A supporter of the blog has emailed me a notice, telling me to peruse the Good Shepherd bulletin. I thought, “okay, sure. What pronoun got minced now?” Oh, I was wrong . . . so wrong. My comments are the ones in red. The rest flows from Priestess DeRycke’s venomous pen.
Liturgical Ministries Appreciation
Vatican II leaders reminded us many years ago that “Liturgy is the work of the people.” (Get ready. Here we go, folks!) As we gather to pray as a community, we all bring what we have (talents, joy, sorrows, needs, hopes, disappointments, understandings, questions, successes, failures, hurts?and a lot of ?etc.?) to do what we can to renew our “PACT” with God and God’s people ? to work together. What PACT? Praise, Ask, Contrition, Thank. This weekend, we will be blessing Liturgical Ministers at all Masses. (You, a lay woman, have no authority whatsoever, by any stretch of any imagination. The pope has been clear. It is illicit.) We are so very fortunate to have so many people involved in our Liturgical Ministries?THANK YOU ONE ALL:
Planners, the Liturgy, Joint, and Children/Teen Liturgy Committees, who strive to make
our liturgies vibrant and prayerful. (The only Liturgy Planner should be the priest. I doubt very much that our teens have advanced liturgical degrees.)
Sacristans, working behind the scenes to prepare our worship space for weekly and
special liturgies (eg, funerals) and clean up and secure our building after celebrations. (Celebrations? Oh, yes, that’s right. Jesus celebrated in the Upper Room with his Apostles. “Hey guys, you drink this stuff! It’s better than Hawaiian Punch.” Wrong. It was a sacrifice, and one which we re-live at every Mass. Yes, we celebrate Our Lord, but the Mass is a sacrifice beyond measure.)
Greeters, who arrive for Mass early to welcome us as we enter the building. (Quiet prayer isn’t enough to prepare for Mass?)
Music Ministers, Choir Members, Cantors, and Instrumentalists who lead us in sung
prayer during Masses, special celebrations (i.e. Penance Services), and funerals.
Lectors, who proclaim God?s Word in Scripture at Masses and special liturgies.
Altar Servers, usually younger parishioners who assist the Presider at the altar. (Presider? they assist the presider? I thought that Altar Boys (and not altar girls) were supposed to assist the priest, the celebrant. Not the “presider.”)
Eucharistic Ministers, who offer the Body and Blood of Christ to those gathered at Mass
and beyond, to those in hospitals, nursing homes, or the homebound. (I doubt very much whether these EM’s are “offering the Body and Blood of Christ.” They aren’t the ones saying Mass. The priest does that. Oh, wait, I’m sorry. The “presider” does that.)
Ushers, who assist in welcoming and meeting the needs of people gathered for worship.
Gather/Children?s Liturgy of the Word Leaders, praying with our young people for the
first part of Sunday Masses.
Child Care and Babysitters, helping all to be comfortable during Liturgy. (Children should be quiet or removed. Sorry, but that’s the way it is. If your child is acting more possessed than prayerful, you don’t need a babysitter to care for them during Mass. You need to walk outside with your child, hold them and quiet them. Be a parent, not apathetic.)
Music Cart Distributors, families or individuals who hand out hymnals and/or tidy and
redistribute our hymnals on the carts to assure equitable distribution. (Because it’s too hard to grab your own hymnal.)
Art and Environment Committee, who create and maintain an artistic, decorative
environment in our worship space and throughout the buildings and church grounds to
enhance all liturgical and parish celebrations. (So much to say. I’ll let your minds take care of this.)
Wedding Coordinators, who assist in preparation, rehearsals and celebrations.
Flower Donators, bringing in requested flowers or items to enhance our worship space.
Liturgical Assistants, behind the scenes, attending to bells, annex, details, questions.
Presiders, Preachers, Deacons (I suppose “priest” is an illicit word for Mrs. DeRycke?)
Launderers of robes, altar cloths, linens
Cleaners of Church and Chapel
And for all the Assembly, those who gather to pray each week ? All working together to make
our worship celebrations prayerful and meaningful. (Our Lord’s Body and Blood are meaningful enough, thank you very much. I don’t need some trippy teenage youthgroup to “enhance” my worship experience. “Kumbaya, My Lord, Kumbaya.”)
If you would like to be part of one of these Liturgical Ministries in some way, please call the Parish Office or fill out a Stewardship card to let us know ? someone will get back to you as soon as possible for introduction or training or whatever you need.
God bless your week! –Nancy
I look forward to your comments. I think I know what you will have to say.
(DISCLAIMER: THE ABOVE PHOTOGRAPH IS DEFINITELY NOT MEANT TO REPRESENT MRS. DERYCKE TOYING WITH LITURGY AND THE CHURCH. ANYONE WHO THINKS SUCH A THING SHOULD BE ABSOLUTELY AND UNDENIABLY ASHAMED AND SHOULD GO TO CONFESSION IMMEDIATELY.)
