After four decades, Rochester eliminates lay preaching at Mass

Deacon's Bench ^ | July 20, 2014 | Deacon Greg Kandra

[NYer]

I’m frankly surprised that this has been going on for so long.

Details:

For the better part of 40 years in churches across the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester, clergy ceded the floor to laypeople for the delivery of the homily — the sermon that follows the reading of the Gospel at Mass.

The practice, which dated to the mid-1970s and was simultaneously derided by the faithful for running afoul of church law and praised for its inclusiveness, has come to an end.

In an extensive interview, Bishop Salvatore Matano said he has been confronting the issue on a case-by-case basis since his installation in January and is now drafting guidelines to clarify that homilies are reserved for ordained priests and deacons, as prescribed by canon law.

“It is not a policy shift as regards to the universal law of the church,” Matano said. “I am trying to help the faithful understand what is the universal law of the church and how important it is that in the celebration of Mass, we do what the church asks of us.”

The reversal is perhaps the starkest example yet of the contrasting stewardship of Matano with his predecessor, Bishop Matthew Clark, under whom the diocese earned a reputation as among the most liberal in the country.

Although laypeople were giving the homily before Clark’s time as bishop, it was during his tenure from 1979 to 2012 that such preaching blossomed into a regular occurrence in multiple churches.

Matano called the ubiquity of the practice “a bit perplexing” and attributed it to a misinterpretation of canon law.

“In the life of the church today, there are many interpretations that people might give to a particular ruling with no malintent present, but that do need clarification,” Matano said.

Many in the church have welcomed the shift as a long-awaited return to doctrine. Indeed, Matano said he began addressing the matter in response to complaints from parishioners.

But it also has been received with disappointment, particularly among women, who made up the majority of lay homilists and viewed the practice as a way to play a more active role in their faith.

“It really enriched me, and I have to say I’m struggling with it,” said Diane Porcelli of Gates, who did not preach but is active at St. Mary’s Church in downtown Rochester. “It’s challenging my faith and I’m struggling with the exclusion.”

It is estimated that 20 women, most of them pastoral administrators or associates in the diocese with divinity and theology degrees, comprised the bulk of lay homilists.

Read more.

[NYer]

huh....I had always thought it was a universal rule that a Priest or Deacon must give the Homily.

It is! Rochester diocese ends illicit practice of allowing lay people to preach homilies

[NYer]

See my post #21.

[Biggirl]

The decade I grew up in. I am not dating myself.

[fwdude]

The decade I grew up in. I am not dating myself.

Ditto here. My entire grade school years were wholly within the 70's. There was still much residual moral capital in society even then, but the Left was making major inroads.

[franky8]

I KNEW THE ‘70s WERE SCREWED WHEN I SAT THROUGH A HOMILY ABOUT SUPPORTING THE BERRIGANS,

The Berrigan brothers—Daniel, a Jesuit priest, and Philip, of the Josephite order—led the antiwar and antidraft movements during the Vietnam War. Philip served in the U.S. Army in World War II, becoming a priest in 1955. Daniel, the intellectual and theologian, ordained in 1952, complements his brother’s activism, acquired in assignments to black parishes in New Orleans and Baltimore.

In May 1968, the two brothers, along with seven other Catholic protesters, burned the records of the Catonsville, Maryland, draft board with homemade napalm. Their arrest, trial, and sentence to 3 years in prison propelled the Berrigans to national prominence. They helped found the Catholic resistance movement: estimates for draft board raids range from 53 to 250. Having lost their appeals, Philip reported to jail, in April 1970, but Daniel became a fugitive.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/daniel-berrigan#ixzz389ENYKpY

[franky8]

The Harrisburg 7 INCLUDING THE BERRIGANS

http://todaysthedayhbg.com/the-harrisburg-7-2/

[Biggirl]

I was in jr./ sr. high school, one of things I remember was getting ready to start high school when they had the Watergate hearings in D.C.