Dance at Mass?

Catholic Exchange ^ | November 15, 2008 | Mary Anne Moresco

[NYer]

“A recent craze associated with so-called active participation promotes the idea that there must be dance at a solemn Mass,” writes Francis Cardinal Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, in his book Celebrating the Eucharist (p. 53). Before we kick off our shoes, don ballet slippers, and inadvertently find ourselves or our children sashaying in the Sanctuary, it is important to understand what Holy Mother Church teaches about dance at Mass.

To enter a Catholic church is to leave the world behind and cross a threshold into that which is holy. The church building itself symbolizes heaven. “The visible church is a symbol of the Father’s house toward which the People of God is journeying…” (CCC 1186) For this reason, everything we encounter at Mass ought to speak of God and holiness.

The problem with dancing at Mass in western culture, especially in this age of dance “reality” shows on television, is that it tends to bring to mind worldly aspects of our culture and our lives. Thus, rather than having our thoughts elevated at Mass toward God and heaven, we can find that, when exposed to dance in church, our thoughts are instead made banal. The Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship issued a document called “Dance in the Liturgy.” This document addresses the connection between dance and banality when it states that in western culture:

[D]ancing is tied with love, with diversion, with profaneness, with unbridling of the senses: such dancing, in general, is not pure.

For that reason it cannot be introduced into liturgical celebrations of any kind whatever: that would be to inject into the liturgy one of the most desacralized and desacralizing elements; and so it would be equivalent to creating an atmosphere of profaneness which would easily recall to those present and to the participants in the celebration worldly places and situations.

Neither can acceptance be had of the proposal to introduce into the liturgy the so-called artistic ballet.

To introduce dance into the liturgy is to introduce enjoyment, and thus entertainment. Entertainment at Mass makes it easy for us to forget why we come to Mass at all, so that our time at church is spent thinking of dance rather than our prayers. As Francis Cardinal Arinze stated:

Now, some priests and lay people think that Mass is never complete without dance. The difficulty is this: we come to Mass primarily to adore God — what we call the vertical dimension. We do not come to Mass to entertain one another. That’s not the purpose of Mass.

[W]hen you introduce wholesale, say, a ballerina, then I want to ask you what is it all about. What exactly are you arranging? When the people finish dancing in the Mass and then when the dance group finishes and people clap — don’t you see what it means? It means we have enjoyed it. We come for enjoyment. Repeat. So, there is something wrong. Whenever the people clap, there is something wrong — immediately.

Why make the people of God suffer so much? Haven’t we enough problems already? Only Sunday, one hour, they come to adore God. And you bring a dance! Are you so poor you have nothing else to bring us?

Cardinal Arinze wrote, in Celebrating the Holy Eucharist (p. 53-54) about the misguided notion that we must dance because we are both body and soul:

Our answer must be that the liturgy, indeed, appreciates bodily postures and gestures and has carefully incorporated many of them, such as standing, kneeling, genuflecting, singing and giving a sign of peace. But the Latin rite has never included dance. …

Dance easily appeals to the senses and tends to call for approval, enjoyment, a desire for repetition, and a rewarding of the performers with the applause of the audience. Is this what we come to Mass to experience? Have we no theatres and parish halls, presuming that the dance in question is acceptable, which cannot be said of them all?”

Nor is it acceptable to use dance as a means for “evangelization” or to “attract” people to the church or the Mass. Pope Benedict the XVI, then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, wrote in The Spirit of the Liturgy (p. 198) that:

It is totally absurd to try to make the liturgy “attractive” by introducing dancing pantomimes (wherever possible performed by a professional dance troupe), which frequently (and rightly from the professionals’ point of view) end with applause.

The National Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued directives indicating that it is not permissible for dance (including ballet, children’s gesture as dancing, the clown liturgy) to be “introduced into liturgical celebrations of any kind whatever” (NCCB Bishops Committee on the Liturgy, Newsletter April/May 1982).

Dance at Mass can generate feelings of disappointment and betrayal by believers who come to Mass to pray to God only to find that religious entertainment awaits them instead. One pastor explained the feeling of disappointment and betrayal he had when dancers appeared at Mass as he stood in persona Christi:

As a priest who stands in persona Christi to offer the sacrifice of the Mass, I felt disappointed and betrayed when liturgical dancers appeared at the Mass that opened our diocesan synod. The believers present for this Mass deserved to partake of the liturgy under the proper rubrics outlined by the Holy See. It would not be an exaggeration to say these believers were ambushed by an act of spiritual and liturgical terrorism.

The Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is a precious gift from God. This gift belongs to the church, and must be preserved in accord with liturgical norms. To ensure that preservation, to promote Catholic unity, to honor the Magisterium, and to show charity towards fellow believers who have a right to “partake of the liturgy under the proper rubrics outlined by the Holy See,” each of us must remember we are not free to add to the Mass whatever suits our personal fancy.

Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC 22:3) sated that “no other person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority.” May each of us come to embrace the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as a beautiful and perfect gift — in the perfect form it has been given.

To view Francis Cardinal Arinze as he discusses dancing at Mass, access: http://www.wikio.com/video/379459.

[steve86]

Take me back to the old days and the solemn latin masses.

Where I'm headed in about 45 minutes.

This morning I had to pick someone up from a New Mass. While waiting in the vestibule, I witnessed some Catholics talking and laughing in the Communion line, like they were waiting at the gate of a Sunday football game or something. I wanted to walk up and say "Do you have ANY idea what you're standing in line for?" This was just one group. Other parishioners were suitably solemn and dignified (but not to nearly the extent we will be at the Latin Mass, if you count the clothing and demeanor before/after the Mass).

[NYer]

Once in a blue moon, I’ll go to a Catholic mass, just because I enjoy the solemnity of it. I don’t have to explain to anybody who’s been to a Catholic mass the feeling one gets.

If you enjoy the solemnit of the Latin (i.e. Novus Ordo) Mass, you would be moved to tears at some of the Eastern Catholic liturgies.

So to me, this kind of thing would cheapen the mass and bring it dangerously close to the kind of things I’ve seen at Protestant churches ...

Which is precisely why the bishops issued that directive back in 1975. That hasn't stopped some parishes from implementing liturgical dance. Fortunately, it has not caught on and is rapidly fading. I'm glad to learn that you have been spared this liturgical novelty.

[Ann Archy]

It will NOT happen......DANCING at MASS!!! Jesus would be getting His WHIPS out!!

Thanks for appreciating the beauty and religious experience of our Mass. I've never really been to a Sunday service other than Mass so I don't know how it compares.

[onedoug]

They might take some note of synagogue dancing.

[Desdemona]

where I’ve seen (really, really terrible) rock bands playing “modern Christian” music and the congregants making (IMO) fools of themselves.

By all means, avoid Life Teen Masses. Even Catholics are not immune. A well done Novus Ordo, OTOH, can be unbelievably solemn and uplifting. You're welcome anytime.

[steadfastconservative]

Entertainments of any kind have no place in the liturgy. I don’t know how the so-called liturgical experts ever came to support the idea of “liturgical dancing” since it is pretty clear that the Church prohibits it. I guess it was just another case of the experts understanding the liturgy better than the Church does!

[NYer]

Thank you for the comments you posted to this thread! As Catholics, we have little experience with services in Evangelical Churches.

A mass is not a protestant service, we don’t view that transubstantiation occurs during it, and we have a totally different view of the church building and body of Christ. We don’t even have a functional altar.

You are absolutely correct in saying that a Mass is not a protestant service, as it would no longer be a Mass. Older Catholic Church structures date back to a time before nationalized education when most people were illiterate and the printing press had yet to be invented. You are probably familiar with the expression: "A picture is worth a thousand words." That is why the older Catholic Churches were decorated with friezes, carvings and stained glass windows, to tell the story of Salvation through our Lord, Jesus Christ. They were also designed to 'elevate' the minds and hearts of those in attendance to the Kingdom of God; hence the gold and silver ornamentation.

Transubstantiation occurs because our Lord said so (John 6:53 - 58). In fact, there is an unbroken line of descendency in the priesthood that dates back 2000 years to the Last Supper. Since the apostles did not dance on that solemn occasion, neither is appropriate for us to do so today. Each celebration of Mass celebrates the transcendance of our Lord into the Eucharist - Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Obviously, it is a moment of great reverance.

In the evangelical Christian view, a building is not holy and the church is the believers, not the building. We don’t come to be served, but rather, we call it a service because we come to serve God.

Precisely! This is also true in the Catholic Church. We gather as a community to worship Him who humbled Himself to become man and redeem us. Our responsibility is to continue the mission He began by spreading the good news throughout the world.

