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.
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..
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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))))
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