Anyway, at that point, I was feeling rather offended by the manner Communion was being distributed. They were treating Our Lord as if He were an appetizer that was being served at a restaurant. When my dad sat back down next to me after receiving Communion, I told him what was wrong about what was taking place.
As the distribution was winding-down, I noticed that some of the students who were distributing Communion were committing more abuses. I saw one of them self-communicate. Some of them stacked the baskets on top of each other, and it was probably the case that on top of the clothes, there still rested small fragments of the consecrated hosts.
After the Mass concluded, my family went to a nice Italian restaurant nearby. I brought up the issue of the Mass. My mom seemed to understand why I was feeling offended. My sister on the other hand, said in response to my complaint (in a rather sarcastic manner), "I'm sorry my liturgy offended you." She couldn't understand why it was wrong to serve the Blessed Sacrament in that manner.
My final thought on this issue: If it is possible for papal Masses to accomodate hundreds of thousands of people during Communion, and do it properly, then an American institute of higher learning which has Catholic roots can afford to do take the proper steps to accomodate a few thousand during a bacculareate Mass.
If we got enough FReepers together, we could have a guide for the whole country.
How about this as a list of guidelines?
23 Ways To Identify a Faithful Parish
1. There is at least one daily Mass. Obviously, if a parish shares a pastor with other parishes, this may not always be possible. But barring that, a parish needs to offer daily Mass.
2. Confession is offered for a set time... not just "by appointment only." The absolute importance of that sacrament must not be diminished.
3. The tabernacle is inside the main church in a prominent place. It's always frustrating to have to play "Where's Jesus?" when you walk into a parish for the first time. I recall once when visiting a church I'd never been in before, I confusedly genuflected to everything from the cantor to a statue of St. Therese before I figured out where the tabernacle was.
4. The church has kneelers. Period.
5. The church doesn't have a sign in the front that describes itself as a "Catholic Community." I know, this one seems petty at first, but it tends to be true. If a parish has an objection to the word "church," that's a good indication that a larger problem exists. And if that parish magnifies the nonsense with a sign that says something like, "An Open, Inclusive Community of Catholic Christians Who Care and Share," stop, turn around, run.
6. As you enter the church, you see people in the pews in prayer or, at least, reverent silence. If, on the other hand, it looks like social time down at the bingo parlor, that's a bad sign.
7. The Mass is not intentionally altered through the use of inclusive language.
8. The Mass is said according to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal and the instructions of the local bishop. Improvisation is great in jazz. Mass isn't jazz.
9. The gospel is not being read, nor the homily given, by someone other than a priest or deacon.
10. Latin has pride of place in the Mass. It's right there in the documents of the Second Vatican Council. That should be reflected in the liturgy itself.
11. The bread for the Eucharist isn't made with added ingredients not allowed by the Church. Honey, for example.
12. The liturgical music focuses on God, not the community. We are there, after all, to worship Him, not ourselves. And there's never a good reason to sing songs about bridges over troubled waters. You can do that at home, Mr. Garfunkel.
13. Extraordinary ministers do not outnumber the parishioners. There's a reason, after all, that we refer to them as EXTRAORDINARY ministers. We only use them when there are too many people for the priest and deacon to handle.
14. If you're able to find the mission statement of the parish (it's often carried in the bulletin), make sure it says something about fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church.
15. And while you're thumbing through the bulletin, see if there are other good groups there, like the Knights of Columbus, Legion of Mary, St. Vincent de Paul, and Holy Name Society. A faithful Bible study group is also a great sign.
16. The parish offers some form of Eucharistic adoration.
17. The parish has an active Pro-Life ministry, as well as a ministry that cares for the poor.
18. The priest wears his collar. Now, obviously, if you see your local pastor jogging one morning, he's not going to be wearing his clericals. But a priest should generally look the part. It's an important witness to the secular world and a sign that he recognizes the great value of his own vocation.
19. The pastor isn't afraid to preach on the tough issues: abortion, divorce, contraception, cloning, etc. That's not to say that every homily should cover those topics. But a priest should truly believe the Church's teaching and defend them without pause.
