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Sunday, January 6, 2013

EPIPHANY MAKES ME NOSTALGIC

Exactly a year ago last Epiphany, I was on vacation in California and happened to be in Santa Monica, quite a splendid place to visit, west of Los Angeles.

I went to Mass for the Vigil of the Epiphany at Santa Monica's name sake Catholic Church, Saint Monica which is a beautiful edifice but very Hollywood when it comes to being Catholic, or shall I say some variation of Catholicism or at least of the Roman Liturgy in a very spirit of Vatican II Hollywood incultruation.

This is their style of worship. I'll let the video speak for itself! I lived to tell about it though!

Watch live streaming video from randomhouze at livestream.com

15 comments:

Marc said...

These people are in "full communion" with the Pope.

How utterly meaningless...

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

What is sad is that if we had this style of music here, we'd have the church packed and with many young people but many others too. There is something about this that attracts people--is it superficial, bogus spirituality, the horizontal gone berserk? But this is what people of all Christian denominations like.

Marc said...

I don't know. I think St. Joseph parishioners expect more. At least, I tell myself that!

Henry Edwards said...

So you might have the church packed, so what? If they're not there for worthy worship of God, what good is it for them to be there at all?

Anonymous said...

How judgmental all of you Southern Catholics are. The Catholic Church moans about why no one comes to Church. Then you bitch about the reasons some Churches have butts in the pews.

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

Joel Osteen has thousands too as did Jim Jones and Sun Moon Young and others. Filling stadiums with "butts" is one thing, filling Catholic Churches with people of the Catholic Faith and liturgy is another. Smaller sometimes is better.

John Nolan said...

Don't blame this on Vatican II or even its eponymous and bogus 'spirit'. Just people with no taste and with no idea of what is appropriate and what is not.

Anonymous, as a southern (ie Home Counties) Catholic, if using my critical faculties means I am being judgemental, so be it.

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

I think there is a mix of Father Eugene Walsh's folksey welcoming style and do it yourself liturgy. The choir is good as is the cantor, just not for church. Even if the style of music was maintained, placing the choir and cantor in the choir loft would help to reduce its "performatism." It really draws on rock concert aesthetics and the appeal that these concerts have; it is just so sad that this is dragged Hollywood style into the Church. I wonder what kind of Catholics this kind of Liturgy forms.

Bill Hobbs said...

If we read the Gospels and then think about Jesus and worship - where would he be? Just a thought...

John Nolan said...

"Where would he [Jesus] be?" With a whip, driving them out of the house of God, I hope.

Hammer of Fascists said...

Anonymous,

Yes indeed, we're judgmental. We judge that, based on the objective definition of Catholicism as given to us by Holy Mother the Church, many people who self-identify as Catholics objectively don't meet that definition. because of that, they scandalize the faith and confuse both non-Catholics and the Catholic faithful, thus damaging the Church (and, incidentally, driving down attendance). Do you have a problem with that? If so, please elaborate. (And please, not that old out of context argument about judging not lest we be judged. You've just done a bit of judgment on this thread yourself, I note. The "judge not" injunction goes to state of mind/intent/motivation, and we're not talking about that here.)

Anonymous said...

Fr.McDonald Next time you are in Mahony land you should attend mass at St. Victor's parish in west Hollywood the most liturgical parish a true gem in a otherwise liturgical desert

Православный физик said...

The parishes to attend in Mahonyland are St Therese, St John Chrysostom, Holy Innocents and Holy Trinity....

Apparently not good Catholics (this is my former archdiocese)...as Arnold Swartzenegger went to this parish.

Gerbert d' Aurillac said...

HOLY Jesus Mary and Joseph what was that! I could not stomach that, I would have to get up and walk out, and hope that someone would ask me why, oh please someone ask me why!

Православный физик said...

Gerbert, that is what we call, the Mahony Usage of the Roman Rite, or WREC Rite for short.