Dancing at Mass

[superamazingman]

Words when spoken can be pronounced in a monotone meter, much like a SciFi robot. I doubt anyone wants that. Many document warn against merely rote recitation of texts.

The words of the ritual take on the better and full significance when read and prayed and sung with appropriate inflection, tone, meter, pausing, and emphasis. Such public speaking and chanting and singing is an art form. It’s difficult to quantify though general rules can be ascertained. And we all know when someone does it quite well. We know when someone goes overboard and we know when someone goes dead flat. It’s an art form, and when done well, it breathes life into the liturgy.

I see, that makes more sense!

 

[JReducation]

I don’t think anyone’s objecting to the nativity play, brother JR, as much as the ballet dancing, which the CDF has in the past singled out as a specific example of abuse in Western nations of the Roman rite.

When I read the original post, this is what attracted my attention.

"The most disturbing part, though, was that there was some sort of ballerina dance after communion but before dismissal as well as people dressed up as Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus."

If I break this apart, as we would do in an theology class

a. “Disturbing” - a subjective feeling that has no bearing on faith, morals or pastoral mission

b. “Some sort of ballerina dance” - lacks clarity; therefore it cannot be condemned nor defended until more details are known.

c. “After communion” - what part after Communion? Requires clarity before any judgment can be made.

d. “Before dismissal” - once the final prayer is said, before the final blessing, it is permissible to use that time for pastoral purposes that may not be properly part of the liturgy. Though it is not allowed in the GIRM, it is not prohibited and the precedence has been establish by the Holy Father himself.

e. “People dresses up as Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus” - an Catholic custom that was introduced into the Latin Church in 1219 by Francis of Assisi, continued today by Franciscans, but allowed at any Christmas liturgy celebrated by any priest, unless it is prohibited by either the local bishop or a major superior of men.

There is not enough information here to condemn anything. Nor is there enough information here to merit the immediate attention of either a bishop or a religious superior, since none of the above is a grave violation of law. At the very worse, based on this much information, the infraction seems to be a minor one. A bishop and a religious superior has to prioritize what he attends to.

Without more details, there is not much to work with.

Happy and blessed New Year!

Br. JR, FFV

 

[NeilPatrick]

It was a parish that was part of the Diocese. I know that the priest is of the Diocese; I don’t know if he knew of the dance beforehand or if he had it dropped on him like me. We were both visitors. I imagine that I looked like this while I was watching the dance:

I’ll probably just not go to that parish. It’s sad, though, because the Christmas Eve mass time was perfect for my horrible work schedule. I just hope that behavior like this doesn’t propagate in the Church.

 

[NeilPatrick]

When I read the original post, this is what attracted my attention.

a. “Disturbing” - a subjective feeling that has no bearing on faith, morals or pastoral mission

b. “Some sort of ballerina dance” - lacks clarity; therefore it cannot be condemned nor defended until more details are known.

c. “After communion” - what part after Communion? Requires clarity before any judgment can be made.

d. “Before dismissal” - once the final prayer is said, before the final blessing, it is permissible to use that time for pastoral purposes that may not be properly part of the liturgy. Though it is not allowed in the GIRM, it is not prohibited and the precedence has been establish by the Holy Father himself.

e. “People dresses up as Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus” - an Catholic custom that was introduced into the Latin Church in 1219 by Francis of Assisi, continued today by Franciscans, but allowed at any Christmas liturgy celebrated by any priest, unless it is prohibited by either the local bishop or a major superior of men.
Br. JR, FFV

a. It was right after communion. The priest had just sat down. The mass had not ended yet. It was disturbing because the performance seemed to put the spotlight on the performers and the actors.

b. The dance was very much like the video I posted. The church floorplan is different so the direction of the dancers was different. They were in tight ballerina-type outfits.

c. See my answer for “a”.

d. I think that you answered your question with what you posted here. I know that announcements, etc. sometimes get slipped in here but I didn’t think that full-blown ballerina performances were allowed since Canon Law generally prohibits it.

e. Plays may be permitted in some circumstances but I would have a hard time putting my child up at Christmas Eve mass like he/she was Christ. It felt like it was less about portraying Christ and more about putting someone’s child up front-and-center for attention.

Maybe my views are a little too traditional. I’ll just avoid the parish since I doubt that I’ll make any positive change and that church really does make a huge difference for people. It sounds defeatist but I’m not sure if causing problems at a church in a bad part of town where people need Christ will solve anything.