20. The parish's marriage preparation program includes instruction in Natural Family Planning (NFP). And if someone involved in the program describes NFP as "the rhythm method," go immediately limp and drop to the ground. With luck, he'll think you passed out and will take you to the emergency room, far, far away from that parish.
21. The church has a vibrant religious education program for both children and adults based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. You might also try to find out who's involved in the program and where they received their own formation.
22. The church's Website doesn't link to dissident groups like Call to Action, Voice of the Faithful, or Catholics for a Free Choice.
23. If there's a literature rack in the church, look at the publications the parish is carrying. Dissident magazines or newspapers tend to go hand in hand with a dissident parish.
Does anyone have a website where it would be conducive to list good and bad parishes according to the criteria given?
The list is so good, it was worth repeating!
I don't see why. Our parish has been blessed with the best choir in the archdiocese. Almost everyone joins them in prayerful song. I've never attended mass anywhere else (except in Africa) where that was true. And when one of the song leaders does an exceptionally good job, the parish sometimes applauds. We are grateful for the help they have given us to join in prayer in this way.
This may be a stupid question... but why is it that certain modern minded Catholics prefer to not address Saints with the Title of St. N.
St. Thomas Aquinas is either Thomas Aquinas or simply Aquinas.
Sts. Peter and Paul...Peter and Paul
Well, you get the idea...the casualness annoys me...and says something about the person's world view. It definitely projects a horizontal understanding of the heavenly, just as all the excuses given to condemn your not receiving Communion are based on horizontally minded answers. No one, save one person, was even suggesting that Our Lord was not present in the Eucharist at that Mass, but there is the vertical dimension which they fail to understand. As always, the decision rests with the individual and stuff like this is good to discuss with one's spiritual advisor.
For example, when I went on Ignatian Retreats, everyone was required to abstain from Communion until we made our General Confession. Abstaining from Communion can be a good in itself to reawaken our need to receive Him more worthily even if we already in the State of Grace.
My 20-year-old nephew, who is entering the seminary, was telling me the other day that he attended a Tridentine Mass for the first time and found himself quite literally in tears
You should encourage your nephew to enter the FSSP or ICRSP. He may have never heard of these religious societies. The priests, in these 2 societies, are formed to offer the Tridentine Mass
You might like to email him these 2 webpages.
http://www.fssp.org/
http://www.institute-christ-king.org/
St. Thomas Aquinas is either Thomas Aquinas or simply Aquinas. Sts. Peter and Paul...Peter and Paul...
It definitely projects a horizontal understanding of the heavenly...
I see what you mean, and I certainly have a very deep appreciation and respect for the saints. The lives of the saints were my bedtime stories as a child and have continued to be of great importance to me as an adult. However, I sometimes refer to saints for whom I have a special devotion by their first name. St. Augustine comes to mind. I have been heard to refer to him as the Great Augustine or even as my friend and hero Augustine! But this is not out of disrespect. It's because (and this may sound corny or presumptuous) he is so important to me that he's become family. In fact, I was reading "Salt of the Earth" the other day and came across a passage where our new Pope referred to St. Augustine as "my great master Augustine" (master as in "teacher", of course).
We've finally got it stamped out as far the choir is concerned.
But, yes, we still have occasional silliness such as you cite.
Thank you. I'm pinging him now. (Andy, see post #105.)
Is Your Mass Valid? Liturgical Abuse
Rod Dreher, former columnist for The New York Post and now with The Dallas Morning News will be returning to Brooklyn this weekend for his annual vacation. On 9/11, Rod was at his desk in NYC but meanwhile, in Brooklyn .....
"Monsignor Ignace Sadek, the elderly pastor of the Maronite cathedral near the Brooklyn waterfront, went to the promenade park overlooking lower Manhattan and prayed for absolution for the dying as the towers burned. When the first building crumbled, and the terrible cloud of smoke, debris, and incinerated human remains began its grim march across the harbor, Monsignor Sadek remained at his post praying. The falling ash turned him into a ghost. Still, he stayed as long as he could. This is a man who came through the civil war in Lebanon, and he doesn’t run.
