And for $9 an adult can get into church

[Orionthehunter]

joshua1:

My thought is that the Church is not a Concert Hall. It is a building that houses the very body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ. I would however agree with a free will offering as another poster suggests to help cover expenses. The group that will be performing in our church is non-profit and they get together and do this for fun. Lets try to support them finacially for their music and such, but lets not charge admission to come into the real presence.

Annually, our diocese has a major symphony concert in the Cathedral. This is a major fundraiser to maintain the Cathedral. The Blessed Sacrament is removed from the tabernacle so they aren’t “charged” to "come into the Real Presence. As this concert is open to the public, it also gives our separated brethren an opportunity to come into our beautiful Cathedral. Who knows it might spark an interest in joining the Church.

 

[contemplative]

I called the diocesan offices yesterday and requested that someone look into the problem. Time is of the essence…no time for letters…and I won’t be protesting in the parking lot. Anybody buying a ticket for this event is ignorant and it isn’t up to me to shame or inform them. Proper instruction and authority must come from the Bishop to the pastor.

 

[Fergal]

Well I have just discovered today that two of our three Churches will be venues for Concerts.

One is for carols which I can comprehend but the other is for a commercial venture featuring the three irish tenors.

Count yourself lucky at $9 an adult. The price for entrance into our Church the night of the tenors is $30 a head.

I wouldn’t be half as angry if we didn’t have the fabulous Moate Theatre 3 mins up the road but we do. It is a wonderful asset to the town and holds many wonderful strong features throughout the year.

There is no need to use the Church for this type of concert.

I know a certain cut of it will go to charity but it is commercial down the line even with the posters etc. of course I would say the main attraction is the ‘cut’ that will be given to the parish for ‘hiring’ the house of God.

I am very hurt by this as I feel it is not respectful to do this in a Catholic Church.

There is a nice Protestant one up the road that I am sure needs money more than we do. Now I wonder why it is not located there. Perhaps they understand exactly what a Church is for.

 

[LynnieLew]

joshua1:

My thought is that the Church is not a Concert Hall. It is a building that houses the very body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ. I would however agree with a free will offering as another poster suggests to help cover expenses. The group that will be performing in our church is non-profit and they get together and do this for fun. Lets try to support them finacially for their music and such, but lets not charge admission to come into the real presence.

St. Anne in Rochester hosts musicians who sing sacred music, some as a fundraiser for church events. Our Chruch si also well known for its pipe organ. I see no problem with that, it is a holy atmosphere and the music focuses on Christ.

 

[OriginalJS]

*Count yourself lucky at $9 an adult. The price for entrance into our Church the night of the tenors is $30 a head.
*
I don’t like the idea of charging admission at all but this is even worse. Unless the parish consist solely of rich families, many families simply can’t afford $30.00 a head. For a family of 4 this would be $120.00. This (1) enforces and exclusivity based on personal wealth that is unacceptable and (2) makes it appear the church has indeed been turned into a commercial venture.

 

[contemplative]

LynnieLew:

St. Anne in Rochester hosts musicians who sing sacred music, some as a fundraiser for church events. Our Chruch si also well known for its pipe organ. I see no problem with that, it is a holy atmosphere and the music focuses on Christ.

Yes! I have seen those advertised and actually went to one…they are beautifully performed following all the guidelines of the Church. The pipe organ is astounding and the behaviour of the crowd is church-like and extremely respectful.

 

[ben_dy]

We have " churches " in this diocese that are considered utility buildings. No pews . No kneelers . Just chairs with can be taken out. They have Mass on Sunday morning and then Sunday afternoon close circuit TV football complete with a keg of beer and it seems fine with the " local Ordinary ". Dances are common with food and drink. Then there is a big three day rummage sale. Where did this concept come from ?**

Are these simply buildings constructed to temporarily serve an area because of overcrowding as new churches are being built - communities in line to establish a new parish home, or are these actual dedicated parish churches? If it’s the former - and I don’t know what the growth rate of the St. Petersburg Diocese is at this time, I could understand the situation but if it’s the latter that type of use for sacred space is in violation of the norms of several Congregations of the Curia as well as Canon Law.

 

[contemplative]

Dear Friends:

Last Saturday evening we opened our doors to a crowd of over 500 people whom were here to enjoy the Dady Brothers and Roxanne Ziegler. My only complaint was that the evening just went too fast. By that I mean that the music was great and I wished that it went on forever. I lost count of the people who stopped me Sunday morning to say what a wonderful time they had. I am hoping that this becomes something of a tradition for us here at St. Matthew church. I am also very happy to announce that the proceeds raised from this concert for our youth group came to almost $2000.

letter

500 X $9.00 = $4,500

and I suppose that if about half of the proceeds go to the youth group it is OK to defile the church with secular music and money changers? This is such a fine example for youth to follow.
What next?