COMPARE THE ETHOS OF BOTH OF THESE ORDINARY FORM MASSES AND THE PRIESTS WHO CELEBRATE IT:
The creative pop Mass celebrated by an aging priest who has a perm and dyed hair, unless it is a wig, tells you how Mass facing the congregation attracts priests or priestly candidates who have narcissistic tendencies or those who want to be on stage, front and center, These personality types prosper with the Ordinary Form Mass facing the congregation.
When I attend Mass in various places in the USA when I am on vacation, I am driven to distraction by the antics or style by which priests celebrate the Ordinary Form. The Ordinary Form of the Mass is like a box of chocolates, you never no what you are going to get depending on which priest you accidentally choose.
I find myself at Mass closing my eyes so I don’t have to see it. I am doing what many use to refer to when they went to Mass, we heard Mass.
I watched portions of the Installation Mass of the new Archbishop of Philadelphia. These episcopal celebrations have become abominations of triumphalism and show biz. It was all about the new archbishop and he gloried in the Ordinary Form that allowed him to show his stuff.
I was particularly driven to distraction by the manner in which he consecrated the Host and Chalice of wine, holding the Host with one hand and very high, he gestured toward the entire congregation with it as he prayed the words of “institution.” The same with the chalice! Really? He is typical of bishops and priests my age malformed by the Ordinary Form of the Mass and those who taught them how to celebrate it or watched other priests doing what they copy.
I am not opposed to the Ordinary Form Mass but certainly advocate for bringing it more in line with the Extraordinary Form at least through ad orientem and kneeling for Holy Communion.
But first, let’s get the antics of bishops and priests out of it. Is that too much to ask?
The creative pop Mass celebrated by an aging priest who has a perm and dyed hair, unless it is a wig, tells you how Mass facing the congregation attracts priests or priestly candidates who have narcissistic tendencies or those who want to be on stage, front and center, These personality types prosper with the Ordinary Form Mass facing the congregation.
When I attend Mass in various places in the USA when I am on vacation, I am driven to distraction by the antics or style by which priests celebrate the Ordinary Form. The Ordinary Form of the Mass is like a box of chocolates, you never no what you are going to get depending on which priest you accidentally choose.
I find myself at Mass closing my eyes so I don’t have to see it. I am doing what many use to refer to when they went to Mass, we heard Mass.
I watched portions of the Installation Mass of the new Archbishop of Philadelphia. These episcopal celebrations have become abominations of triumphalism and show biz. It was all about the new archbishop and he gloried in the Ordinary Form that allowed him to show his stuff.
I was particularly driven to distraction by the manner in which he consecrated the Host and Chalice of wine, holding the Host with one hand and very high, he gestured toward the entire congregation with it as he prayed the words of “institution.” The same with the chalice! Really? He is typical of bishops and priests my age malformed by the Ordinary Form of the Mass and those who taught them how to celebrate it or watched other priests doing what they copy.
I am not opposed to the Ordinary Form Mass but certainly advocate for bringing it more in line with the Extraordinary Form at least through ad orientem and kneeling for Holy Communion.
But first, let’s get the antics of bishops and priests out of it. Is that too much to ask?
9 comments:
Well, I watched the installation Mass of Archbishop Perez as well, got lots of hugging, kissing, laughing as if were a Birthday party or such, you were right Father it was all about the Archbishop and nothing else. The music blah of course, the hand waving female cantor in what appeared as if she was wearing "priestly vestments", can't stomach those so called hand waving cantors and nobody ever responds to the songs, lay speaker after lay speaker, nothing wrong with ethnic "secular" music I myself am of Filipino heritage from Cebu, music i.e. Tagalog, Vietnamese, Mexican, but not in a Roman Catholic setting again, no Mozart, Palestrina, Bach, no chant, but this is the Novus Ordo Church and this is what you get.
"But first, let’s get the antics of bishops and priests out of it. Is that too much to ask?"
I'm afraid it is Father.
Human nature being what it is, most priests, even some of the better ones, seem unable to resist the temptation to improvise or show off or re-script the Mass. This is just one more reason why we need the Extraordinary Form in EVERY parish and why the Novus Ordo Establishment is doomed. The Novus Ordo Church is incapable of sustaining itself and will topple from its own excess--in fact we are watching it happen before our eyes.
Father, looking at your posts, it's obvious that you have a deep attachment to the Traditional Mass and seem to be a reluctant apologist for the Novus Ordo, always cautioning us that it must be done properly. But I think in your heart of hearts you realize, you know, this is a failed experiment. And all of those hip Catholics who insist we cannot go back are blind to the fact that this failed experiment has only been happening for a few decades--a mere blip in the larger picture of Church history. Corrections have been made in the past and we are ready for a MAJOR correction.