"People could see I was a priest," he told me later (he is my pastor). "They ran to me and knelt at my feet, and begged for absolution." Think of that: The people of this proud, defiantly secular city, driven to their knees in prayer, begging for mercy in a hot, gray fog. That is what purgatory must be like."
Reflections on September 11, 2001
Rod emailed me the other day, saying how much he looked forward to once again hearing the Qadeeshat chanted in the Cathedral. He named his 2nd son after Monsignor Ignace Sadek.
You can't begin to imagine how truly blessed you are to come from this proud and devout heritage.
You are absolutely right to listen to your "gut". According to Canon Law, EVERY catholic is entitled to a valid liturgy.
Ping to my #110!
The Minister/Membership, Tomas Torquemada Gentlemen's Club, allows NO petulance on the premises.
B*&^iness, yes--which is expressed differently.
But you got me!
Can you say "narcissism?"
I know it's been sunny and hot. Evidently you spent too much time outside.
Maybe that's why you "applaud in the Name of God."
The ONLY time one could or should applaud in a Church is after the Consecration--the biggest miracle. Since we don't applaud then, what OTHER event comes close enough to that for applause?
First off, the pipe organ is THE instrument of preference for the Roman Catholic Church. Inter alia, the organ is that which represents all of creation in praise of God (organon--Greek)
For all but a very few purposes, the organ is more than sufficient--accompanying a congregation or choir, or by itself in voluntary mode.
The piano is a percussion instrument, which in and of itself is slightly disruptive by virtue of the percussivity. The fact that a flood of mediocre-to-horrible "church" music exists using the piano does NOT change the position of the Church on the subject of the preference for the pipe organ.
Generally, the reason that pianos are used is that the "musician" is incapable of using the organ--another topic altogether.
There are bunches of serious papers written on the topic, but VatII's Doc on Liturgy contains the 'pipe organ is preferred' language (or similar.)
And as I told my daughter while she was a student there, "St Norbert's (Green Bay) is a Methodist bar and grill." Has the booze so it's not really Methodist--and they don't use the Creed at the Sunday Mass so it's not really Catholic.
But they have decent eats and several fine bars next door to the campus.
As usual, Sinky, you do not understand the systemic nature of liturgy--odd, given your profession.
All elements are consistent with the nature of the Sacrifice and the Body/Blood PRESENT--of God, no less.
TA's explanation is not only cohesive, it's systemically consistent.
Alas, yours is eccentric. Don't write nested if's, Sinky.
Horizontality.
As a member of one of the two/three best church choirs in the Archdiocese, I can tell you that when we are applauded, it is EMBARASSING.
We do what we do vor Gott--
Although what we do SHOULD lift the minds and hearts of the Faithful zu Gott...
I hear and obey. But (and this is a confession) I hate organ music. Maybe it's because the parish I grew up in had arguably the world's worst organist with the most awful singing voice I have ever heard (I kid you not. When I was still a teenager, a friend attended Mass at my family's parish. The organist sang some solo part of the liturgy. My friend almost choked when she heard him. She turned to me and whispered, "Is that how he really sounds? I thought somebody was playing a prank!")
But back to the organ... Does this mean the great masses composed by Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach are off limits because they include other instruments?
Applauding the choir, however, is a travesty.
As a choir member, I detest applause with a passion. But I understand that people are ignorant of proper decorum (unless they've taught themselves or have been instructed from "on high"), so I live with it. Grudgingly. And how does an ill-catechized choir know that the applause is meant for God and not for them?
While I acknowledge and appreciate the fact that those that clap after Mass aren't the early exiters, applause is still cheap and lazily convenient for the applauders whenever it happens.
If you truly want to show your appreciation, take the time to see the choir after Mass - they're genuinely starved for a kind word instead of cheap handclaps. And say - and mean - something like "You helped me pray" instead of focusing on the presentation alone. (BTW, it's not a performance, it's a presentation to the Lord God. Or at least it ought to be.)
As for catechizing the choir about their ministry, "Non nobis Domine, sed nomini tuo da gloriam." would be a good, pithy start. (Translated by ICEL as: "It ain't all about us, folks.")
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