Posted on 05/21/2003 5:36:35 PM PDT by NYer
A parody of the Mass was held in the newly renovated San Fernando Cathedral - the oldest cathedral in the US - on April 29, 2003 when a ceremony honoring the pagan goddess Sophia was celebrated as part of an ecumenical event for Catholics and representatives of varius Protestant groups sponsored by the Pastoral Summit.
Though the chief “celebrant” of this pagan liturgy was a nun, Sr. Martha Ann Kirk, the liturgy was “created” by Fr. Jake Emperereur, S.J., vicar and liturgist at the cathedral.
The pagan liturgy, officially called a “community worship service,” opened with the congregation turning to the baptismal font at the entrance to the cathedral.
After the water in the baptismal font was “sanctified” in the name of Sophia and Wisdom, participants in the entrance procession danced toward and into the sanctuary, sprinkling the audience with this water.
Next an offertory meal of bread and wine and fruits was brought in, and a select group of three women ritualistically set the meal on the altar. Sr. Kirk then appeared to “consecrate” the bread, fruit and wine, and a communion-like sharing was held in which the overwhelming majority of the audience participatd by breaking a piece of bread from the large loaves and consuming it.
After a short skit about Kind David and Sophia, the troupe held an exit procession.
The Pastoral Summit, led by noted Catholic author Paul Wilkes, a leader in the movement to establish a lay-run church, will hold similar three-day events in Indianapolis, and Boston in coming months.
The featured speakers at the San Antonio event, held April 28, 29 and 30, were Notre Dame professor Scott Appleby and Ruby Bridges, who, as a little girl, symbolized the integration of New Orleans public schools.
In Indianapolis, June 17-19, featured speakers will be Ken Fong and Fr. David Cozzens, while in Boston, October 6-8, the featured speakers will be Alice McDermott and Huston Smith.
The sponsor of the Pastoral Summit was the Lilly Endowment, and attendees for the summit came from across the US to learn and share information on what makes successful worship and parishes.
The Wanderer does not provide links to their new stories, but this one is valid as I have checked out their cross refernces. See also
... The Wanderer Press
Someone needs to be called back to Rome, pronto.
I WILL find the Vatican email address.
Sr. Martha Ann Kirk, professor of Religious Studies, was interviewed by Candice Bergen, during her program, "Exhale," on the Oxygen Cable Network seen in fifteen million households. The program was about the book For The Love of God: The Faith and Future of The American Nuns. Among other things the book describes Sr. Martha Ann's teaching and arts ministry.
Sr. Martha Ann Kirk also presented "Emerging Peace Rituals in this U.N. Decade for Education for Cultures of Non-Violence and their Relationship to Feminist Rituals of the Last Decade." She was also the convener of the "Feminist Studies in Liturgy" seminar hosting the dialogue with Rosemary Radford Ruether at the North American Academy of Liturgy in St. Louis
"Mientras Hay Alma, Hay Esperanza: Where There is Life, There is Hope"
Rev. Jake Empereur, S.J.
There is life in the giftedness of lesbian and gay persons. Hope springs from such giftedness. This presentation is about the hope found in difference, in another way of loving, in a distinct religious sensibility, in the filling up with greater wholeness the beauty of humanity. The gay/lesbian presence in church serves as an important source for theological reflection: that God created gay and lesbian people to reflect the richness of God’s own loving. This richness of diversity is multiplied and enhanced as it finds a home in different cultural contexts. What does the Latina lesbian or the Latino gay man bring to this diversity? Spiritual direction is about such giftedness. The whole work of spiritual direction with gay and lesbian persons can be summed up in the cry of Jesus when the bound Lazarus emerged from the tomb: Desátenlo y déjenlo caminar (Untie him and let him go.)
Rev. Jake Empereur, S.J., is vicar and liturgist at the San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio, Texas, where he also works in Hispanic ministry. He founded the Institute for Spirituality and Worship while a professor of systematic and liturgical theology at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley and the Graduate Theological Union, and is founding editor of Modern Liturgy Magazine. Fr. Empereur’s latest books are The Enneagram and Spiritual Direction and Spiritual Direction and the Gay Person. He is presently complete a book on Hispanic sacramental theology and practice.
