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Morality and Liturgy Los Angeles Religious Education Congress -- March 30 to April 2, 2006 We decided to check out some of the talks at this year's LA Religiuos Ed Congress - we went to three talks and the closing Mass. Did a little research before we went and decided to check out some of the controversial speakers. Here are the three talks we attended: Human Sexuality: Nature and Relationships in Cultural Milieus - Fr. Richard Sparks Fr. Sparks admits that he got in trouble the last
time he spoke at the Congress about human sexuality - listen here. Homosexuality, Celibacy and the Priesthood: Continuing the Conversation - Dr. Tom Beaudoin with Rev. James Martin and Dr. Greer Gordon. Tha Changing Face of the Priesthood - Five Years Later - Fr. Donald Cozzens Fr. Cozzens updates the audience chapter by chapter
on his book The Changing Face of the Priesthood. He clearly
thinks the Church should ordain married men, accept gay priests,
and consider women for the priesthood. We have to ask the question - why are speakers who are clearly dissenting from Church teaching allowed to preach to our nation's catechists? Why does Cardinal Mahony invite these same speakers back year after year even after being informed of their dissent? Here is what Cardinal Mahony had to say during his online chat at the Congress: Bill: Some of the scheduled speakers at
this Religious Education Congress are well-known dissenters of our
Catholic Church teachings. Why are they repeatedly invited back
to the Congress and why are those who are requesting a closer monitoring
of these speakers and asking for 100% orthodoxy being ignored? Conference Liturgies This Mass was more of a "show" than a beautiful sacrifice. It reminded me of the rock concerts I used to attend in my youth - the music was so loud that it was almost deafening. There were liturgical dancers (more on that later), dramas enacting the gospel readings, glass pitchers to hold the Precious Blood, and many points at which the crowd errupted in applause (see 13 minute video clip for examples of all the above). Click here for images from the Youth Day Mass (images from the LA Religious Education Congress website) Click here for expanded video excerpts from the closing Mass (13 minutes) This video clip will require Flash 8 to view. ___________________________________________________________ During the closing Mass the gospel was read by a deacon and lay people. During Cardinal Mahony's online chat at the congress someone asked him: Matt: "Just curious about
some new things I've seen at church. May a priest change the liturgy
as he sees fit? For example, may he change the words given by ICEL,
use a wooden or glass chalice, or allow a lay person to read the
Gospel or give a homily? Thank you." ___________________________________________________________ Liturgical dancers were present at several of the Congress Masses (see images and video links above). During Cardinal Mahony's online chat at the congress someone asked him: Mariette: Does Your Eminence believe there
is a place for liturgical dance in the US Church? Note in the video clip that the liturgical dancing at the closing Mass did lead to applause. Here is what Pope Benedict had to say about liturgical dancing in his book Spirit of the Liturgy (written when he was Cardinal Ratzinger). “Dancing is not a form of expression for the Christian liturgy.” (198) “It is totally absurd to try to make the liturgy ‘attractive’ by introducing dancing pantomimes (wherever possible performed by professional dance troupes), which frequently (and rightly, from the professionals’ point of view) end with applause. Wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of the liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment.” (198) “None of the Christian rites includes dancing.” (199) |
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