Posted on 04/30/2014 7:35:58 AM PDT by cleghornboy
His Eminence Antonio Cardinal Canizares Llovera, Prefect Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments Piazza Pio XII 10 00193, Rome Italy
Your Eminence; I am a Catholic in good standing and a member of the faithful in the Diocese of Worcester in the state of Massachusetts, U.S.A. I bring to you a serious concern that I and others have been unable to have properly addressed by His Excellency, The Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, Bishop of the Worcester Diocese
There is an extensive lack of respect and devotion toward Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Indeed, it might be characterized by an attitude of antipathy toward the Eucharistic Presence among the faithful which appears to be abetted or at least tolerated by many of the clergy, not least by His Excellency.
A major source of proof is the overall lack of silence in the presence of Our Lord reserved in the tabernacles of the churches in the diocese. It is a common and routine occurrence for people to chat, joke, and otherwise carry on as if in a social hall prior to and after the celebrations of Masses. My own personal efforts, and I know of others who have also made a concerted effort to address this scandalous sacrilege, have been of no avail in my communications with pastors and with Bishop McManus. Indeed, I have been met with ridicule, intimidation or, in the Bishop's case – a silence of his own. In my most recent efforts I made a respectful approach to a number of congregants of St. Vincent de Paul parish in the town of Balwinville, Massachusetts to prayerfully consider Our Lord’s Eucharistic presence as they chatted animatedly only a few meters from the tabernacle.
(Excerpt) Read more at lasalettejourney.blogspot.com ...
I had not attended Mass since the 80’s, when I became a Southern Baptist. Last year, I took my college-age daughter to a Mass as a project for some course she was taken. I’m sorry if it sounds disrespectful, but it was a requirement before taking the final exam. I instructed her as to what to expect and how to behave... then I was shocked at people talking in the pews before Mass begun. There were children running around and playing during the Mass. And, once again, when Mass was over you would have thought we were in a country club! It was not my place to say anything, so in the way out I just nodded to the priest who was standing at the door, perfectly aware of what was going on inside.
I had the opportunity to visit Notre Dame in Paris. I was very careful not to talk and tiptoed as quietly as I could as I viewed this magnificent structure. In contrast a group of Japanese tourists came through and it was as if they were visiting Disney World.
By the way, I am very grateful to Catholics for preserving the treasures of Western Civilization, for being the inspiration for these great works, and ( at great expense to them) continuing to maintain their libraries and religious buildings.
Thank you for your comment. The time has come for Church pastors to provide sound guidance on liturgical rubrics and to set the example of reverent behavior before Our Eucharistic Lord.
Many of them are part of the problem. I was at Mass recently and the pastor was prancing in the aisle with sports equipment during his sermon, and singing manically to the tune of a cell phone which rang during Mass. Fortunately the Latin Mass rubrics don’t allow for this type of improv theater.
Amen to that. Read Dr. von Hildebrand’s essay entitled “The Case for the Latin Mass” which may be found at my Blog.
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