Bongos, Dancers, and Father-Mother God...

California Catholic Daily ^ | March 15, 2007

[monkapotamus]

Published: March 15, 2007

Bongos, Dancers, and Father-Mother God

Richard Rohr’s Mass at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress

At the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress on Saturday evening, March 3, Franciscan Father Richard Rohr celebrated a “general liturgy” in a ballroom at the Anaheim Convention Center. Father Rohr is a founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico and a Congress presenter.

The processional hymn was “Christ Be Our Light,” accompanied by bongo drums. Liturgical dancers carried large, flowing banners down each of the aisles in the ballroom. Reaching the front of the ballroom, the dancers stood along either side of the podium, twirling the giant banners.

Rohr, making no sign of the cross as he began the liturgy, said to the assembly, “as a fellow member of the Body of Christ, I thank you for allowing me to speak in your name. The Eucharist is always set in the form of a dialogue. First of all, I recognize the presence in you, and you return the compliment, and then the body is born.”

Following the readings, Rohr, commenting on the Gospel where Jesus urges His disciples to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them, talked about the forgiveness shown by the Amish community following the October murders of five young schoolgirls and our inability to extend similar forgiveness without God’s help.

While the intercessions were read, several people, standing on each aisle of the ballroom, were making choreographed hand movements. Several audience members joined in mimicking the movements.

The offertory procession began with two women waving banners, followed by two liturgical dancers, carrying a white tablecloth, sashaying up to the podium where Rohr sat waiting. They were followed by others who carried the hosts in large wicker breadbaskets and the wine in glass and plastic pitchers.

Rohr prayed over the gifts, “...make sure this people is hungry and ready to eat. Make sure we are not so filled with ourselves that there is not room for another person within us. Loving God, make sure this people is very hungry.”

Rohr changed some of the prayers of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Opening the preface, he prayed, “Father and Mother God....” Before the consecration of the host, he said, “before he was given up to death, a death he said ‘Yes’ to....” And before the consecration of the wine, Rohr prayed, “when supper was ended, he gave you thanks and praise, gave the cup to his beloved....” Following the consecration, Rohr said the Christ's bloood “will be poured out for you, and for all, so you will know your sins are forgiven.” In praying for the departed, he referred to them as “especially your own beloved who are already with the Lord.”

Rohr prefaced the Our Father, by saying, “and now, knowing we are more one than we are many, though we come from different places and races, we all share the same Father-Mother God. We call upon our God, together, in the words that Jesus gave us: Our Father, Who art in Heaven...”

[monkapotamus]

Ping

[steve8714]

Hmmm...didn't follow the Liturgy, did his own thing, this was not a Mass. consecration rather than Consecration here. this is just a bread snack with some wine. They could have served cheese.

[johnny7]

Were any chickens slaughtered in this procedure...?

[Kolokotronis]

Well, the guy is a Franciscan after all. They seem big into heresy and secretism, with the apparent approval of their surperiors and abbots. From the pagan rites at Assisi to the heretical "icons" one of these characters produces, the order has become a veritable Augean Stable of spiritual filfth.

If Rome wants reunion with Orthodoxy, it will have to get rid of clowns like these. They might make good Episcopagans.

[Mad Dawg]

You know, bet appointing bishops is like appointing Supreme Court Justices. You take your best shot and then fasten your seat belt. I know our new bishop in VA is Da BOMB. Maybe they'll get a good one on the left coast soon.

But, yeah, some serious chain-yanking would seem to be in order ...

[k omalley]

I'm happy to hear that the new bishop is improving the situation there. When I lived in Virginia over ten years ago the pastor of my parish loved this Rohr fellow and got many of his ideas from him. Those were trying, confusing times.

[NYer]

As steve8714 pointed out ... this was not a Mass.

Is Your Mass Valid? Liturgical Abuse

Hopefully, someone present at this general service (whatever that may be), videotaped it and submitted it to youtube. I'm on dialup and can't check. If anyone finds it there, please post the link to this thread!

In the meantime, we've done this before and can do it again. This information needs to be conveyed to the highest authorities. Please write to:

Cardinal Francis Arinze
Prefect - Congregation for Divine Worship
Piazza Pio XII, 10
Vatican City (Europe) 00120

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the greatest activity and prayer that one can participate in on this side of Heaven. Guard your rights to a proper celebration of the Liturgy and give God the love and reverence that He deserves.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Franciscians, like the Jesuits, produce people of great holiness and people of great heresy...Look at the fruit Mother Angelica has produced...and hers is a Franciscian order.

Thank you, Lord, for giving us counterbalances to the ones who do stuff like this guy.

But there are a lot of candidates for Episcopagans out there...but the Church will outlast them. They produce bad seed that's pretty sterile. And the younger priests tend to look at this guy and say, "you're a doofus."

[rogator]

"Rohr, making no sign of the cross as he began the liturgy, said to the assembly, “as a fellow member of the Body of Christ, I thank you for allowing me to speak in your name."

And all these years I thought that the priest at Mass spoke in the name of Jesus Christ.
Maybe this wasn't a Mass, but was some kind of sacralige?
Nothing in LA should surprise me anymore.

[Kolokotronis]

"But there are a lot of candidates for Episcopagans out there...but the Church will outlast them."

I don't doubt the Latin Church will survive. It may have to survive without Orthodoxy if it doesn't clean out these types. On the other hand, I suppose the open heresy of people and orders like this put the lie to any notion that the Vatican really controls even its own Church let alone could control Orthodoxy. In all honesty, when I read stuff like this I get disgusted for all sorts of reasons.

[Huber]

Liturgical abuse not limited to Episcopal Church ping.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

You're not the only one!

[blue-duncan]

"I don't doubt the Latin Church will survive."

God's church will survive, He knows who are His. An interesting book you might want to read if you can get a hold of it is "Wildmen, Warriors and Kings" by Patrick M. Arnold, a Jesuit author. He describes the 'feminization" of the church and its effects on all aspects of the communion of saints.

[redhead]

Rohr has been half a bubble off since he started. Deranged is a nice way to put what he calls "Liturgy." To my shame, I have participated in several, back in the days when I thought it was cool and didn't know diddly about the REAL Faith.

[rogernz]

this guy is an idiot and needs to be excommunicated. he must have been asleep in seminary. he obviously HAS NOT even read genesis 1 or any of the hundreds of references to the MALE, FATHER GOD.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

It's religious politics. It's not what the teachings are. It's about what some people want the teachings to be.

[StAthanasiustheGreat]

No Consecration occurred. It is so sad and frustrating that our Church has so many of these secular progressives who seek to change the Gospel to fit their various proclivities. I am surprised he didn't say "Our Father-Mother, Straight-Gay-Transsexual, God" or something else heretical to that extent.

[StAthanasiustheGreat]

Would you be up for a trade?

[Jeff Chandler]

Franciscians, like the Jesuits, produce people of great holiness and people of great heresy...

A good freind of mine, upon meeting a Jesuit, likes to ask, "Are you a good Jesuit, or a bad Jesuit?", (a la The Wizard of Oz).