Liturgical Heresies?

DEAR FRIAR RICK: We are deeply disturbed at what is taking place in our churches here in Ireland. Firstly, Our Lord is taken from the tabernacle and placed in the monstrance. He is placed on the altar and the congregation is told to say their sins quietly into themselves in front of our Lord. Then, when they are ready, to make their way up to one of the priests on duty in the church for absolution. They do not tell the priest their sins at all.



Drama and dancing is now being introduced at the Mass. It is not only very distracting Friar, but downright disrespectful. These little girls in their short Irish costumes hop and skip right in front of the tabernacle and altar. Some people even organised a ‘concert’ to be held in the church at the sanctuary. Following all the scandals and abuse we have had to suffer, this surely is not the behaviour we should be allowing.



When we approached the priest to ask what part of the Last Supper and Calvary had the dancers, he slammed the door in our faces. The questions we have are: Who is responsible for introducing all this into our church ceremonies? Why, what is behind it all? Why can the bishops not ban it and ask the priests to stop it? Why do the priests promote it? Who do we contact to have this stopped?



This is certainly not an easy time for the Church in Ireland. Many people are rightly angry, sad and hurt by the scandals that have shaken their trust. In this context it is extremely painful to see our beloved church practices, traditions and devotion seemingly cast aside. It is understandable that we would reject any deviation from the norm and resist innovation. In times like these it would seem logical to hold on to the past; a time of stability, solace and confidence.



Before we look at the specifics of your letter, let me begin with a caution. You may have heard, or seen for yourself, priests and parishes who are doing things in a manner you don’t appreciate or that you do not think is appropriate. Before passing any judgement on anyone, it is important to remember something. The majority of priests and religious in Ireland are good, caring and holy persons… much like the faithful of our parishes. The clergy too are devastated by the scandals. They may be further depressed to see a decline in the attendance at Mass. Some priests may be trying to reach out to people in new ways. They are probably doing so in good faith. As we say in North America: “Cut them some slack”.



With respect to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, I can understand, at an emotional level, how a priest might think that using the Blessed Sacrament as a focal point might help some parishioners to focus and experience God’s mercy. However, the way you describe sounds rather misguided, especially the lack of any type of confession of sins.



I have a lot less problem with drama or dance being used in the liturgy. Look at how music is used in the liturgy. We do not sing at Mass, but rather, we sing the Mass. The singing is not imposed on the liturgy, but rather, parts of the Mass are brought to life through song. There are times and circumstances where drama and dance could also be used to express the liturgy. This would need to be done well and prayerfully and not be seen as something dropped into the Mass. An example I witnessed was when young people ‘danced’ the procession of gifts for Mass when Pope John Paul II was in Montreal in 1984. It was done very gracefully, it was an expression of the Mass and the Holy Father commented how much he liked it.



As far as concerts go, churches have often hosted performances of sacred music. I often attended the Mozart Festival at Notre-Dame’s Basilica in Montreal. It was beautiful and prayerful.



So what should you do? First of all keep an open mind. Presume that the priests and parishioners involved are acting in good faith and doing their best. Next, get involved; and I don’t mean involved in complaining. Get involved in your parish’s liturgy committee. Work with your priest and fellow parishioners as they struggle to make the sacraments more meaningful. Share your ideas about how to welcome people back to the Church. Put your ideas into action and become part of the solution!