[Desdemona]

And why must the singers be up on the altar as if performing instead of in the choir loft?

They are song-leading don't you know. And Mass isn't a performance, I'm told. It always seemed like one to me when I sang, but who am I to argue? Just the soloist.

Seriously, what they did when they moved the choirs to the front was take the focus off the Sacrafice and wreck the acoustics.

[Bigg Red]

I attended a Mass last year that was held in the auditorium of a DC high school. The Mass was celebrated on the auditorium stage by the cardinal who heads the DC diocese. In front of the stage was the school's enormous gospel choir. While the singers showed themselves to be a very talented group of young people, when the Mass started, I wanted to run from the place. What was supposed to be the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass became a raucous concert involving swaying bodies and waving arms with the backdrop of a stooped, little, elderly man mumbling prayers behind a little table on the altar. Adding to the carnival atmosphere was the reaction of many of the congregants who applauded, whooped, and hollered after each rowdy number as if they were cheering on their favorite sports team. I have never seen such an undignified display of disrespect fom the liturgy. I was furious.