Posted on 06/02/2005 11:17:53 AM PDT by Pyro7480
On 21 May 2005, I attended the bacculareate Mass at Villanova University in southeastern Pennsylvania. My sister was graduating from this school, which was founded by Augustinian priests in the mid-19th century.
The Mass took place in the early evening at the university's stadium, and other than a brief shower, the liturgy started well. A choir sang Palestrina's Tu es Petrus prior to the beginning of the Mass. I was delighted to hear that particular piece of music. However, I should have a heeded a warning of sorts that was right in front of my eyes. There was a table close to the stage were the Mass was going to be offered, and sitting on top of the table were glass chalices, which obviously were going to be used during the Mass.
The atmosphere of the Mass shifted quickly as the processional hymn began. The line-up of the ministers began in a normal fashion. At the very beginning of the procession was a graduate in academic garb carrying a censor. However, not far behind were other graduates carrying multi-colored banners. They were the oddest things I had ever seen processed in during a Mass. It wasn't clear at all what their point was. The colors used weren't Villanova's colors. In fact, they used bright pastel colors. But they didn't have much to do with the Mass itself, so it was a forgiveable error.
The banners, however, was just the beginning of events that could be described as the results of lapses in judgement. The music during the Mass itself belonged to typical post-1970's composing, so that wasn't exactly unexpected either. But when the time for the offertory came, my heart began to sink. The hosts that were to be consecrated were brought in to the stage where the altar was in large wicker baskets. It wasn't immediately clear at that point but inside the larger wicker baskets were smaller wicker baskets, lined with white cloths of some sort, which actually contained the hosts. The wine that was going to be consecrated were brought in large glass/crystal containers.
Both the hosts and the wine were left in their containers during the entire Eucharistic prayer. When time came for communion, baskets containing consecrated hosts were brought to each side of the field. The smaller wicker baskets containing the hosts were taken out of the larger baskets, and most of the distribution of the Blessed Sacrament was taken care of by lay people, most of whom were college students.
When one of them came with the basket, the rest of my family went for Communion, but I decided not to go. I prefer to receive Our Lord's Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, from the hands of a priest or deacon. Anyway, at that point, I was feeling rather offended by the manner Communion was being distributed. They were treating Our Lord as if He were an appetizer that was being served at a restaurant. When my dad sat back down next to me after receiving Communion, I told him what was wrong about what was taking place.
As the distribution was winding-down, I noticed that some of the students who were distributing Communion were committing more abuses. I saw one of them self-communicate. Some of them stacked the baskets on top of each other, and it was probably the case that on top of the clothes, there still rested small fragments of the consecrated hosts.
After the Mass concluded, my family went to a nice Italian restaurant nearby. I brought up the issue of the Mass. My mom seemed to understand why I was feeling offended. My sister on the other hand, said in response to my complaint (in a rather sarcastic manner), "I'm sorry my liturgy offended you." She couldn't understand why it was wrong to serve the Blessed Sacrament in that manner.
My final thought on this issue: If it is possible for papal Masses to accomodate hundreds of thousands of people during Communion, and do it properly, then an American institute of higher learning which has Catholic roots can afford to do take the proper steps to accomodate a few thousand during a bacculareate Mass.
This picture was taken during the distribution of the Blessed Sacrament. You can see the large wicker baskets on top of and by the table. If you look carefully, you can see a priest, dressed in a white robe/alb, distributing communion from one of the smaller wicker baskets.
Catholic ping!
Your SISTER'S "liturgy"?
I know what she meant, but the Freudian slip is extremely revealing...
Good "on the scene" reporting Pyro, you should post this on AQ. Brian's got one of his there now.
Aplogies because I certainly don't know Pyro's sister, but I thought that was a strange comment also.
When it comes to offering communion, my brother's three-hour (I kid you not) catechumenate Mass was the nadir. The seminarians who were serving as deacons took the small baskets you described to each each pew and passed them around like collection baskets. Everyone was expected to self-communicate, and at least half weren't even Christian, never mind Catholic.
Thanks, I just did. The HTML didn't work though.
I would have flipped out.
Did the priest(s) ad-lib parts of the Mass too? Seems like the make up your own Mass texts nonsense would go hand-in-glove with all the other abuses you reported.