I love the reverence of the EF Mass and I believe it fosters it in both the priest and the congregation. However, I know that the majority of Catholics, even if disposed to the EF Mass, prefer the vernacular, at least for the changing parts of the Mass. I think too they like the flexibility of it. For example the General Intercessions can address issues in the community, country and world in a specific way which is lacking in the EF Mass unless the priest makes it a part of his homily.
I find the OF Mass ad orientem and with kneeling for Holy Communion is a good compromise and also would form Catholics to appreciate the EF Mass once this way of celebrating the OF Mass is experienced regularly.
But with that said, i wouldn’t mind a more faithful following of Vatican II applied to the EF Mass, vernacular for the changing parts of the Mass, maintenance of Gregorian Chant, Latin propers. The Liturgy of the Word as it is in the OF but with the EF Lectionary and the Gradual (I have come to hate the Responsorial psalms repetition of the refrain.
Also, I think the choir and priest being united rather than on separate tracks is a very reasonable reform.
Well, Donald Trump has orange hair at age 73...….
Yes, but he is an entertainer, entrepreneur turned politician. Have you noticed how our politicians today have had face-lifts, plastic surgery to enhance a more youthful appearance, like Nancy P., Hilary C. and the most notable man is Joe Biden who certainly has had face work to make him look younger. At least Bernie Sanders is more authentic in his appearance and accepting what nature does.
Biden had a well-publicized hair transplant.
Q: There is a famous hair transplant out there, Vice President, Joe Biden. How come it looks so unnatural? — W.S., Los Angeles, CA
A: With Joe Biden’s hair transplant a number of errors were made. Some were unavoidable due to the older technology and some were just poor planning. He had a hair transplant consisting mainly of large plugs because that was the way hair transplants were performed many years ago. But many of those plugs have now been fixed.
The persistent (but avoidable) problem is that Vice President Biden has a low, broad hairline. But when you see a low broad hairline one expects to see the rest of head to be covered with hair. But he didn’t have enough donor hair to accomplish this. With better planning, the hairline would have been more receded at the temples, producing a more natural, balanced look.
Bee here:
Fr. McD said, "I find myself at Mass closing my eyes so I don’t have to see it."
I must admit Father I have done the same myself at times.
God bless.
Bee
Fr AJM
'I think the choir and priest being united rather than on separate tracks is a very reasonable reform'.
What on earth do you mean by this? Are you expecting the priest to sing along with the choir when they perform a polyphonic setting? Does he chant the Propers along with the schola? How can he sing the Introit while simultaneously saying the PATFOTA? Or sing the Offertory chant while simultaneously performing the Offertory rite? Does he have to wait until the choir has finished the Sanctus before commencing the Canon? (Incidentally, this is one of the main drawbacks of the Novus Ordo.) What about the Communion verse which is usually sung during the people's Communion?
On the first Sunday of Lent the Gradual and Tract together take around 15 minutes to sing. It's a marathon for the schola, and after saying it Father deserves to sit down, don't you think?
Also, how do you square using a vulgar tongue for 'the changing parts of the Mass' with retaining the Latin Propers? And as for the General Intercessions, they are a tedious and often embarrassing intrusion into the liturgy. We have just sung 'et vitam venturi saeculi' and are brought down to earth with a bump by being regaled with items from last nights TV news. Any particular intercessions, usually for those recently deceased, and other parish notices, including banns of marriage, were traditionally read from the pulpit before the homily.
By all means celebrate the Novus Ordo as reverently as possible, and use as much or as little Latin as suits you and the congregation. But it is not a 'reasonable reform' to start messing with the Roman Rite to suit people's preferences. Remember what happened in 1964-5, 1967 and 1969.
I respect the Novus Ordo as a rite sui generis. I would not respect a bastardized version of the Roman Rite which purports to be the Traditional Mass but in reality is nothing of the sort.
My observations for whatever they're worth. I assume the clerics properly in choir dress (cassock and surplice) who processed in first were deacons? Since only the bishops concelebrated and not the priests, why were they vested for Mass and not in choir dress too? I'm sorry, but the hooting and hollering at the beginning of Mass turned me off. I think it's rude and irreverent to carry on like that in any liturgy. Almost as bad as all the clapping for everyone's "accomplishments". Some music was good; some not so. I agree with Anonymous at 8:11 am; I cant' stand the hand waving cantors who must think that after 40+ years of the "New Mass" we haven't figured out when to sing our part. I was waiting for Bishop Perez' homily to focus on the readings but not sure in the long time he spoke he actually did. Maybe I missed that part. On a positive note, at least the Mass was celebrated according to the Missal and there was no improvisation as far as I could tell. The vestments were nice too (except for the cantor...what was that she was wearing? To me, it looked like the cross between an alb and dalmatic).
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