News from Adoremus Bulletin 12/02

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

[ninenot]

Well, you've been imposed upon.

We don't celebrate adulterers and fellow-travelers, although MLK did have some redeeming social values.

Further, the music must conform to Vatican directives--not to Bert Weakland's feeble mental musings.

Your Bishop ought to get a clue.

[ninenot]

Please advise/cite the Forcible Kneeling Directive

[ninenot]

We have some Hispanic members who literally walk on their knees from the doors to the altar rail.

Genuflection? My swag is about 50%.

[Desdemona]

What percentage of people in your parish genuflect when walking past the tabernacle? (In our parish I'd put the number at 10%)

Outside of the choir, 99%.

How many people do you see genuflecting toward the tabernacle when they enter the Church? (Sadly, in many churches the tabernacle is hard to find).

Taberbacle is right where it is supposed to be - at the foot of the Crucifix. Other than the choir...100%.

[ArrogantBustard]

Nobody in my Parish genuflects toward the Tabernacle... We don't have one. We haven't built any of our facilities, yet and are meeting in a Public School Auditorium. I do see a few people genuflect in the general direction of the Altar... I don't. Nor do most people. In neighboring Parishes, with regular churches, almost everybody genuflects toward the Tabernacle.

[Desdemona]

Further, the music must conform to Vatican directives--not to Bert Weakland's feeble mental musings.

Well, we can dream, can't we.

[sinkspur]

Well, you've been imposed upon.

It didn't bother me. I rather liked the Liturgy.

I suspect you'll find lots of Catholic Churches in the US recgonizing or honoring MLK in some way or another.

We do celebrate some adulterers and sinners by honoring saints. Anyway, the Liturgy didn't honor MLK's private life.

[Catholicguy]

<> Sure. I'll have to wait until I get home to search for the citation. As I recall, it was post 800 a.d., but that is just off the top of my head<>

[Desdemona]

It didn't bother me. I rather liked the Liturgy.

Would you do us all a favor and define "liturgy". Was it Mass? Was it Benediction?

Liturgy is too generic and benign to describe Mass. IMO, of course.

[pepperdog]

You are so right. My old church as even gone to great expense to erase all interior furnishings that might look "Catholic". No more statues (not for years), no Mary celebrations, it now looks very generic. The Church left me a long time ago, when they turned the alter around and quit the latin mass. I miss it, but I can't go back because it's no longer there :-(

[Aquinasfan]

Taberbacle is right where it is supposed to be - at the foot of the Crucifix. Other than the choir...100%.

That's great to hear. This must be a Massachusetts thing.

[Desdemona]

This must be a Massachusetts thing.

I don't know, but two years ago or so our archbishop (Rigali) ordered, and I mean ordered, all Tabernacles to the foot of the Crucifix, regardless of whether or not renovations had been done. Several churches had to completely redo things.

There is one church which has theirs on a side altar, which according to what I've read is allowed. But, it's in full view at all times.

[AnAmericanMother]

What on earth is your choir up to? ;-)

[Desdemona]

What on earth is your choir up to?

I think it has something to do with familiarity. I was a cantor (and will get back into it once a few other singing commitments are finished) and you forget why you're there. I know it sounds awful, but it happens. Which is why I started going to Mass twice a weekend, once for Congregation, once for me. You can't really assist well and sing/cantor at the same time.

I don't care what the bishops and liturgists have to say about Mass not being a performance. When once is a musician, it has all the elements of a performance and deserves to be treated with the same respect one gives a performance. That means Mass assistance suffers, hence going twice. Okay, rant off.

[sinkspur]

Liturgy is too generic and benign to describe Mass. IMO, of course.

Mass.

[AnAmericanMother]

I THOUGHT that was what you meant! (I am a cantor too).

By and large every choir is a repository of jokesters (I'm third generation, so I've grown up involved with choirs in two major parish churches and one cathedral, and they've all been that way.) Maybe it's the performance background that most of us have, maybe it's the fact that we are privileged to see the pulleys and wires and backs of the scenery - the priest struggling with a too-small chasuble or dashing around muttering to himself "oh my ears and whiskers, I shall be late!"

But I hope that we know how to behave when the chips are down and we're "on". At least with our crowd, we try to "flip a switch" when we enter the sanctuary and leave the foolishness in the rehearsal room. There is a temptation to chit-chat while figuring out which anthem is next and wondering aloud how on earth we got through measures 24-26 without flubbing that G sharp . . .

Luckily our choirmaster is good about reminding us to show proper reverence. We can't genuflect in procession (and there's not room in the chancel) - but we pause and bow at the appropriate times as we pass the Tabernacle, crucifer, etc.

[AnAmericanMother]

. . . but what I meant to say, before I mashed the "send" button prematurely, is that you are absolutely right about serving interfering with worship. When it's an "ordinary" Mass almost everything of a performance nature can be put on autopilot, so that except for the offertory and communion anthems we don't really need to be "on". But it's precisely at the times that you would really like to fully participate in the worship -- the high holy days with the highest ceremony, incense, bells, etc. -- that things are definitely NOT ordinary and you have to concentrate fully on your work. Midnight Mass at Christmas this year was WORK first -- nine anthems all told, special psalms, different Gloria, different Sanctus -- and worship afterwards. Not an ideal situation for the choir, but the congregation really likes the music. (At least they say they do. :-D )

[Desdemona]

I love the Triduum. I'll probably not sing it this year, either, just due to circumstances. And you cannot put it on autopilot at all. You're right there.

[AnAmericanMother]

My favorite service - or cycle of services - as well. And our choirmaster takes the view that it is THE big event of the ecclesiastical calendar, and the choir is in evidence for ALL services in the Triduum then rolls on into three services with brass on Sunday morning. . . . then all call in sick to work on Monday morning . . . :-D

The one thing I can never get used to is that I usually stand on the end of my row, and the acolyte on the decani side is always VERY free with the aspergillium. . . . there I am, concentrating with all my might on the "Vidi Aquam", and suddenly get hit in the side of the face with what FEELS like about a quart of holy water . . . eek!

[Desdemona]

I used to stand on the end of the last row in self-defence. More or less to keep the soprano section in tune.

Of the two Masses, Saturday is the one which is always so contentious, usually over the Exultet since none of our priests could sing. And then a few people have to register the typical complaints about Latin... we sang "Pange Lingua" at the processional on Thursday, "Adoramus te Christe" Friday during Veneration and maybe a Regina Coeli. Used to drive me crazy. And I was the youngest one there.