I think your decision to not go to Communion was probably the right one. If it had been me, I would have made the same decision. Not because it was invalid (in which case there is no cause for alarm), but because my interior dispositions would have been severely disrupted to properly receive Our Lord. I'm sure this was your reasoning as well.
Now, contrast this with the Mass we attended last Sunday! Among other great things, my favorite was when Fr. Jackson reiterated that no applause is to be done in church! And he said it in a straightfoward, non-obtrusive way...see, it's not that hard to accomplish proper reverence at Mass. On the other hand, it seems quite an exercise of the imagination to produce the abuses you observed.
Dear Pyro,
You were exactly right in your take on things and in not receiving Communion at such a travesty. When I've traveled and been at "parishes" where similar conduct occurs, I do just as you did (and have the exact same feelings). If I see silliness , I stay to meet Sunday Obligation and that is all. Mother Angelica on a recent ETWN rerun of her classic shows put it well - "there was a time when you could go anywhere and what was taught and believed was the same and the Mass was conducted the same....but now......" Bravo to you for not participating in such a display. May God bless you!
Speaking of the Mass from Sunday, I should have my pictures from that soon too. I will post them.
Two thoughts -
Papal Masses were notorious for these kinds of abuses.
The real problem is the lack of faith which is displayed by the abuses at the Villanova Mass. They don't have a clue they are doing anything wrong. Two generations have been improperly catechized. That's the real scandal. Solve the root of the problem and the externals disappear.
Well, ultimately, I was thinking of papal Masses prior to 1965. But that is a good point, as well as your second point.
I'm looking forward to see the pictures you took of Fr. Magiera's Mass.
Back to your post...Is Villanova U in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia? Have you thought about sending your pictures along w/ a note of grievance to Cardinal Rigali?
I thought about doing that right after the Mass. Do you think he will do anything about it though?
I understand your hesitance. My wife prodded me about doing the same thing about a lot of the abuses we've seen in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Whether or not he actually does something is really out of our hands, but we have the responsibility to stand up for the truth. I think it helps to remember the saying, "The only way for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
I just wrote a letter two weeks ago to the priest who is in charge of liturgical directives here in Baltimore. I have yet to receive a reply, but I know this priest is one of the good guys (a sheep among the ravenous wolves of the chancery).
...no applause is to be done in church!
^^
Oh, how I wish that were said in my parish. Just recently the congregation was asked -- by the priest! -- to applaud a kid who had just received his First Communion. It's appalling, and I refuse to do it.
....parents and relatives were encouraged to extend their hands in unison with the priest.
**
I have been subjected to such nonsense at my church.
Oh don't be so sensitive. What are you the Liturgical Police? It's all in the "Spirit of Vatican II". I'm sure the Holy Spirit was raining down on all of you. You should be focusing on Our Lord instead of what is going on. Geez oh man, at least those people showed up.
/sarcasm off/
(I've been spending too much time in Catholic Answers)
Archdiocese of Baltimore..
@@
What is your parish? I am also in that Archdiocese. I think Keeler is a weakling.
I have less than charitable comments to say about Keeler, so I will not say them here....
I think the even greater problem with Baltimore is the chancery/priests' council. Most of the notorious liberal pastors sit on that.
Now, I haven't lived in MD that long (5 years), and we plan to move outta here next year anyway, so I could care less about this place. No offense intended to you and any others suffering in this cesspool.
We've skipped around to many parishes. Personally, I have been a Trad since I was 10. My family joined the SSPX but we later grew apart from the Society for reasons beyond the scope of this conversation. By that time I was an adult, and I came to a decision to align myself with the Indult TLM/Conservative Novus Ordo position (if such an alliance exists). Whatever the case, I attend the TLM now at St. Alphonsus downtown (though reluctantly because I am a liturgical perfectionist and that place has a less than par TLM in my opinion). If I am traveling, I usually seek out a conservative NO if an Indult TLM is not available. My present situation was not always the case. My wife and I gave it a try to seek out conservative NO's in Baltimore mostly because traveling for Mass became difficult while she was getting along with her pregnancy. But that effort was futile. It came to head earlier this year when I was physically threatened by a priest I respectfully approached after Mass about his liturgical abuses. We then decided to bide our time at St. Alphonsus until we reach our ideal situation next year in New Jersey at Mater Ecclesiae TLM Diocesan Parish.
