"High tech Mass"

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CutlerB

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I just came across an article that reports on a travelling priest in Germany who has developed his own form of Holy Mass. He calls that project “Veni!” (Which looks like Latin in meaningless grammar) and aims it at young people to bring them back to Mass.

In those services, the priest includes videos, light-effects and smoke/fog machines. In some churches, he even put carpets and couches. Apparently, this sort of thing is going well with people, he says.

What do you think of such Masses? Are they permitted?
 
Why use smoke/fog machines when the Church from time immemorial has used incense to create rising smoke? :rolleyes:

Honestly, this sounds like a modern protestant, “seeker sensitive”, mega-church with some trappings of the Catholic Mass. Why live like the world six days a week when you can live like it seven days a week. :mad:
 
Hmm…I do know that the Neocatechumenal Way Mass uses carpets, but their Masses aren’t usually celebrated in a church. Also, parishes esp. in Asia and Latin America use large projection screens or monitors/TVs to project the hymns and other prayers, as well as announcements and visual meditations.

I wonder if that Veni! group is behind what is commonly referred to as the infamous “Balloon Mass.”
 
It definitely appears that these kinds of additions in mass distract from the true purpose of the mass.
 
The rules prohibit complaints and I don’t view this as a complaint.
 
20-year-old male checking in here and that would turn me off so wonderfully.
 
This is how I feel about it. We go to mass to be with and receive the body and blood of Jesus. This alone separates us apart from any other Christian denominations and should be enough and be recognized as the center part of our worship. Of course we want the services to be beautiful and appealing, but we should do all we do to honor Jesus and lift our hearts and minds up to God.
 
But what if some of these trappings do lift people’s minds and hearts to God? I myself prefer a pretty traditional set for mass, but what if every once in a while we got out a projector to play more contemporary hymns, and had mass where the people were? A small example of this, to me, was the video circulating a couple years ago where a Franciscan goes to the middle of a square, opens a bag and puts on a stole, pulls out a monstrance, and they have adoration and benediction right there in the square. Sometimes, we have to go to people where they are: it’s called inculturation and it’s the reason the Catholic Church can call itself truly Catholic.

I understand the knee-jerk reaction that this is irreverent or somehow degrades the Eucharistic sacrifice. But does it? The incense and chants and organ music offer an atmosphere of reverence; but in other cultures, so do drums and native hymns, dancing in the Church, or open air buildings with animals routinely present. Perhaps one of our considerations today is to look at the culture and say “we will not change everything to appease you, but let us help you to worship, let us take what is good, true, beautiful, and holy in the culture and put it to the service of God and his Church.” Maybe then we will have both reverence and couches.
 
sumusresnovarum said:
But what if some of these trappings do lift people’s minds and hearts to God? I myself prefer a pretty traditional set for mass, but what if every once in a while we got out a projector to play more contemporary hymns, and had mass where the people were? A small example of this, to me, was the video circulating a couple years ago where a Franciscan goes to the middle of a square, opens a bag and puts on a stole, pulls out a monstrance, and they have adoration and benediction right there in the square. Sometimes, we have to go to people where they are: it’s called inculturation and it’s the reason the Catholic Church can call itself truly Catholic.

I understand the knee-jerk reaction that this is irreverent or somehow degrades the Eucharistic sacrifice. But does it? The incense and chants and organ music offer an atmosphere of reverence; but in other cultures, so do drums and native hymns, dancing in the Church, or open air buildings with animals routinely present. Perhaps one of our considerations today is to look at the culture and say “we will not change everything to appease you, but let us help you to worship, let us take what is good, true, beautiful, and holy in the culture and put it to the service of God and his Church.” Maybe then we will have both reverence and couches.
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Well, one of the best ways I can counter this is with the slippery slope. If you can have smoke machines and projectors at Mass, then by God, I want popcorn snacks and snazzy costumes for everybody. Absurd? Of course, but that is the point. (I don’t think projectors are absurd–but I do think smoke machines are beyond absurd–but I do think they are in bad taste and they call undue attention to themselves and I think a better solution can be found.) Having a Eucharistic flash mob, adoration and benediction being paraliturgical events, is very different from a Mass or a sung part of LOTH in common.

These things in your second paragraph are offensive to Western customs, traditions, and understandings of just about every major flavor of Christianity. In fact drums, native hymns, dancing in church and open air buildings have close to zero relevance or tradition or history or respect for customs in Western culture as far as worship is concerned.
 
CutlerB said:
I just came across an article that reports on a travelling priest in Germany who has developed his own form of Holy Mass. He calls that project “Veni!” (Which looks like Latin in meaningless grammar) and aims it at young people to bring them back to Mass.

In those services, the priest includes videos, light-effects and smoke/fog machines. In some churches, he even put carpets and couches. Apparently, this sort of thing is going well with people, he says.

What do you think of such Masses? Are they permitted?
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I wonder if they will have bouncers who will stamp your hand so you can get back in if you have to go outside to take a call or grab a quick smoke. 😃

http://www.libertypostings.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/bouncers2.jpg
 
The point is we go to mass to see Jesus not a laser light show.
 
YoungTradCath said:
20-year-old male checking in here and that would turn me off so wonderfully.
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Germany has the unique ability to simultaneously create both the sublime and the absurd.

The German pendulum nowadays, I’m afraid, is closer to absurd than it is to sublime.

-Tim-
 
It gives a whole new meaning to “sensory experience,” doesn’t it? 😛
 
I’m trying to be open-minded here. I may not enjoy it but a pre or post Mass concert could be permitted with lasers, fog machines, dancers, and glow sticks. I guess pews can be couches though I don’t see the point.

I don’t think AV assistance during Mass is permitted but it’s common in some countries in lieu of pew missals and hymnals. The only problem I have with this is aesthetics. Projector screens don’t look good in churches. I’d have no problem with a retractable projector used during homilies.

People have different tastes. I would separate the essential from the non-essential and let parishes experiment with the non-essentials. Some kids actually love loud rock and glow sticks. Just as there is a danger in assuming all kids like it, there is also a danger in assuming none do.
 
johnmann said:
I’m trying to be open-minded here. I may not enjoy it but a pre or post Mass concert could be permitted with lasers, fog machines, dancers, and glow sticks. I guess pews can be couches though I don’t see the point.QUOTE]

But why? In the West we assocate these things with non-sacred things like rock concerts and Halloween parties. What could possibly be the point of this?
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That’s wayy too much. I like reverence. Before I went to college, the parish I went to had a band playing during Mass. When I got to college, the Mass there had guitar and bass, but most of it was just piano and organ. Very beautiful. It made going to Mass back home strange, though for me, I enjoyed both. Some days I wanted one kind over the other. But, never anything too extreme, like this. That’s too extreme…
 
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