News from Adoremus Bulletin 12/02

Adoremus Bulletin ^ | December 19, 2002 | Adoremus Bulletin Staff

[ninenot]

"Catechesis" on Liturgy varies widely in US dioceses

Cardinal Jorge A. Medina Estévez's letter of October 25, 2001 to the USCCB, commenting on proposed American Adaptations to the IGMR, said the following:

"In cases where the Conference of Bishops is to legislate, such legislation should be truly specific, and the law intends precisely that any particular episcopal legislation on these matters be enacted in common by the Bishops of the Conference rather than being left to be determined variously in different dioceses".

At present, different interpretations of liturgical rules from one diocese to another -- a "balkanization" of the Church in the US -- is causing very serious and very widespread confusion. It is a source of grief for Catholics in dioceses where draconian measures are taken to eliminate kneeling or other traditional gestures of reverence. People are especially distressed (and perplexed) at the harshness of the directives of some bishops, and find themselves torn between their wish to obey the bishop (some bishops are invoking obedience to enforce their directives) and their profound desire to express bodily their reverence for the Blessed Sacrament.

As we have said elsewhere, this is a conflict no Catholic should be forced to encounter.

Below are a few samples from the past few months:

In Arlington there has been a crisis at Christendom College, where it has been customary to kneel at the altar rail to receive Communion. Bishop Paul Loverde objects, and has ordered the practice to cease, as he states in an article in the November 14 Arlington Catholic Herald: "...Although no one would be denied communion if he or she knelt, the proper norm is standing and any other posture is really an act of disobedience to what the liturgical discipline is providing".

(http://www.catholicherald.com/loverde/2002homilies/homily1114.htm)

Saint Cloud Bishop John F. Kinney wrote in June 2002 that people should stand during the Eucharistic Prayer ("a 'resurrection' posture"). He said "kneeling visibly expressed reverence in former ages and other places (for example, in the medieval courts of European monarchs). Now, in our culture, standing seems to more clearly express respect and honor".

The diocese produced a set of liturgical directives, bound for reproduction as parish resources for "catechesis", mostly written by liturgist Father Dennis Smolarski, SJ, or "based on" materials on the BCL web site. These publications freely interpret liturgical rules. (In his book Liturgical Literacy, Father Smolarski defines "liturgy" as referring "to any official form of public worship" [p.140]).

The priests of Wichita received a communique from Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted and the Office of Worship in June instructing all the faithful that they "must" kneel from the Sanctus to the Great Amen and they are "encouraged" to kneel after the Agnus Dei. There are many other good signs in the communique. Father Shawn McKnight, STD, is the Director of the Office of Worship and has put together and excellent overview of the principal changes in the new liturgical instructions.

Monterey Bishop Sylvester Ryan, in "The Sign of Unity" - a two part letter published in March on the diocesan web site, invoked his episcopal authority (saying that the GIRM "designates and empowers the diocesan bishop" to regulate the Liturgy). In the letter he forbids people to kneel after the Agnus Dei, and orders people to assume the "orans" posture ("extend the hands in the same way that the celebrant does") for the Our Father, "the opening prayer, the prayer over the gifts and the prayer after Communion". The bishop also expressly forbids genuflecting or kneeling to receive Communion.

Lafayette Bishop William Higi wrote in his columns in May that kneeling "dissents from the mind of the Church", and "rather than reverence, the emphasis will be refusal to embrace particular law approved by the Vatican for the United States".

He expressly forbids any gesture other than a bow of the head: "A person is not to genuflect before receiving nor are they to kneel to receive. Rather, standing before the Eucharistic Minister, they are to bow their head.... If a person chooses to kneel, Eucharistic Ministers of this Diocese will be instructed to say quietly to that individual: 'the proper posture is to stand, please'".

Lincoln Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz is more liberal. He issued a letter this summer permitting Catholics in the Lincoln diocese to either kneel or stand for Communion, and he does does not forbid genuflecting.

The Archdiocese of Boston responded to an inquiry in May, saying that communicants are free to choose their posture for receiving Holy Communion.

Archbishop Thomas Kelly, OP of Louisville issued a directive to parishes, "New Gesture of Reverence Before Receiving Holy Communion", effective the first Sunday in Advent 2002.

An accompanying flyer from a parish expands the "catechesis" on posture of the people during Mass:

"The posture for reception of Holy Communion is to be standing. There are some who prefer to kneel to receive Holy Communion. While no one will be denied Communion if they choose to kneel, for the sake of uniformity throughout the Archdiocese, all are called to 'humble obedience'.

"Remember that we are not 'pick and choose Catholics'. If some can choose to kneel to receive Holy Communion, then why can't others choose to stand for the Eucharistic Prayer?

"The 'gesture of reverence' is a simple bow of the head before receiving the Sacred Host, and also a simple bow of the head before receiving the Precious Blood from the chalice, if one chooses this option.

"There are some who prefer a more solemn sign of reverence, such as a profound bow or a genuflection. Again, for the sake of uniformity, all are called to 'humble obedience'. We are not 'pick and choose Catholics'.

"The communicant is reminded to respond 'Amen' to the words 'The Body of Christ ... the Blood of Christ'. No other response is appropriate, such as 'Thank you' or 'I believe"'.

The directive states that "The USCCB voted that the posture is to be standing and the gesture of reverence will be a bow of the head before receiving both the Body and the Blood of Christ. The Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship approved this decision.