 

[JReducation]

a. It was right after communion. The priest had just sat down. The mass had not ended yet. It was disturbing because the performance seemed to put the spotlight on the performers and the actors.

Depending on how it is done, it can be very well done or very poorly done. However, there is a precedence for it being done at this point. Personally, I don’t like liturgical dance; but I know that the CDF set the precedence, so it’s not up to me or anyone else to contradict them.

e. Plays may be permitted in some circumstances but I would have a hard time putting my child up at Christmas Eve mass like he/she was Christ. It felt like it was less about portraying Christ and more about putting someone’s child up front-and-center for attention. Maybe my views are a little too traditional.

This is how Francis did it and how it has been done for 800 years. Maybe you’re not as traditional as you think. You may be less knowledgeable of Catholic tradition than you thought, since you did not know that the Christmas pageant at mass, the passion play at mass and the living stations of the cross are 800 year old traditions in the Latin Church that the Church has never abrogated.

If you asked anyone who works either in the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship, the Holy See, the Sacred Congregation for Consecrated Life about this role playing, the answer that you would get is that it is good for the laity to be exposed to the traditions of the spiritual masters and the different religious families.

Most diocesan priests themselves are not familiar with these traditions and have never taught them to their people. Diocesan seminaries do not teach Catholic Spirituality, only religious orders of men teach it to their people in formation. This can be a problem. When these things are done at a diocesan run parish, they are not always done correctly because the priest is not well trained in it or is not familiar with the practice. If you’re not well trained in it or are not familiar with the practice, you can’t prepare your congregation.

Two years ago, I attended a good Friday service with the passion play. The passion play was beautiful. However, it was done wrong. It was not done according to the Franciscan tradition. As a result, it turned into a theatric performance, first class mind you, but theatric in any case. I felt very badly for the pastor, because he was so proud of the work they had put into it. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that they had not gotten it right. That the way they did it was not the way that Francis instituted it. The poor man wanted to know what St. Francis would say if he saw it. I felt truly badly.

I’ll just avoid the parish since I doubt that I’ll make any positive change and that church really does make a huge difference for people. It sounds defeatist but I’m not sure if causing problems at a church in a bad part of town where people need Christ will solve anything.

I agree that we have to be careful not to cut off our noses to spite our faces. I have seen extreme traditionalists and extreme liberals do much damage to people who truly needed the Church as well as to people who are truly making an effort to evangelize.

One thing that people often forget is that we who are in the trenches are also human. I just bailed out of a thread yesterday and told the folks, “Do whatever you want. You’re going to do so anyway. But don’t complain that no priest, brother, deacon or bishop wants anything to do with you. No matter what we say, you’re going to find fault and you’re going to know more than we do. We’re not needed here. Good-bye.”

This can easily happen if we start stirring the pot unless we’re willing to stick around and clean up the mess that it creates. To stir up the pot and leave, it not helpful.

Stop and think about it. Fifty years ago, about half of our parishes were staffed by religious orders. Today, only 10% of our parishes are staffed by religious orders. Why?

Many religious orders committed suicide. We know this. They went too far to the left and are dying. However, that’s not the case with all of us.

Some religious orders, such as mine, decided that we have a surplus of priests for whom we have no place to put them. Why? Because our priests will not serve in parishes. Parishes have become places where the get crucified no matter what they do. They entered the religious life to be religious, not to be parish priests. If they can avoid being parish priests, they would rather run a soup kitchen or teach at a high school, maybe do street ministry. In other words, work where they will have support, not be under constant surveillance by the faithful.

The result is that those parishes had to be covered. The diocesan clergy had to be stretched very thin. With the lower numbers of vocations and the higher numbers of parishes being abandoned by religious orders, look at the situation that we have. We have no one to blame but ourselves.

It is one thing to be helpful. It is another to be a critic. I think you’re idea is very prudent. The parish is doing good for someone. You can’t be helpful, so you won’t stick around just to be a critic either. I wish more people would think like you.

I just wrote our moderators here about the same concern. I’m the last open religious left on CAF TC Forum. The deacons, priests, brothers and sisters who were here have gone underground or have left. They were under the gun all the time. We’ve lost a great resource.

If you or anyone else starts to stir the pot at that parish, but does not stay around to help, the people lose. That’s not fair to them. Your idea is not defeatist at all. It’s charitable and practical.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, FFV