I am not sure if it is a rumor or the truth, but who knows and at this point I am beginning not to care. At any rate, it is reported that a certain Conventional Franciscan Bishop, suffering from micromanagement megalomania (my opinion, I am not a psychiatrist) will order that school Masses project on a screen all the music that the students are expected to sing (or is it chant?).
Just a disclaimer, on occasion I celebrate Mass at a high school gym here in the Diocese of Charleston. I am edified that the leaders at the school ask the kids to kneel on the hard gym floor when the laity normally kneel. Some kneel for Holy Communion on the hard gym floor too.
But, they also project the words of hymns on the gym wall, which means that the lights have to be somewhat low for the words to be seen, which means, I, in my old age, have a hard time reading the Roman Missal, but I digress. In a gym with no hymnbooks, it isn’t a major problem for me but I normally hate it, hate it, hate it! Did I say I hate it?
The other rumor is that the Conventional Franciscan Bishop in my province is asking that children be designated as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. What the hell?
Btw, I have seen photos of kids distributing Holy Communion at teen or school Masses. It is dumb to say the least, but in the name of inclusivity and active participation, one finds this dumb practice in some places and maybe more if this rumor about a diocese in my province is true.
Since Pope Francis of happy memory opened the once exclusive ministries for those studying for Holy Orders of reader and acolyte to lay men and women and I guess those confused about their gender, so-called trans, I think that the norm should be at all Masses that only those officially installed in these two ministries are chosen to read at Mass and distribute Holy Communion.
The age limit for these ministries should be 21, (although canon law may already have an age limit?) the same age one can buy alcohol for consumption and guns in some places. No one younger! They must have gone through a formal preparation for this ministry developed by the diocese and there must be a ministerial component to this ministry in terms of visiting the sick and homebound and how to do this properly, maintain proper boundaries and all the other legal concerns we have in a litigious society.
Does anyone remember when the Permanent diaconate was restored in the USA and instead of calling it the Permanent diaconate, it was referred to as the lay diaconate. Most laity actually called them lay deacons as they continued with their marriage and secular jobs in the world, thus the laity bringing Holy Orders to the secular sphere.
Why not call installed acolytes, male or female, properly formed and trained and no younger than 21, lay deacons? Wouldn’t that placate women who like many men lust for churchy power and authority, what is euphemistically called “empowerment”?
11 comments:
Father McDonald,
Here is a word salad from "Cardinal" Cupich, hopefully soon to be tossed on the ashbin of history.
https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2025/09/cardinal-cupich-expert-on-dead-faith.html#more
Having been through Catholic high school, probably more recently than most or all of the other commenters here, these soft-headed ideas are going to fall flatter than a bad souffle.
Nick
Well like it or not I think projector screens or online links to worship resources are here to stay.
Westminster Cathedral doesn’t have enough hymn books for any significant congregation eg the principal Sunday masses. It can’t afford to publish paper worship aids due to cost except for major events.
As a result there is little congregational participation compared to what it used to before the missal was updated which I think is a shame because the congregation used to raise the roof. There’s still good participation if a piece is known well like the credo but otherwise they’re just passive spectators to the choir.
Hang on, hang on. Westminster Cathedral can't afford printing worship aids? Are weekly bulletins out of reach, too??
Nick
I’ve been in there a few times and they can’t afford to complete the place. But they do have a nice cafeteria. And Alfred Hitchcock used the outside for the man who tried to push someone off the bell tower only for him to miss and plunge to his death. Great scene with the man falling from the tower!
Isn't it the cathedral for the metropolitan archdiocese of the primary and oldest (relatively) episcopal province in Britain? That just seems so odd...
Nick
The weekly bulletin is online.
No it’s not completed but the plan was always for the internal decoration to be finished by future generations. It’s only the upper vaults that need mosaics now but that’s still a huge space and will cost multiple millions of pounds. The running costs are £6M per annum as it is plus maintenance projects mean it is unlikely to be finished in the next hundred years which is a shame.
One issue is that you’d need a different worship aid for each mass. The 10am with cantor is more family oriented. The 12 noon is full choir and another cantor led mass in evening. The sat evening is youth choir (Latin) fortnightly.
I thought we weren’t meant to be using Yahweh anymore (the Tetragrammaton), replacing it with the Lord as observant Jews find it offensive to pronounce the lord’s name.
I thought we weren’t meant to be using Yahweh anymore (the Tetragrammaton), replacing it with the Lord as observant Jews find it offensive to pronounce the lord’s name.
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