Tags: Nancy, Progressive Drivel
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"Liturgy is the work of the people."
What about when the priest offers a private Mass?
"This weekend, we will be blessing Liturgical Ministers at all Masses."
Liturgical ministers aka the alternate parallel hierarchy.
"Children/Teen Liturgy Committees"
More novelty themed liturgies. I guess it does take time and effort to choreograph a dance routine.
"to make our liturgies vibrant"
Because that's what's important, right? "Vibrant" liturgies? Are we really placing our own entertainment over worship of God?
"Greeters, who arrive for Mass early to welcome us as we enter the building. (Quiet prayer isn't enough to prepare for Mass?)"
I don't know how many people have been to Good Shepherd, but there is a lot of chatter before and after Masses in the church proper.
"special celebrations (i.e. Penance Services)"
Those are supposed to be rare, remember. They do not take the place of private confessions.
"Altar Servers, usually younger parishioners who assist the Presider at the altar. (Presider? they assist the presider? I thought that Altar Boys (and not altar girls) were supposed to assist the priest, the celebrant. Not the "presider.")"
You're right. Notice how she finds it very difficult to use the term "priest." It's as if she refuses to use that word unless she herself is allowed to become one.
"Eucharistic Ministers, who offer the Body and Blood of Christ to those gathered at Mass
and beyond"
Blatantly illegal title. The proper title is "Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion." The priest alone is the Eucharistic Minister. EMHC are to be used sparingly, if at all. But that's not the case at Good Shepherd.
"Gather/Children?s Liturgy of the Word Leaders, praying with our young people for the first part of Sunday Masses."
I'm still not a fan of these parallel liturgies going on at the same time as the regular Mass. If you want children liturgies, it would be appropriate to have special children Masses, with the priest offering the entire Mass.
"Child Care and Babysitters, helping all to be comfortable during Liturgy. (Children should be quiet or removed. Sorry, but that's the way it is. If your child is acting more possessed than prayerful, you don't need a babysitter to care for them during Mass. You need to walk outside with your child, hold them and quiet them. Be a parent, not apathetic.)"
A number of area churches are now putting in the back of their churches children zones with rocking chairs and toys. Church is not daycare! Come on people, no wonder the young are falling away from the faith. Kids should be serving at the altar, not going off to another room for using biblical-themed coloring books, or sitting in the back playing with toys.
"redistribute our hymnals on the carts to assure equitable distribution"
Because we all know how Joe Catholic likes to pick up 7 hymnals for himself at the expense of everyone else. Rubbish.
"Art and Environment Committee, who create and maintain an artistic, decorative environment in our worship space"
Unless the art is traditional. Only banners and collages here.
"Presiders, Preachers, Deacons"
Preachers…? I assume you mean at your Communion Services, and not during the homily at Mass.
"All working together to make our worship celebrations prayerful and meaningful"
Would Mass not be meaningful without liturgical dancers and lay preachers and all these other unnecessary positions?
————————-
Good find on this article, and solid commentary. There is a reason I refer to Good Shepherd as the liturgical abuse capital of our diocese, and I think this one bulletin sums it up nicely.
~Dr. K
That image is quite appropriate, especially if they have a Halloween Mass again this year. Last year Nancy invited children (AND adults) to come to Church for Mass in their costumes.
~Dr. K
It is my understanding that Father Bob Kennedy gave a talk last night at Good Shepherd Parish titled "What's happening in the Church?".
He said that all of the old parishioners at Sacred Heart Cathedral have passed away and now they have a group of young people attending Mass.
OK Father, whatever you say.
A participant at the meeting questioned father's version of the tale at Sacred Heart.
Maybe the good father has been misinformed, but more than half of the parishioners never went back to Sacred Heart Cathedral after the interior of the church was stripped out during the wreckavation – renovation.
Most of the parishioners from Holy Rosary and Most Precious Blood never came to Sacred Heart Cathedral after their parishes were closed, against the will of the parishioners.
The Cathedral is dead. There aren't many younger families, especially in comparison to Our Lady of Victory. The people left at SHC are the feminist crowd or elderly people who go there out of convenience. Many people from the closed churches refused to go to the Cathedral.
Sacred Heart also lost a whole bunch of people when the Bishop finagled a way to disband the choir. It was an excellent choir who rehearsed under the direction of extremely competent directors. They had a very pure English cathedral choir school sound. Quite a few people left when the music program went south. Now they are trying to get a choir together, but almost no one has responded. The get the Diocesan Festival choir to sing for diocesan ceremonies.
I had to go to Good Shepherd once. A friend invited me to hear the choir. It was like a "cast of thousands" doing "busy" work in church when I got there.
I think their strategy is to get as many people and families involved in some aspect of liturgy or church to make sure these people have a feeling of being needed by the parish. Get families to "buy in"….."Look at Stacy over there handing out those hymnals….doesn't she look so cute doing that."
