The triumph of the destroying Spirit of Vatican II is neatly encapsulated in this neat little video from Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Menomonee Falls, WI.
As parody, it would be over the top. As reality, it is the synthesis of all banality. Everybody please tell me how things are getting better, please.
Note**Good Shepherd has made private the original video. Fortunately, there is another copy downloaded in anticipation of this happening.
Deacon Sandy has responded to the criticism here. You can read it here.
I have taken down the video. See why here.
Annnd the video is back. See why here.
UPDATE
There are other troubling things on their website as noticed by Matthew Balan
For their gay outreach, they make this statement. “This ministry works to help the LGBT community find and take it’s rightful place within the Catholic community. “
What exactly is the rightful place of the LGBT community in the Church as it differs from the rightful place of any sinner?
And they link to Call To Action, a group where membership is grounds for excommunication in some places.
Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
archbishoplistecki@archmil.org
February 23, 2014 at 3:59 am
It's called making people feel WELCOME. That is something trads don't like to do. It is something that needs to be done more. And that parish is doing it.
February 23, 2014 at 4:33 am
Oh! Its a group touchy, feely thing!
Belief through the litmus test of social approbation, consensus and approval.
In the timely words of a simple sage,
"Just shoot me now, I'm done!"
February 23, 2014 at 5:36 am
They sound like they are on their way to becoming Episcopalians!
How is this even allowed? (Who am I to judge after all…)
February 23, 2014 at 3:00 pm
"As you know, I have many friends in the world who are artists, poets, authors, editors, etc. Now they are well able to appreciate our chant and even our Latin. But they are all, without exception, scandalized and grieved when I tell them that probably this Office, this Mass will no longer be here in ten years. And that is the worst. The monks cannot understand this treasure they possess, and they throw it out to look for something else, when seculars, who for the most part are not even Christians, are able to love this incomparable art." – Thomas Merton, 1964
http://vultus.stblogs.org/index.php/2014/02/home-from-the-liturgical-thirty-years-war/
February 23, 2014 at 3:21 pm
To be fair, he didn't say leavened bread. Perhaps the people making the bread are using only wheat and water. It would look different than the hosts received at most parishes and people might question it.
February 23, 2014 at 5:41 pm
Oh gosh, I could feel my testosterone levels drop to redline levels as the video progressed. My wife is going to be ticked at you tonight for posting this, Patrick.
February 23, 2014 at 6:41 pm
looks like they have blocked it, I hope someone was able to grab a copy before they password protected it.
February 23, 2014 at 6:47 pm
When I first clicked on the video last night, my 8 year old walked into the room….I turned it off because I was certain that I'd have some 'splainin' to do if he saw any of it. Now, today it's no longer available.
February 23, 2014 at 9:20 pm
"Greeter."
"Worship space."
"Seventy ministries."
"Parish-director model"
All this drivel is Protestantism, only without a rattlesnake or two.
This morning one of our deacons employed some of the same babble – now I know where he's going.
Ah, well, the bishop has got our money through this year's Bishop's Faith Appeal, so he can decorate some more instead of serving God and God's people.
February 23, 2014 at 9:35 pm
Hello.. I was just wondering why you guys all care about what people who don't know do or how they worship. Do any of you actually live in Wisconsin or attend this parish? If so and you are concerned, I would invite you to talk with the deacon or the bishop about your concerns. If not and you don't plan to visit Milwaukee, Wisconsin, it seems the gracious and adult thing to do would be to ignore it. So a kooky liberal parish is being kooky and liberal. This has nothing to do with you, your parish, or your salvation. Leave them alone and request that they do the same for you
February 23, 2014 at 10:13 pm
All that stuff began before Weakland's time under the direction of a priest named Eschweiler. Actual Catholics would SPIT that name out, and still do.
By the way, you will never find the tabernacle in that edifice. It's there–but certainly not in the sanctuary, nor even 'cleverly hidden' in a wall of the nave. Nope. It's in a room all by itself and you damn near need a map to find it.
February 23, 2014 at 10:15 pm
And why did Eschweiler get away with this?
Because his family was wealthy–and also were architects for multiple local Catholic churches.
February 23, 2014 at 10:29 pm
"It's called making people feel WELCOME."
It makes me feel profoundly alienated. Worship of self usually does.
February 24, 2014 at 12:49 am
@Kelly, perhaps we care for this is the mystical body of Christ. Perhaps we care for this is an abomination against the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Savior of the World. Perhaps we care because all sins are sins against His Body. Perhaps you would understand that souls are being lost through perversions. Fast, pray, and email the Bishop until you are blue in the face.
