No Clapping, Dancing at Mass, Vatican to Warn

Reuters ^ | Tue, Sep 23, 2003 | Philip Pullella

[presidio9]

No dancing in the aisles or applause in church, please, we're Catholic. And we'd prefer altar boys to altar girls.

Those are some of the warnings contained in the draft of a document the Vatican (news - web sites) is preparing to crack down on what it considers "liturgical abuses" of the mass, the focus of Roman Catholic worship.

According to the authoritative Italian Roman Catholic monthly magazine "Jesus," a draft document urges the faithful to notify their bishop or the Vatican to report suspected abuses.

The magazine released an advance text of the article which will feature in its October edition.

If issued in its draft form, the document, known as a directive, could have wide-ranging ramifications on some worship practices that have come into common use in many developed countries, particularly the United States and in western Europe.

According to the magazine, the draft says the use of girl altar servers should be avoided "unless there is a just pastoral cause" and that "priests should never feel obliged to seek girls for this function."

The Vatican in 1994 gave individual bishops the power to decide whether to allow altar girls in their dioceses. But some conservative Catholics are against altar girls, saying their presence has eroded a traditional recruiting ground for priests.

Traditionalists have also seen altar girls as a foot in the door to a female priesthood, which the church bans.

Italian media reported that the initial reaction to the draft, circulated to the world's bishops, has been negative and the document may have to be at least partially modified.

The draft document also discourages applause during masses and "dances inside the sacred building."

Ironically, Pope John Paul (news - web sites)'s sermons during masses, even those in St Peter's Basilica, are often interrupted by applause.

Some of the pope's masses in Rome and around the world have included dancing, particularly those celebrations marking Asian, African or Latin American events.

The document, drafted by two Vatican departments which oversee doctrine and liturgy, was ordered by the pope who will eventually have to approve a final version.

The draft also warns against the use of non-Biblical language during the mass, such as readings from poets.

It discourages the practice where the faithful receive the wafer and wine at communion.

Catholics believe Christ is present in the wafer and wine but the document says it is preferable just to receive the wafer.

"Self-service" communion is also frowned upon. This appeared to be a reference to the faithful taking the consecrated host directly from the chalice instead of receiving it on their tongue from the hand of a priest.

[Aquinasfan]

I just returned from a trip to Eastern Europe that included travel in Poland where I attended Sunday mass.

I was there about twelve years ago, and I remember that a sizeable portion of the congregation didn't go up for Communion because, presumably, they have mortal sin on their souls. We could do with a little more examination of conscience before Communion.

[Marysecretary]

I enjoy spontanteous worship and dancing. Our kids do it in church and it's wonderful to see them expressing their devotion this way. Not all of them know exactly what's going on but they're "worshipers in training," and when their parents get up in front and join them, it's just great. There has to be order to everything that goes on but God enjoys having us praise and worship Him this way. Mxxx

[truthingod]

They really are clapping for God, not for themselves. I am not one to encourage a false idea of taking time to recognize who God is--through worship, through song, through word and through deed. It is all an act of worship to serve God. It is unfortunate that someone has charged the atmosphere in a worship setting. I have seen it also in my church where we do worship in a more expressive way.
Yet, I do not expect someone to have the same expression in worship that I might feel comfortable with. I should not be looking for an opportunity to distract--but as I have experienced countless times, the Holy Spirit is perfectly in tune and in control, and when something is a bit too much, it loses its focus pretty quickly. The wrong thing to do is to assume that someone is not in a true worshipping posture based on the outward expression.

[BlessedBeGod]

They were talking about Padre Pio who was treated just horribly by his own bishop. And here is a man who did nothing but suffer in his life, who now has been Beatified.

No, he's been canonized. :-)

[Aliska]

The trick is to find God's place for you in the order of things, be happy there and not make everyone else miserable along the way.

Am I making you miserable by my whining? Maybe that is God's purpose for me. To whine until someone will listen and it will turn on some lights in their soul rather than their turning off lights in mine by their coldness and indifference.

[BlessedBeGod]

Once they allowed the girls to serve, the number of boys interested in serving declined immediately.

Exactly -- they see it as a "girl thing."

[Marysecretary]

That's the same in every church, Desdemona. Women have always done the tough stuff.

[Campion]

I got the sense that the article in question was published in Eye-talian.

It hasn't been published at all:

Those are some of the warnings contained in the draft of a document

This is merely some journalist's impression of something he saw or was told about.

If and when the document is formally published, the Holy See will make translations available. They always do.

[Desdemona]

No, he's been canonized. :-)

Even better.

[fml]

You sound like your fishing for the answers you like, rather than learning to live with the answers you've already recieved. If you need your therapist to be "human" I suggest you need a friend. And you got the county to pay - good for you, I guess.

[.45MAN]

Yes one can hope. And I for one do not attend Mass at a church that does not have a crucifix or Tabernacle on the Alter, gee I must be conservative.

[Aquinasfan]

Never cared for the funeral like atmosphere at Catholic Churches....

The Mass isn't supposed to be entertaining. Calvary sure wasn't.

[.45MAN]

I love it!!!!!!!

[presidio9]

I hope and pray you go back to Mass. I'll say a rosary tonight for your intentions.

Well said.

[TxBec]

Well-stated.

[JesusIsLord]

When they clap, they're not clapping for God -- they're clapping for themselves.

Is this your opinion, or have you done research on the subject?

[dangus]

You wanna honor God in your own way, show up to the Charismatic prayer meetings during the week. Seriously; it's what I do. At mass, the attention is on Christ, not on the dancers. Frankly, some of this stuff is probably OK, but since the preists and bishops refuse to use sound judgment, Rome has been forced to lay down the law. Don't like the law coming down as heavies? Complain to the bishops and priests who openly disrespect the Eucharist, and force firm lines to be drawn. If the bishops and priests did their jobs, there would be no need for (relatively) draconian measures. But I am sick to death of my priest turning the mass into "me, me, me, me, me... it's all about me!"

It's like in the early '80's, when Rome cracked down on non-scriptural liturgical music. We lost many decent songs, and I'm sad Rome had to do it. But it was necessary because my home parish was singing "Leaving on a Jet Plane" at mass. (No kidding!)

This is the Eucharist, not the touring company of the Lion King!

[Desdemona]

Am I making you miserable by my whining? Maybe that is God's purpose for me. To whine until someone will listen and it will turn on some lights in their soul rather than their turning off lights in mine by their coldness and indifference.

Nah, you're not making me miserable.

A light very bright was turned on in my soul in the last three weeks as I watched my grandmother - the one who never knew a task that couldn't be accomplished, never saw a relative that didn't need to be cared for in infirmity, never left my grandfather's side when he was sick - lying in a hospital bed with post-operative complications and not giving up. Today, she is at home and determined to get better. Her help is the Lord. She says her Rosary daily, goes to Mass daily, or watches on EWTN and has never in my memory complained one bit about doing for others. THAT is my human light.