The Sunday I went to GS it was mayhem. I can't pray when all theis noise and commotion is happening. I left after the applause of my friends' choir selection.
As I was leaving somebody asked me if I was okay. You can imagine how I reacted.
Liturgy is NOT the work of the people. Liturgy grows organically; it isn't a thing you put on the operating table and pull apart and dissect and form it into your own image of God/or church. Liturgy is a sacred action, ritualized and developed over centuries and then it is very carefully handed to the next generation to preserve. Only an idiot we say that it then becomes a museum piece. Study why the liturgy is the way it is.
Americans seems to have this fascination with the thought that newer is automatically better. If that's true, look at our liturgy today. It's in the toilet as our Western societies are circling the drain.
People have been systematically dumbed down for over 45 years and "in this God forsaken diocese" (that how Father James Collins used to put it) anything goes, but tradition.
Sorry, gotta go take up the collection now. I gotta do my part.
Perhaps the blessing will involve everyone faking a sneeze?
_________
Did anyone see this in ZENIT?
"Cardinal Bertone: Church Needs Holy Bishops
Reflects on Fidelity, Prudence and Goodness
VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 15, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The Church today needs holy and credible bishops, affirmed Benedict XVI's secretary of state when he celebrated Mass today with bishops ordained in the last year.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone thus inaugurated the annual conference-pilgrimage sponsored by the Congregation for Bishops and the Regina Apostolorum university for newly ordained prelates.
The cardinal gave the bishops this challenge: "Christian people need to see credible witnesses and be guided by holy pastors," who plant the "love of God in everyone who has been entrusted to their care."
The secretary of state also assured the bishops of the "greeting and encouragement of Benedict XVI."
He then went on to cite some of the passages from a homily that the Pope gave last Saturday when he ordained five bishops. On that occasion, the Holy Father emphasized virtues such as fidelity, prudence and goodness.
Referring to fidelity, Cardinal Bertone affirmed that "the Church is not ours, but His, the Church of God." Consequently, the cardinal continued, a bishop cannot seek power or prestige, working for himself and not the community.
Speaking of prudence, the cardinal recalled that the Pope said this virtue is not about being astute, but rather about being committed to the truth. "[Truth], thanks to prudence, becomes the criteria for our activity," he said.
Finally, mentioning the virtue of goodness, Cardinal Bertone said it means to "cultivate a profound orientation toward God, the only one who is good, in fact, Good par excellence."
The cardinal expressed his hope that the bishops would be "holy as the Cure d'Ars was holy, that is, living your ministry according to the heart of Christ and the maternal heart of Mary."
_______________________
I continue to keep the DOR in my prayers. May you be guided by a holy Bishop with unbounded orthodoxy, steeped in fidelity to the Church.
Does anyone know how close Nancy DeRycke is to retirement age? I don't think she's quite as young as she appears. Either way, our next bishop is going to dismiss her and Sr. Joan unless they renounce their support for the ordination of women. Then, of course, the two will likely run and cry foul to the NCR like Sr. Akers in Cincy. These people should have been removed a long time ago. In fact, they never should have been "installed" in the first place.
According to published information on the Internet, Nancy DeRycke is 56 years.
Just the right age for retirement.
The week this was published in the bulliten, Good Shepherd had a visiting priest, as Father Chumo is visiting family in Kenya. I'm sorry I don't remember his name.
But this priest talked about it not being bread, but the Body of Christ, and also talked at length about the need for priestly vocations. I can guarantee you that this is not something we hear at GS very often, and I personally thaked him after Mass was over.
If more people do what you did, showing gratitude to our ourthodox/traditional priests, I think the problems we face would, at least, be a bit more palatable. When priests go without thanks while "administrators" and "presiders" get parties, something is wrong.
Thanks for your kindness you showed to this priest.
Thank you EandKmom for the information, and thank you for thanking what sounds like a solid priest!
~Dr. K
Choir Loft, the word liturgy does mean the work of the people, from the Greek word leitourgia. It's another word/phrase that's been hijacked to mean something different than the original. I don't have a source to cite off the top of my head, though.
Thanks, MaryKay. I should have been more specific. I was thinking of how the term has been hijacked to mean a million and one different things, so much so that anything goes now.
The liturgy had grown naturally, organically up until the Vatican Council, then…WHAP!!
I guess the thought was since, by definition, if liturgy is the work of the people, well then, in the Spirit of Vatican II, we (the people or liturgist) can do whatever we want to with the Mass. We can tinker with it until it becomes what "we the people" want it to be. That is such a slippery slope downhill until it has become what we have today.
Liturgy isn't respected anymore, it's just manipulated to mean whatever we want it to mean.
Thanks for setting me straight.
E&K;, do you still get to enjoy the weekly lay homily at Good Shepherd? I realize that Gallagher is gone, but surely they must have another laywoman who could step in and carry on the proud tradition of liturgical abuse.