Loyola University - Faculty Profiles
Course: Presiding Skills
Address: Cathedral of San Fernando, 115 Main Plaza, San Antonio TX 78205
Phone: (210) 224-0288
Fax: (210) 271-0149
E-mail: gr057@ollac.ollusa.eduFr. Jake Empereur is a parochial vicar and liturgist at the San Fernando Cathedral, in San Antonio TX. For many years, he taught spirituality, liturgical, and systematic theology at the Jesuit School of Theology and the Graduate Theological Union, in Berkeley, California, where he also participated in the doctoral program in theology and the arts. He is the author of several books including Worship: Exploring the Sacred and The Liturgy That Does Justice. His latest book, published in 1997, is The Enneagram and Spiritual Direction.
Check this out!
The Osgood File (CBS Radio Network): 3/23/01
Flamenco dancers fire up Catholic worship service in San Antonio.
Flamenco is a passionate and emotional form of dance that might seem like the last thing you'd see in a Catholic church. But twice a year for the celebratory seasons of Christmas and Easter, Father Jake Empereur conducts Flamenco Mass at San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio Texas. Flamenco dancers are part of the procession into the church: they dance their way up to the altar to present the gifts of wine and bread for the Eucharist, and reverently fan the liturgical books with colorful Spanish fans. At the high point of the mass, when it's time to proclaim the gospel, the priest joins in and dances with the 10 or 12 professional Flamenco dancers.
San Fernando Cathedral is home to the Flamenco Mass and many public rituals and celebrations of Mexican Catholic faith. Flamenco, with its roots in Spain, reflects the Hispanic origins of historic San Fernando Cathedral, the oldest parish church and the oldest cathedral in the U.S. But the passionate dance form is also uniquely suited to convey the deep emotions of Catholic faith, from great sorrow to transcendent joy. The expressive nature of Flamenco dramatizes the symbolism of the service, reflecting important sacred moments through movement and gesture. It mirrors the emotional Latino experience of the Liturgy, and deepens the congregations' involvement in the Mass, by bringing passion, life and movement inside the Cathedral.
The Flamenco Mass has been celebrated at San Fernando Cathedral for 15 years. About a thousand people crowd into the cathedral for Father Empereur's service, which to his knowledge is the only Flamenco Mass in the country. Traditional elements of the Flamenco style create an electric effect by bringing color and movement to the service. The dancers wear richly decorated traditional costumes, carry colorful Spanish fans, and are accompanied by classical Spanish Flamenco guitar music and traditional singing, clapping and castanets. Though some might think that the church is no place for dancing, Father Empereur disagrees-he says that the dignified nature of Flamenco dance conveys soul, depth and emotion to the service, deepening and revitalizing the experience of mass for his parishioners.
CONTACTS
Father Jake Empereur
San Fernando Cathedral
115 W Main Plaza
San Antonio, Texas 78205
Phone: (210)227-1297
LINKS
The Handbook of Texas Online includes historical information about the San Fernando Cathedral.
The EWTN Global Catholic Network has information on Catholic prayers and devotionals.
The Andalucia Web site has information on flamenco.
The Classical Guitar Illustrated History Web site has information on flamenco.
The Flamenco World Web site includes an introduction to flamenco.
ACFnewsource provides links to sites maintained by other o rganizations for informational purposes only. ACFnewsource has no responsibility for the accuracy of the content of any Web site to which a link is provided. Th e groups included on the list do not necessarily reflect the views of ACFnewsour ce.
Boston, October 6-8
This totally defies comprehension! I am absolutely shocked!
My only consolation is in knowing that The Wanderer is widely distributed and read by many conservative catholic and christian groups. I trust word of this will get back to Rome at best, to www.rcf.org at the least. In the meantime, I will definitely pass this on to Michael Brown at www.spiritdaily.com. His web site is a bees nest of activity and this story will gain wide viewership.
Dance is a physically sensual art which celebrates the human body. As such, it has no place in the Mass. Ever.
Prayer to the Archangel Michael:
St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and the snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Hosts, by the Power of God, cast into Hell, Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world, seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen!
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