The short answer to your question is that we do not belong to any parish in Baltimore. We do not give any money either. Technically, we are already registered at Mater Ecclesiae and our contributions go there and to the FSSP.
Yes, twee primitivism is always a bad sign that liturgical outrages are shortly to follow. Hell, the only point of a glass chalice is a defiant overemphasis on horizontality on the part of what I call "the meal people". Ditto the studied disrespect for the Blessed Sacrament.
Pyro, I feel bad for your sister and the other young people there. I'm sure she was deeply moved. I'm sure she and her classmates came there expecting to be deeply moved, because (they have been taught, I'm sure) that the point of liturgy is an emotional response. Sentimentalism is not just bad taste. It's bad theology, because it encourages a view of the isolated individualistic self as the standard by which things should be judged.
Don't worry about desecration, Pyro. You can be rest assured no transubstantiation occurred.
A point I made on another thread yesterday is that Catholics compare unfavorably with the Orthodox when it comes to defense of tradition. Lay Catholics traditionally have been trained to look to the institutional Church to handle it. The Orthodox regard tradition as their personal property and don't take kindly to its being messed with. Almost all of us are guilty in this culpable passivity, and the hierarchy are culpable in their encouragement of this passivity. This has got to change, because things are not going to get better until the people demand it. If this sounds a bit "we-are-church-y", so be it. When attacking the Left, it's always best to attack from the left.
That's because they're the real Church, and we are all sub-catechumens.
Villanova is IN the territory of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, but its priests are not subject to the bishop. Short of expelling the entire order (and hence, shutting down the University, and with it the billions of dollars of entrusted moneys and dealing with all the resulting legal crises), there's not much the Bishop can do. Don't look to the Vatican... the new guy at the curia, Abp. Levada, had a wildly heretical college in his diocese, USF, and did nothing.
You think so? The Eucharistic Prayer was valid.
Don't forget about Anglican Use. They aren't plentiful, but the one I attended in Houston was a beauty.
I could probably start a little black book of all the good (i.e. safe) churches to attend in various locales. For that matter, I could write a phone book for all the bad churches!!! It's sad that anyone has to do this, but you know the current situation makes it obligatory to do so.
When any of us defend tradition we get accused of being our own pope. The modernist concept of false obedience is a big hurdle.
Yes, but the wine was not held in a noble substance. The Eucharistic prayer being off only makes the mass illicit (unless there are entire elements of the formula off.) And invalid substance prevents transubstantiation.
Surely the Religion Forum could stand a thread in which all could contribute names for your Little Black Book. Catholic Freepers planning their summer getaways would thank you.
That is forbidden, but does not invalidate. A judgment of invalidity is serious business and should not be lightly undertaken by a layman -- on whom the burden of proof rests.
LOL...I think I'll field questions on a case by case basis. My little book would only be limited to mostly places in the NE anyway.
I believe that if the very act of transubstantiation would cause desecration to the Eucharist, no transubstantiation occurs. Since an ignoble material inherently desecrates the Eucharist...
But you do make a correct point. I should state myself more carefully: Based on Pyro's description, there is grave concern that such a mass is invalid, and hence it is prudent not to receive communion
As long as the substance of the wine was not not tampered with, you have no case. The substance of what contains the wine has no relevance unless the container could somehow corrupt the wine (e.g. broken pieces of pottery cause the wine to be mixed with clay dirt). Romulus is correct...that is a serious charge and very difficult to prove. Best to err on the side of validity.
Sadly, this is true for many "sheeples" today; they question nothing. ((((head shaking))))
Communion is no less valid from the hands of a layperson. Are you receiving grace from the priest/deacon or from the consecrated host?
We were talking on Catholic Answers about a BBB of parishes.
Are you in the mood to start an information website? We need it!
If we got enough FReepers together, we could have a guide for the whole country.
How about this as a list of guidelines?
23 Ways To Identify a Faithful Parish
1. There is at least one daily Mass. Obviously, if a parish shares a pastor with other parishes, this may not always be possible. But barring that, a parish needs to offer daily Mass.
2. Confession is offered for a set time... not just "by appointment only." The absolute importance of that sacrament must not be diminished.