[dsc]

“Whenever the people clap, there is something wrong — immediately.”

Yes! There should never be applause in church. Never! Ever! Under! Any! Circumstances!

Thanks be to God for sending us Cardinal Arinze.

[dsc]

“One pastor explained the feeling of disappointment and betrayal he had when dancers appeared at Mass as he stood in persona Christi: As a priest who stands in persona Christi to offer the sacrifice of the Mass, I felt disappointed and betrayed when liturgical dancers appeared at the Mass that opened our diocesan synod. The believers present for this Mass deserved to partake of the liturgy under the proper rubrics outlined by the Holy See. It would not be an exaggeration to say these believers were ambushed by an act of spiritual and liturgical terrorism.”

Okay, I agree. So why didn’t he throw them out? Why did he let the dance proceed?

[NYer]

I wanted to walk up and say "Do you have ANY idea what you're standing in line for?"

You already know the answer ;-) Sadly, much has been lost over the past 50 years. As much as we may seek to lay the blame on a particular moment in time or a council or an individual ... the truth is somewhere in between. And, it is not getting any better.

Last year, I was appointed director for the religious education program in our VERY small parish (50 families, if that). The program only lasts 15 weeks, spread out over the course of 9 months. Ironically, parents of the small children (aged 3 to 9) make the commitment but once the child reaches 10, the excuses begin to pile up ... "my child cannot attend because he/she has (name the sport) practice on Sunday at that time". Last night, one parent left a message on my vm saying her daughter would miss today's class because they were celebrating the 1st birthday of (again, fill in the blank). After Mass today, I confronted one parent in the parking lot who explained that he is embarrased to bring his young children to Mass because they "don't know how to behave in Church". I pointed to his 3 beautiful daughters aged 3 through 8 and told him that within a few years, the older one, in public school, would be taught about condoms, birth control and how to have an abortion without the parent's consent. Were he to bring the chldren to Church on a regular basis, they would learn the "rules" for comportment in God's house. Most of these are no different from the rules in his own home.

It is absolutely frightening how parents can trust the public schools to provide an education but waylay their children's instruction in faith and morals. This is no joke! Our responsibility as parents is to ensure that our children get to heaven. We only have a few precious years in which to lay the faith foundation and then pray that over the course of their lives, those morales will guide them into eternal life with our Lord.

[Miss Marple]

My sister called me a few months ago and asked me if I wanted to attend a FLAMENCO MASS at her parish! She said it was really good. I demurred, because I am of the opinion that Flamenco with those tapping heels and fans and castanets would NOT be appropriate. Good grief!

[Ballygrl]

I looked at that site about a month ago, my Aunt’s parish is listed. No idea why more parishes don’t do this, even just 1 Mass would bring in tons of Catholics who want to go back to the old way.

[Ballygrl]

OMG! a flamenco Mass? The Mass has gone downhill since they did away with Latin, and they let people actually touch the host. I'm not that old, but when I was a kid YOU NEVER TOUCHED THE HOST. I still refuse to take it in my hand.

[Miss Marple]

Yes, a FLAMENCO MASS. I am not making this up.

I have noticed more people receiving on the tongue at our church. Since we have a fairly contemporary building and we have a number of cafeteria Catholics as members, I was really surprised to see this. Please, but surprised.

[dsc]

“Good grief!”

What gets into people?

[Miss Marple]

What gets into people? I don’t know. This was an outside group that apparently goes around doing these Flamenco masses.
Why would a priest bring one of these groups in? (Well, I do know that my sister’s priest is very liberal...probably voted for Obama.)

[Mad Dawg]

It struck me as funny when I was a pepsicolian and strikes me as pathetic now that I’m Catholic that people think this amazing miracle somehow needs tarting up.

[Ax]

It is not unusual for the congregation to give a round of applause when the pastor gives a stirring homily at my parish in Boynton Beach, FL. I refuse to take part in that. In fact it got so bad that this morning my wife and I attended the 0800 Mass at her Anglican Parish in Delray Beach. I think that if anyone applauded the priest’s homily, he/she would’ve been frozen with icy stares from the rest of the rather small congregation.

[Kolokotronis]

Ummmmmmm, this has become such a problem that a major Vatican Cardinal has to speak out against it??????????? Wow, you guys have problems far beyond anything I’d have thought of!