Chicago!

Recently we had the opportunity to attend Mass at one of the COOLEST churches in the country... Saint John Cantius in Chicago!
And it was every bit as neat as I remembered! The last time I had been there was almost exactly 4 years ago, with a VERY random assortment of friends, and we took at 1-day road trip there for their All Souls Mass.

So this time, (due to our schedule,) we attended the Latin Novus Ordo Mass, which was sung by a male schola. VERY beautiful. I love how they do the procession at SJC, it was exactly like how I had envisioned the procession for my own wedding (which unfortunately didn't turn out like that at all, sigh...)
The schola sang all the propers and ordinaries in Latin and the proper chant; the readings, prayers of the faithful and homily were all in English.

Interesting things I noticed (and am not sure how I feel about) include the fact that the congregation sat at times like they would in the EF, when the priest sat, while the choir sang the Gloria and Credo. It is my understanding that the Credo is one of the parts that "belong to the people," and therefore they should always participate in singing or speaking it.
The priest sang the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer (he used II) but then barely-audibly spoke the rest after the consecration.
And also, it was amazing to me how little organ music there was! One point that I noticed it, in contrast to the directives from the GIRM, was after communion. Unfortunately, I didn't make note of what the schola sang after they were done with the communion proper (throughout the rest of communion), but my understanding of the rubrics is that if there is not a congregational song after communion, that there should be silence; instead, there was a brief organ solo.
In the grand scale of liturgical "abuses," that is next-to-nothing, but I found it interesting.

It was really wonderful to be at a Mass in Latin where much of it was sung and where the congregation heartily sang the responses. Unfortunately, our experience was marred by the fact that some of the people we were with left at various points in the liturgy.

It really breaks my heart. THIS is the state of American ROMAN Catholicism?! Catholics who can't or won't even sit through a whole Mass, just because it is in LATIN?! That is the language of our church! I personally do not think that the Mass in Latin is the ideal, but I think it is something good that Catholics should be familiar with - for many reasons, but especially b/c of how it ties us together as Roman Catholics. You can go to Mass anywhere in the world and know what's going on if it's in Latin!

I really wanted to stay and look around a bit, but due to the situation above, we had to leave right after Mass. But overall, it was soooo beautiful, and soooo inspiring, and I am sooooo glad that we got to go!

Free Sunday

Today was my free Sunday for the month. I went to a ... typical suburban parish.
We sang like ancient Aztecs and praised the sun and moon. Sigh.

Then, we sang one of the dumbest songs ever (well, dumb in the context of a Catholic liturgy. If it's for a religion that isn't theocentric and is just "feel good" and "believe whatever you want to believe," then it makes perfect sense.)
'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come 'round right

...whatever THAT means.

And this is at the same church which has forbidden:

At that first Eucharist before you died,
O Lord, you prayed that all be one in you;
At this our Eucharist again preside,
And in our hearts your law of love renew.
Thus may we all one Bread, one Body be;
Through this blest Sacrament of Unity.

because the priest doesn't "like" it.

head >>> desk

And we wonder why most Catholics have the theological comprehension of an 8 year old.