3. The tabernacle is inside the main church in a prominent place. It's always frustrating to have to play "Where's Jesus?" when you walk into a parish for the first time. I recall once when visiting a church I'd never been in before, I confusedly genuflected to everything from the cantor to a statue of St. Therese before I figured out where the tabernacle was.
4. The church has kneelers. Period.
5. The church doesn't have a sign in the front that describes itself as a "Catholic Community." I know, this one seems petty at first, but it tends to be true. If a parish has an objection to the word "church," that's a good indication that a larger problem exists. And if that parish magnifies the nonsense with a sign that says something like, "An Open, Inclusive Community of Catholic Christians Who Care and Share," stop, turn around, run.
6. As you enter the church, you see people in the pews in prayer or, at least, reverent silence. If, on the other hand, it looks like social time down at the bingo parlor, that's a bad sign.
7. The Mass is not intentionally altered through the use of inclusive language.
8. The Mass is said according to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal and the instructions of the local bishop. Improvisation is great in jazz. Mass isn't jazz.
9. The gospel is not being read, nor the homily given, by someone other than a priest or deacon.
10. Latin has pride of place in the Mass. It's right there in the documents of the Second Vatican Council. That should be reflected in the liturgy itself.
11. The bread for the Eucharist isn't made with added ingredients not allowed by the Church. Honey, for example.
12. The liturgical music focuses on God, not the community. We are there, after all, to worship Him, not ourselves. And there's never a good reason to sing songs about bridges over troubled waters. You can do that at home, Mr. Garfunkel.
13. Extraordinary ministers do not outnumber the parishioners. There's a reason, after all, that we refer to them as EXTRAORDINARY ministers. We only use them when there are too many people for the priest and deacon to handle.
14. If you're able to find the mission statement of the parish (it's often carried in the bulletin), make sure it says something about fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church.
15. And while you're thumbing through the bulletin, see if there are other good groups there, like the Knights of Columbus, Legion of Mary, St. Vincent de Paul, and Holy Name Society. A faithful Bible study group is also a great sign.
16. The parish offers some form of Eucharistic adoration.
17. The parish has an active Pro-Life ministry, as well as a ministry that cares for the poor.
18. The priest wears his collar. Now, obviously, if you see your local pastor jogging one morning, he's not going to be wearing his clericals. But a priest should generally look the part. It's an important witness to the secular world and a sign that he recognizes the great value of his own vocation.
19. The pastor isn't afraid to preach on the tough issues: abortion, divorce, contraception, cloning, etc. That's not to say that every homily should cover those topics. But a priest should truly believe the Church's teaching and defend them without pause.
20. The parish's marriage preparation program includes instruction in Natural Family Planning (NFP). And if someone involved in the program describes NFP as "the rhythm method," go immediately limp and drop to the ground. With luck, he'll think you passed out and will take you to the emergency room, far, far away from that parish.
21. The church has a vibrant religious education program for both children and adults based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. You might also try to find out who's involved in the program and where they received their own formation.
22. The church's Website doesn't link to dissident groups like Call to Action, Voice of the Faithful, or Catholics for a Free Choice.
23. If there's a literature rack in the church, look at the publications the parish is carrying. Dissident magazines or newspapers tend to go hand in hand with a dissident parish.
If an ordained priest said the required words over the host/wine, then it's a valid Eucharist. Method of distribution does not reverse-transubstantiate the body and blood of Christ back to wheat. If it was not wheat, but rice (or some other concoction), then it would be invalid.
What does Thomas Aquinas have to do with the price of tea in China? So he said it "should" be distributed by consecrated hands. So what? The Lord presents Himself as the paschal sacrifice and you'd reject Him because you can't receive Him from someone wearing the collar?
That's tragic.
"to applaud a kid who had just received his First Communion"
We were asked to clap for our music director's birthday. There were balloons all over by the piano floating around durig Mass. We're about to get a new priest. I hope and pray that he is not as casual as the one we have now!
Sounds like a Protestant communion service.
Applause AFTER the mass?
It may be the wrong technique for administering the sacrament, but the next conclusion is that transubstantiation hasn't even taken place, based on that.
I don't know which is more profane: mishandling the Eucharist or refusing to receive it because the EEM's "do it wrong".
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