Posted on 05/31/2004 9:03:06 AM PDT by Snuffington
Roman Catholic laymen formed a quasi-barricade at the Cathedral of St. Paul on Sunday, forcing gay-rights supporters to step over, around and through them to receive Holy Communion.
As the extraordinary action unfolded, men broke out in spontaneous prayer, women wept and the presiding priest shifted back and forth in an attempt to offer the Communion host to those coming forward.
What is typically an orderly line of communicants became jumbled along the center aisle, as a group calling itself Ushers of the Eucharist knelt and blocked a direct path to the priest.
No one appeared to be denied Communion, and no physical altercations were reported.
Although some bishops of the Catholic Church have debated whether it is appropriate to deny Holy Eucharist to those opposed to church teachings, it was 35 laymen on Sunday who confronted fellow laypeople during Communion.
About 2,000 people attended the Mass, roughly twice the normal attendance of a noon Mass at the Cathedral, spokeswoman Sheryl Rose said. No mention was made of the gay-rights issue during any part of the Mass.
About 80 people wearing rainbow-colored sashes attended the Mass, an annual worldwide practice of gay-rights advocates in many Catholic churches on Pentecost Sunday — the day Christians celebrate the Holy Spirit and the founding of the church.
The Rainbow Sash Alliance says that by wearing the sashes to Mass, it seeks to increase the awareness of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics in the church and calls for a dialogue with church leaders.
Rainbow Sash members have been denied Communion in some dioceses for making a political statement during the Mass. In Chicago, priests at Holy Name Cathedral refused Sunday to give the Eucharist to about 10 people wearing the sashes.
An internal memo from Chicago Cardinal Francis George that became public last week, instructing priests not to give Communion to people wearing the sashes, says the sashes are a symbol of opposition to church doctrine on homosexuality and exploit the Communion ritual.
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, however, said in a statement it would not deny Communion to those wearing sashes because "members of this group have previously assured us, in writing, that their attendance at the annual Pentecost Mass … is not in protest of the Church's teachings.''
That is what prompted a group — Ushers of the Eucharist — led by layman David Pence, 56, to gather Sunday to keep those wearing the sash from the Communion table.
"Those who object ask how we can disobey the bishop's authority,'' Pence said. "The bishop has abdicated his authority. That's the problem in the Catholic Church.
"Bishops have not protected the flock from this large predator movement of sexual dissent and homosexuality in the priesthood and in the church bureaucracy.''
Some members of Pence's group began reciting the Hail Mary at the priest's feet as he attempted to serve Communion.
As they did so, sisters Anne and Sarah Kosel of St. Paul, both 21 and regular worshippers at the Cathedral, wept in the second row. They were not identified with either group.
"The Eucharist is not a war zone,'' Sarah Kosel said afterward. "This is our church, and an attempt to block the Eucharist should be the last place to demonstrate.
"We didn't think it would be this bad.''
Regina Martino of Afton came to Mass specifically to support Pence's group and decided to kneel next to them.
"I just saw (Rainbow Sash members) were getting through, so I tried to kneel and block a spot,'' Martino said. "I don't feel they have a right to come and disrupt the most sacred part of what Catholics believe in.''
Pence conceded some worshippers considered his group's actions disruptive, too.
"I apologize to those who feel we disrupted Mass,'' Pence said. "But the weakness of the bishops in responding to this very aggressive social movement has to be responded to with courage, even if it's from laymen.''
Pence's group chose not to receive Communion.
Members of his group engaged in discussions — some heated — with Rainbow Sash members outside the Cathedral before Mass.
"Confrontation is difficult,'' Rainbow Sash organizer Brian McNeill of Minneapolis said afterward. "I'm stunned these men feel like they know the state of my soul. They told me I need to go to confession. The fact is how could they know the last time I went to confession? They simply don't know.''
Meanwhile, nearly 100 people prayed the rosary on the Cathedral steps before the Mass. Calling themselves Catholics Against Sacrilege, the group in a statement said Rainbow Sash members should adhere to church teaching declaring that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.''