February 24, 2014 at 1:48 am
@Mary's Child Mariann
So Jesus who lived in first century Palestine as a poor worker and was horrifically crucified is now such a delicate flower that he cannot stand people using pita bread and audio visual presentations at Mass. Perhaps he has a more accepting attitude than you and is glad that people come and worship him.
I'm sorry.. But you don't live in Menomonee Falls, WI and don't go to church at this parish. Therefore, you don't get a say in how they run it. As just a normal Catholic, I am getting tired of the liturgical wars. I really don't care what vestments the priests is wearing and whether there is an appropriate amount of lace and I don't care what music is used and how the altar is set. I hate to tell you but in the Global South (aka where Catholicism is growing), lacy vestments and Baroque music are not how they worship God. Heck, the Extraordinary Form Mass is foreign to them. Perhaps we should encourage them to mock Cardinal Burke's vestments.. (Or we could just draw a truce, but that is just me.)
February 24, 2014 at 3:09 am
Kelly – the Liturgy is 'The Work of God'. Parishes don't get to vote to decide 'how to do it to suit us'. The Church has decided – in this case communicated by the GIRM and other documents.
Some items on the video are areas of opinion – Greeters – if a parish wants greeters – have greeters – it's outside of the Liturgy. (We can debate the usefulness or how to best have greeters – but that is not the crux of this discussion.)
But many of them have been decided by the Church. Kneeling during the Consecration, generally the actions of the priest in the sanctuary, etc. It's not a vote. It's not up to the parish. The fact that you don't care 'what vestments the priest is wearing' or 'what music is used' or 'how the altar is set' – just confuses me. One you ought to care because our Mother the Church cares. Two you ought to care because you want your priest and parish to be obedient to our Mother the Church. And three you ought to care to find out why our Mother the Church has decided to specify these things – because She is not arbitrary and out of love wants what is best for us.
I'm not sure what Latin America has to do with this. In general, they have the same directions about the Liturgy and same 'rules' – with a few differences.
It's not a war or a truce – it's be obedient.
February 24, 2014 at 4:51 am
Again.. Why do you exactly care that others aren't following the rules? If they are being disobedient isn't it on them? I don't think that God will strike you dead because a parish in Menomonee Falls, WI isn't following the rubrics as set out by the Congregation for Divine Worship. God can take it up with them in His own time if He cares. It just strikes me as odd that you care what people you have never met do during a Mass that you aren't attending at a parish you will never attend. It really must be upsetting and tiresome to worry about a You Tube video of a parish that you don't attend. Why not just ignore it and pray for them?
And I agree that if you are concerned about the liturgy at your parish and don't find it spiritually fulfilling you should speak with the priest respectfully. I'm sure that he will listen to you. However, I really don't get the time and energy wasted on whining about a parish you don't attend not fulfilling the rubrics. Seriously.. exactly, how much time and effort have you guys spent mocking and criticizing people that you don't know? Why exactly are you expending your energy on this?
February 24, 2014 at 4:52 am
This comment has been removed by the author.
February 24, 2014 at 6:30 am
Our Lady of Akita said there'd be days like this:
"…The Church will be full of those who accept compromises, and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord."
And it looks like God [has given] them over to [their] reprobate mind.
It's time to double down on the St. Michael's Prayer. Recite it prayerfully. Fr there are probably quite a few souls in that parish who don't really understand the consequences of what is permitted and promoted there. It would be and Act of Mercy to pray for them… and us.
February 24, 2014 at 11:50 am
Kelly, I agree with some of what you've said. Bear in mind that this was a video made public, I believe, by the parish – so it would be strange to say it is the parish's business and no concern of anyone else's. The internet stretches far wider than the parish boundaries. I know at least two people who, when they became interested in the faith, just typed Catholic Church into youtube – would you want them to see this?
I think you may be overestimating the amount of energy people are putting into this. Looking at the posts, there are a lot of them but no single post is longer than about 25 lines. CMR posts about a range of issues, and people comment on a range of issues. People are talking straight, sure. That doesn't mean they're angry, necessarily.
We've had a great show on TV here recently called Educating Yorkshire – a documentary series set in a failing school, which is being turned around by a new management team. The school had 99 problems, you might say, but the very first thing they focused on was strictly enforcing the uniform policy – and in time that had a positive knock-on effect on other, more serious behaviour problems. My point is: it's not always possible to draw a line between the rules that really matter and the rules which don't matter. Once people find ways round the latter, they feel empowered to get round the former.