Thank you for your time. I value your opinion greatly and as a former protestant never considered alot of the points you made. I am still praying and discerning and do not want to make the decision lightly.

I have been attending the same parish for 8 years. I live in a rural area, so there is only one RCC in my town. I am a convert 9 years now. In all the time I have been at my parish, I really did not connect with the people. My oldest child is 13 and involved in the Life-Teen program. It seems that the kids are very disrespectful, to the point of laughing while drinking the precious blood, the teen Eucharistic minister rolls her eyes and flips her hair. It is very frustrating to watch. I really do not like switching churches because my family did this constantly when I was growing up and I just have tried to stay around so that my kids could be in a parish in the same community as their school (public school-no Catholics schools close by). I wondered what your opinion on changing churches. The distance is a big factor due to the gas prices, but since I live in the country, there is a church in another town that is a little closer, just a different community but it is much smaller and less programs for the teens, etc. My best friend is also leaving and moving away, so this was the only person there that I really connected with. I know that Church is not about the people, but it seems in general that there are a lot of snooty people in Catholic churches (in my experience) and this makes it hard on the blue collar folks, like us. My husband is Baptist and would love for us to come to his church with all the warm fussy friendlies, but I could never leave the Truth in a million years. Should I talk to my priest? I don’t know what to do. Thanks.

FATHER JOE:

It has to be acknowledged that many Catholics today attend churches outside their jurisdictional boundaries. There can be many good reasons for this but it does bring with it certain problems. First, such activity can further a “shopping list” attitude toward faith where we take what we want but disregard everything else. Second, there may still be a canonical requirement to support your assigned parish even if you attend somewhere else. This is a dilemma we find in Washington, DC. Some people go to Mass at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception each Sunday, which is NOT regarded as a parish. However, in doing so the locals deplete both the pews and the coffers of St. Anthony’s Church, a struggling and small parish filled with minorities. Third, when parishioners with constructive criticism and ideas migrate to other churches, the home parish is less likely to change and improve. Fourth, in the case of a medical emergency at home, it is advantageous to have a nearby priest available to administer the sacraments and/or Last Rites. It should be noted that extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion are not supposed to do home visitations outside of the parish boundaries where they are commissioned. Fifth, there is no guarantee that another pastor would register a family outside his given jurisdiction. This can create serious issues with the sacraments and the accompanying documentation: a pastor has to give permission for parishioners to be married outside the parish, possible complications about banns, and acquiring permissorial letters from the appropriate pastor in regard to sponsorship for baptisms and confirmations.

Could it be that you are in your parish to help change “snooty” people with your steadfast faith and charity? I cannot say for sure what you should do. You are right that Mass is more about worship than about socializing. And yet, we would hope that our Catholic communities would be welcoming and friendly. Sit down and talk with your priest. Whatever you do, that is the first step. I will be praying for you.

God bless!
Father Joe

Lately at my parish, instead of singing Holy, Holy, Holy…etc, in the english version of the Sanctus….the choir has replaced it with the modern praise and worship hymn “Hosanne in the Highest”….cool song, but I don’t think it is appropriate for that part of the Liturgy, cuz it doesn’t have the same words, as the Sanctus.

Same thing with the Lamb of God, sometimes the second line is replaced with Prince of Peace, Ancient Cup….etc.

This last Palm Sunday, during the gospel reading….the priest read the narrative, and someone from the laity read the part of Jesus.

During Holy Thursday, the gospel reading was stopped at the point of where Jesus washes the feet of the disciples, and everyone was invited to wash each other’s feet…..then after that was finished, the gospel reading continued…and then we had the homily.

When I raised objections, I was told that I don’t understand tradition, and what is esstential and non-esstential. :(

There are rubrics for these parts of the Liturgy, so I don’t understand how they can be altered at the whim of a priest or pastoral council. I am in right, or just making a mountian out of a molehill.

I mean, like golly….I never know what to expect during Mass anymore…which is really a distraction.

Peace be with you.

Thank you for your words. The Mass is central to our faith as Catholics. And the human inventions to the service are minor as my belief system and world view is not predicated on the whims of one or several priests who continue to modify the Mass.

FATHER JOE RESPONDS:

Okay, let me offer an explanation for what the priest is doing at Mass. First, in the United States the congregation is supposed to kneel throughout the entire eucharistic prayer or anaphora. However, if you look at the wording in the second eucharistic prayer we find the following after the consecration and memorial acclamations: “We thank you for counting us worthy TO STAND in your presence and serve you.” Why the discrepency? It is because many years ago the American bishops requested an exception from the Holy See that would allow them to ignore the general rubric of the Mass that has people stand after the consecration. The preference is that people kneel for the consecration but stand for the rest of the prayer. Standing is a traditional liturgical prayer stance, actually more so than kneeling, for the Church. Indeed some churches, particularly in the East, have neither chairs nor kneelers. Are you in the United States? If so, is your priest a foreigner who does not know about the permission granted to us? Or is your priest simply doing it on his own, figuring that the exception for the U.S. will not be granted when the new sacramentary comes out? He really should wait and see.

Second, the bow before communion was originally suggested by conservative bishops but voted down in the U.S. However, now the Holy See has stipulated that if people do not kneel for holy communion, they should make a bow before receiving. That is not liberal innovation, but a conservative effort to give honor to our Eucharistic Lord. So this at least is not the priest’s tinkering with the Mass, but is his compliance to higher authority.

Peace!

I would like to get your take on this? Is what I described familiar to you? If it is, intellectually, I just do not understand it. And since my children also attend parochial school at this church, they only know the ‘new and improvised’ service, not the Mass I was taught when I was grade-school age.

I welcome your words in response to this post.

Pax Vobiscum

FATHER JOE:

While we are largely talking about accidentals, I share many of your concerns about liturgy. I have been in churches where the music ministry seemed to think that they were the primary focus and the liturgy was secondary. However, the opposite is supposed to be true. Music is to compliment the Eucharistic activity, not merely use it as a vague outline for a concert. I have seen and heard Masses where music was inserted between the readings and even between the Gospel and the homily and the General Intercessions. It is not part of the established liturgy and constitutes an abuse.

However, it is permissible to offer a sung version of the Responsorial Psalm and the Alleluia and verse should be sung or chanted.

There are no rubrics regarding the laity during the Our Father, however, I am familiar with the hand-holding and the elevation of arms during the prayer and the following doxology. Indeed, I can recall when the new priests at my local parish introduced it decades ago. Such innovations really did not originate with the congregations. Certain liberals fail to appreciate this. Over the last twenty or thirty years even novelty can become routine and tradition for some people. People will do what they want to do. There is great confusion and some upset when one priest contradicts another priest, particularly if the one who made the innovations married them, baptized their children and buried their parents.

I have found out the hard way that a pastor has to move carefully and slowly in restoring things to a more traditional and/or orthodox manner. I would prefer uniformity and hands together. The hands raised seems too much like a priestly gesture at the altar. In any case, no one can compel you to do this during the Lord’s Prayer.

As for the bells, again they are still permitted. It is only certain priests and revisionist liturgists who do not like them.

Peace!