The Louisville directive states that during the 10th century "people became so focused on the awesome reality of the presence of Christ in the consecrated Body and Blood that they believed themselves to be unworthy to receive. Awe and reverence dominated over the actual reception of Holy Communion", and it links this with other liturgical issues. "The emphasis on confession before Communion, the fast from midnight, and the age when a child could receive Holy Communion (adolescence), were just a few of the practices that supported this decline of the faithful's reception of Holy Communion".

Not so today. No longer feeling "unworthy", Catholics now "receive the Body of Christ to become the Body of Christ for the world", the directive says.

[sinkspur]

It is the essense of modernism to believe no other people were as smart or as pious or as wonderful or as wise as this living generation.

Those living in the 10th century didn't know much, relative to what we know. They did know more than those living in the 9th century.

I said nothing about piety or beauty or wisdom or being wonderful.

They didn't have deodorant, though, so they didn't smell very good, either.

[Arthur McGowan]

Bells, for the express purpose of alerting the congregation to the imminent Consecration, are mentioned, with the presumption in their favor, in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal.

[sinkspur]

Nevertheless, the rubrics express a preference for their use.

Really? Then I stand corrected.

And, this is one instance where I'm grateful the rubrics are ignored.

[pbear8]

The day Fabian Bruskewitz is labelled 'more liberal' than the wreckovators is the day I've entered an alternate universe. How does one even respond to that?

Classic liberality of mind the dear bishop shows whilst many of his counterparts show their close-mindedness (illiberality) towards kneeling in genuine awe and reverence of Our Lord.

[Arthur McGowan]

and that pestilence/priest from North Dakota

Robert Hovda?

[ultima ratio]

People may not have known how to build a space-shuttle but they knew how to build cathedrals; they may not have known how to post on the internet, but they knew their Mass backwards and forwards. Next to the tenth century faithful, most Catholics today are religious ciphers. The tenth century would never have tolerated the assaults on Catholic Tradition which has become routine in modern times. Those people were ready to die for the faith. A few hundred years later--when the first attempt was made in England to protestantize the Mass--they did die by the thousands. They allowed themselves to be slaughtered rather than give up the old Mass.

[ninenot]

Ah, the old "I can't back up what I say, so I quit" argument.

Bully for you.

Bells were NOT suppressed. It was expected that they would be used in the fashion which was customary.

Bach, BTW was not Byzantine, he was Lutheran.

[ninenot]

Bingo. Hovda.

[ninenot]

Well--are you ready for the ultimate sacrifice, UR??

[Desdemona]

Bells are a liturgical innovation to the Novus Ordo, so don't complain when somebody introduces an inculturation novelty into the Mass.

I might be an ignorant little post Vatican II brat, but even I know better than that. And then there was the clacker used on Holy Thursday...actually still used around here.

BTW, ALL the great composers' music was done at Mass. Not the entire body of liturgical music of each composer, but they all wrote Masses, Vespers, etc. Stabat Mater, Benediction. The list is endless. For Heaven's sake, that was steady work for musicians.

[Desdemona]

DO you ever want to just scream?

[ninenot]

from the outside, it seems that the RC church has gone mad.

You should see it from the inside.

Thanks for your prayers. Stop up to Milwaukee and I will show you a Parish that is quite sane, thanks--but it's been tough to keep it there.

FOr that matter, BlackElk has a nice little spot near Rockford, IL., and Desdemona insists that her parish in St.Louis is fine and dandy.

But there are some OTHER places, well....

[ninenot]

I have a wife and 6 daughers CURRENTLY in the house.

LONG AGO I got over the 'scream' stuff. Does no damn good.

When you consider them carefully, the arguments used by the supercilious snotnosed liturgy punks are all quite specious. The presumption that they use is that NOBODY will dare to argue with their "research."

But you don't have to be a medieval scholar to have common sense--which is where most of their arguments fail. They just don't make sense.

[Desdemona]

The presumption that they use is that NOBODY will dare to argue with their "research."

Well, sad thing is, a good number of the people they try to patronize are bookworms and former research librarians - nevermind the musician part (not to mention needing to know music history). They must not have ever heard "Never play Trivial Pursuit against a reference librarian."

[big sigh] And then, some of us collect old Missals.....

[ultima ratio]

Which is--?

[ninenot]

As you mentioned in YOUR post--to die for the Old Mass.

Apparently you will damn near die if you DARE to cross Loverde (inter alia)

[ultima ratio]

Which is why I stick with SSPX. There is no other solution but to follow past teachings and practices--which means following past popes. The present system is broken and the present pontiff is busy writing poetry.

[Catholicguy]

On this we agree. I shall NEVER regard as "disobedience" what my father, his father, his father's father, and his father's father's father did EVERY TIME THEY RECEIVED the Sacrament.

<> What about those who strenuously objected when there was the imposition to KNEEL vs standing as folks had seen their Fathers and Grandfathers and Great Grandfathers etc do?

When kneeling was imposed contra the will of the Christians back then, I guess that was ok?

Our desires re posture etc at Mass ought not be battlegrounds, imo. The Mass is the Mass is the Mass and wars over posture are about confusing accidents and substance<>

[Catholicguy]

<> The Church can't be destroyed. I go to the Missa Normitiva exclusively and I haven't lost the Faith<>