"They're praying for us over there. I'm praying for them,'' said Pepper Wolf of Red Wing, as she put on a rainbow sash about 100 feet away. "I believe Catholic social teaching says all people deserve respect and dignity.''
In a private interview, the presiding priest, Monsignor James Habiger, said there is a place for protest and opinion, but not at the Eucharist. "Let's not be injurious to the integrity of the religious service,'' he said.
A letter from the Cathedral rector, the Rev. Michael Skluzacek, was given to all worshippers as they arrived, alerting them to the possibility of protest or disruption. He asked worshippers to pray that "nothing will occur here that takes our focus off our worship.''
His letter also asked prayers for "all those who, well intentioned though they may be, are mistakenly using the Mass and the Eucharist to make their own personal statements.''
I completely agree.
The behavior of the clergy in this incident and similar incidents is what angers me most, followed by the gay protestors making a mokcery of the Holy Sacrament.
You're clueless.
The Church is a powerful political force that has as its objective exclusion (if you differ). Christ's message is one of love over law and is inclusive. If Mass is the celebration of Agape, it is not the place for for political displays at all, either for or AGAINST a position. Where is the example of Christ's love in Pence's action and in the posted reactions? This is not a political matter, it is a question of how we emulate Christ when faced with difficult circumstances.
Distracting activities do not belong at Mass. I don't favor "protests" at Mass or displaying symbols which express ideologies or practices contrary to the Catholic faith. Not sure it is the laity's job to police Holy Communion. If the sash events are upsetting people, they should find somewhere orthodox to attend Mass. That said, I suspect there will be more unfortunate incidents at Mass. But Mass is not a "Sympathy for Sodomy" event. People who have special needs or problems in this area should be able to find the Confessionals without disturbing their fellow Catholics at Mass.
We are agreed.
I've been traumatized by one charismatic mass (gives me the hebegeebees every time I recall it - fell on my knees asking for guidance after I got home and had to go throw up in the toilet); a few others I attended were questionable to varying degrees; i.e., ring-around-the-altar, glass chalice (thought that was neat at the time, didn't know any better), pottery chalice, one altar bread mass, mass-in-the-back-of-the-church several days running (never really figured out why we were made to do that) . . .
The overwhelming majority of novus ordo masses I attended used valid matter.
There were polka masses, rock masses, picnic masses, home masses . . .
The priest who presided over the rock masses went the other way and started saying the Latin mass in his declining years, but I don't know if it was indult or not.
Some of those masses are downright blasphemous.
I've got a video from some I guess they are Feenites but I thought they were SSPXer's showing an aerial view of some bushes in the Vatican landscaping trained to grow like 3 sixes . . . not your normal sixes but pinwheel-style sixes . . .
Blind, child like obidience 40 years ago by too many of the faithful is what got us into much of this mess, the trusted their clergy blindly, no matter what the church teachings were. Blind child like obidience is not going to get the church out of this mess. Much like the kneeling for communion debate of two years ago, the laity has to fight to preserve tradition and speak up for the church teachings when the clergy refuse to do so.
Here's an organization that's been tracking abuses in the novus ordo for some years:
http://www.novusordowatch.org/archive.htm
Sometimes a picture says a thousand words!
That's for sure so long as they are legit and not like some of the prison abuse ones that were downloaded from a porn site!
Your make a good point.
Many of the pictures on display
http://www.novusordowatch.org/archive.htm
have links to the original parish websites from which they were taken. I would have a hard time believing some of the stuff - if I hadn't seen similar abuses with my own eyes.
I'll check that out. Have to run for a bit. I didn't realize things were than out-of-control. The older people wouldn't have stood for this stuff, and the younger ones must think it's cool. It's the young they are trying to de-sensitize and maybe the parents go along with it because their kids are involved . . . it never would have gotten this far if people had cared more . . .??? Father is loved so he is blindly followed . . .
Sounds like a call to action Sinkspur!
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