Amazing. One would think the after the multicultural musical mayhem that occurred yesterday at National’s Stadium, that your average ‘catholic’ progressive would be basking in the glow of this liturgical train wreck for weeks. Not so. Some progressives are equally upset about the mass.
There are so many things that one could be upset about when it comes that liturgy that it would be the work of days to try and list them. Leave it to the Associated Press and their cadre of perpetual dissenters to uncover one I hadn’t even thought of. The AP is upset that there were no Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.
Amazing. One of the only things that went right in the liturgy is the one thing the AP and their cohort of typical dissenters will focus on.
But Pope Benedict XVI’s Mass in the nation’s capital Thursday was also different from a typical service in another way: Lay people were not asked to distribute Communion, which was administered exclusively by 300 priests and deacons.
Organizers of the Mass at Nationals Park were only following the letter of church law. But to some Roman Catholics, the ceremony was symbolic of what they see as Benedict’s desire to erect clear boundaries between clergy and lay people.
“What he wants to do really is to reinforce the old categories and classifications — different roles for different people,” said David Gibson, author of books on Benedict and the future of the U.S. church.
You absolutely have to love these guys. They are more disciplined than any political candidate that I can think of. They are never happy and never off message. Everyone to the right of Sr. Joan Chittister is wailing and gnashing their teeth over this embarrassing debacle and progressives still aren’t happy.
Patty Olszewski, 51, of Potomoc, Md., was disappointed about the lack of lay Eucharistic ministers — she is one.
She describes herself as an anti-abortion Catholic who wishes the church would at least consider women priests and disagrees with church teaching against homosexuality. Even so, she said she’s happy with her role and feels like she’s contributing.
“In everyday life, you don’t feel oppressed by any sort of hierarchy because it’s so heavily populated by the laity,” Olswewski said. “That’s ‘We the People.’ The church is all of us.”
These rad-trendies will always stick to the talking points and will never be satisfied no matter how crazy things get. Recognition of this fact should give the Pope and the hierarchy the message that there is no satisfying these people. It is time to move on. Put an end to this nonsense once and for all. Reform the liturgy. Now. Let the chips fall where they may.
April 18, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Isn’t the extraordinary minister only supposed to help when absolutely necesary. If it wasn’t necessary than what’s the complaint?
April 18, 2008 at 1:43 pm
The complaint is they can’t be the center of attention. Way too many extraordinary ministers do it for that reason alone (my father-in-law is among them).
I really do wish Rome would put an end to so many things. With a stroke of the pen they can get rid of all the EMs, altar girls, crappy music, et al. I’d like to see the laity oppressed by the hierarchy – it would be a nice change of pace!
April 18, 2008 at 2:25 pm
I dealt with this issue in an essay written back in September of 2006:
Playing Priest
“I have pondered what I would do with the phenomenon were I ever to be made a bishop — which, in another set of life circumstances, would be a great idea…”
Enjoy.
April 18, 2008 at 3:48 pm
“Olswewski said. “That’s ‘We the People.’ The church is all of us.” But it’s mostly me, Patty! Get that!!
Saint John Cantius also does not utilize the throngs of happy-clappy, pushy-shovy EMS, mainly females in pant suits.
God be praised.
And therefore it has a congregation of younger reverent families rather than the geezers and pre-geezers who populate so many of our regular parishes as they await their final trip out the front door to the hearse.
The Church is us also on the other side, Patty, so just be sure that your amazing hubris doesn’t land you way down south — where there’s always global warming and a guy who looks amazingly like Al Gore running the place.
April 18, 2008 at 4:00 pm
I love how a) the term “Extraordinary Minister” is dumped in favor of “lay Eucharistic Minister”, and b) how Ms. Olszewski, in speaking about how good it is to be an EM, references the preamble to the US Constitution, as opposed to church doctrine.
April 22, 2008 at 9:15 pm
What Patty doesn’t realize it has been consiered and decided: women priests aren’t going to happen, period.
Maybe the Pope will ban everything at once, EOMHC’s, altar girls, horrible music, Communion in the Hand, it can all happen with a stroke of a pen.
April 23, 2008 at 10:18 pm
It appears Ms. Olszewski has just given the Church two reasons why she shouldn’t be an extraordinary minister.
As for the Instruction from the Vatican:
Redemptionis Sacramentum –
25 March 2004
[157.] If there is usually present a sufficient number of sacred ministers for the distribution of Holy Communion, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion may not be appointed. Indeed, in such circumstances, those who may have already been appointed to this ministry should not exercise it. The practice of those Priests is reprobated who, even though present at the celebration, abstain from distributing Communion and hand this function over to laypersons.
[158.] Indeed, the extraordinary minister of Holy Communion may administer Communion only when the Priest and Deacon are lacking, when the Priest is prevented by weakness or advanced age or some other genuine reason, or when the number of faithful coming to Communion is so great that the very celebration of Mass would be unduly prolonged. This, however, is to be understood in such a way that a brief prolongation, considering the circumstances and culture of the place, is not at all a sufficient reason.
April 28, 2008 at 3:54 am
It was so beautiful to see the stadium saturated with priests and deacons, surrounding Il Papa. * sigh * The presence of the Church in America represented by the Bishops, priests, and deacons was what made the Mass most beautiful, despite the details of music, etc. Why have Mrs. Olszewski, when Jesus can come to me from the ordained hands of an alter-Christus? Some people can spoil anything.