If this doesn't send you over the edge, then you are hopeless. What a sad and disgraceful representation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass!
Posted on 03/23/2007 10:03:00 AM PDT by NYer
Twenty years ago, a few clowns decided to change from making people laugh to making them cry.
With the help of a transitional deacon who had been nurturing the idea of a clown ministry, "The Way of the Cross in the Company of Clowns" was born.
They perform around the Albany Diocese only during Lent, with a poignant look at the passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus, and during Advent, when they celebrate the birth of Jesus.
First tries
"People loved it," Jack Ablett said of the early performances. He and his wife Rita are among the original founders of the ministry at St. Patrick's parish in Ravena.
"The initial [three] clowns had all trained at Hudson Valley Community College," in Troy, she explained. "Coincidentally, they were all parishioners at St. Patrick's. They had been talking about using their clowning talents in some kind of ministry. At that time, we had a transitional deacon at our parish, and he had written a script for the Way of the Cross with clowns as the participants."
The little troupe began their ministry in their own parish; within a few years, however, they were filling requests to perform in nearby parishes.
Changes
Over the years, the ministry has revised the script, added music and lighting, included mimes, and expanded the number of clowns, who range from children to senior citizens.
Initially, the group performed only on Friday evenings during Lent, the traditional day for Stations of the Cross.
By 1993, however, they were so overwhelmed with requests for performances that they decided to start performing on Wednesdays as well.
Story
The premise of the story is that one clown, Marmelduke, is sad because he can't make people laugh anymore. As a result, he has lost his faith, and his friends have deserted him. A spirit comes to him and convinces him to follow Jesus through His passion and death.
As the journey winds its way through the Stations in a darkened church, the clown begins to understand the meaning of Jesus' life and death. At the last Station, his sadness turns to rejoicing, and as other clowns reflect his conversion.
"People usually are crying by the end of the performance and often, so are the clowns," Mrs. Ablett said.
Special night
Recalling a recent performance in front of developmentally disabled young adults, she said, "While we were getting ready for the performance, the group assembled themselves around a large crucifix at one end of the church. As we went out to begin, the church was all dark, except for a light highlighting the group. There they were, all assembled around the cross, waiting to watch us perform the Way of the Cross. We all began weeping when we saw them. There wasn't a dry eye in the church.
"There is so much joy in this ministry. We give a lot to those that come to watch us perform. On the other hand, we all get so much out of performing. When you see the look on people's faces at the end of the Stations, and feel the joy and love that is there, you know that the prayer of the Stations has been deeply felt and absorbed. It really touches people's hearts."
(Check the calendar page or parish bulletins for presentations of "The Way of the Cross in the Company of Clowns.")
I googled it. I believe it was Monserrate. This link gives a little idea of where it's located and what it's like but doesn't show or mention the stations of the cross.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monserrate
"The Gospel isn't about entertainment and music and theater *ministries* aren't real ministry."
What is this "ministry" stuff, anyway? This "ministry" and that "ministry"...just looks to me like an excuse to allow people who aren't priests to act like priests.
Baptist ping
In Protestant or evangelical denominations, *ministry* is doing things to help people and meet their needs. For example, food pantries, clothing give aways, missions trips to help a small church in a third world country build a building to worship in.
Now there's been this trend lately to have *puppet ministries* or *dance ministries* or whatever kind of theatrical feel good kind of stuff they can call it. They raise support and travel around giving performances and a gospel message. It's mostly entertainment for these people they're *ministering* to, to *encourage* them.
The problem I have with it is that it doesn't require any sacrifice, doesn't really help the people they go perform for in any tangible way, doesn't provide food, clothes, health care, teach them basic health care, how to farm more effectively, repair old houses,... Nothing in the manner of Jesus.
Jesus met people's physical needs in a concrete way while He went around. He didn't put on shows or dances and provide clowns for entertainment. His commands to us are to take care of widows and orphans in their distress, feed the hungry, clothe the poor, visit those in jail. Things that take time and effort and put others ahead of ourselves.
Yes, I think you're right. I might take the criticism a bit further, but...
Assclowns.
If this doesn't send you over the edge, then you are hopeless. What a sad and disgraceful representation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass!
Somehow I doubt there has ever been a clown version of the Divine Liturgy of +John Chrysostomos. This is really a disgrace, NYer.
That picture is more than enough for me. I couldn't even imagine watching any more of it.
I'd have got up and walked out.
Do the Orthodox do the Stations of the Cross?
No, that is a Latin devotion unknown in Eastern Christianity except under Latinizing influence. On Friday evenings in Great Lent we Orthodox chant the Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos. That said, the Stations are an absolutely wonderful, powerful and spiritually enriching practice in my opinion. It is the Stations, among other practices, which points out the difference in focus of the Church in the East and the Church in the West. As Metropolitan Methodios of Boston said in praising Gibson's The Passion of The Christ, the West is The Church of The Crucifixion, the East is The Church of The Resurrection.
In Orthodoxy, the Passion is summed up in this icon called "Extreme Humility":
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