How do people feel about this?

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Mark1970

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I’ve just come back from the opening Mass of a mission in my parish. Sounds good. But instead of a homily from the priest, we had a layman giving a 10-minute talk, followed by another layman performing a mime act, to music, right in front of the altar and the reserved Blessed Sacrament. Perhaps it’s just me, but it just didn’t seem “right”. Has anybody else experienced something like this? How do other people feel about it?
 
I’ve been to a Catholic Church like that.

As I’ve mentioned in the fórum before, we had a church that was so laid back, we didn’t have kneelers, holy wáter. We didn’t have set times for confession. I can’t recall ever seeing anyone pray a rosary.

Most of us, even in the folk group came in shorts. We sang only secular songs.

We took votes on things…like once, we voted to take the creed out of the mass. The priest would pray to mother and father God. The sister and priest normally wouldn’t dress in religious garb. If one called the priest “father”, he would correct you and ask to be addressed, instead, by his first name.

The readings got changed. So, instead of the prodigal son…son…would be changed to daughter.

At the time, I was younger and liked the informality of it.

The priest once did a talk on how he thought priests should be able to marry and that we should be able to have intercommunion. However, he went on to say he didn’t think that was going to happen under that pope.

We also had a guy who was in the folkgroup who was openly “out”, to the point he wore a pink triangle on his guitar strap. I didn’t even know what that meant until he explained it to me. Nobody ever said a peep to him about that. He once ran for a church office and got it.

We had the pro-life people come to the church looking for support, not finding it. They prayed for life, and one parishioner prayed that we may always have the right to choose!

This was a very long time ago, and that priest is no longer there. However, people on the fórum told me I should have spoken to the bishop about these issues. Maybe that’s what you should also do.
 
This sounds like a visit to your Pastor is in order…followed by a letter to your Bishop, if necessary; that is, if your Pastors reasons are not in order for violating the Rubrics for the Mass.
 
I’ve never experienced a mime at Mass. I have experienced a lay person talking for 10 minutes during the homily. The last one is allowed as long as that lay person is not giving the homily (the priest does this) - however short and the priest then introduces the lay person.

A mime sounds to me like a clown Mass and should be talked about to the pastor. Then if it is still allowed to happen contacting the bishop is in order. Respect need be evident with either of these options.
 
All I can say is, mimes are bad enough to have in the secular world, but… at church??? :rolleyes:
 
Brigid34 said:
I’ve never experienced a mime at Mass. I have experienced a lay person talking for 10 minutes during the homily. The last one is allowed as long as that lay person is not giving the homily (the priest does this) - however short and the priest then introduces the lay person.

A mime sounds to me like a clown Mass and should be talked about to the pastor. Then if it is still allowed to happen contacting the bishop is in order. Respect need be evident with either of these options.
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The layman did actually give the homily. The Pastor proclaimed the Gospel, then introduced the layman who was conducting the mission immediately afterwards without any preliminary homily of his own. The layman went on to talk about God’s love for us and a few other topics, then introduced the mime act. The Creed was straight after the mime act. 😦

I was at Mass with my mother, I don’t think either of us was too impressed. This was actually the second time in two weeks something like this happened - two weeks ago, we had three ladies dancing in front of the altar and Blessed Sacrament, again with the Pastor in attendance. My mother said something to the Pastor after Mass, and he said something about there being a basis for this kind of thing in our liturgical tradition. I also mentioned to the Pastor that I wasn’t sure what took place was appropriate, he didn’t seem concerned at all.
 
My preference would be for the Priest to give the homily and for the mime to have been performed in the parking lot on a Saturday.🤷
 
Mark1970 said:
I’ve just come back from the opening Mass of a mission in my parish. Sounds good. But instead of a homily from the priest, we had a layman giving a 10-minute talk, followed by another layman performing a mime act, to music, right in front of the altar and the reserved Blessed Sacrament. Perhaps it’s just me, but it just didn’t seem “right”. Has anybody else experienced something like this? How do other people feel about it?
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I just have to ask, what was the mime’s performance about? Did it have a biblical or liturgical reference at all? :confused:

Also, was the priest your parish priest or was he there to put on the mission? A talk instead of a homily during a mission isn’t really out of line, although I’m not sure about the layman. Our parish just had a mission put on by a Jesuit priest. At all his masses instead of homilies he continued his talk on the mission’s theme.
 
seagal said:
I just have to ask, what was the mime’s performance about? Did it have a biblical or liturgical reference at all? :confused:

Also, was the priest your parish priest or was he there to put on the mission?
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The priest celebrating Mass was my parish priest/pastor. As far as I can remember, the mime’s theme related to the performer’s negative emotions about his biological father! He did a lot of miming about being sad and upset, mimicking crying. I think it was meant to link in with the comments from the previous speaker about needing to feel loved by God.
 
Mimes are never good. I hate seeing them on the street corner let alone mass!
 
Brigid34 said:
**I’ve never experienced a mime at Mass. I have experienced a lay person talking for 10 minutes during the homily. The last one is allowed as long as that lay person is not giving the homily (the priest does this) - however short and the priest then introduces the lay person.
**
A mime sounds to me like a clown Mass and should be talked about to the pastor. Then if it is still allowed to happen contacting the bishop is in order. Respect need be evident with either of these options.
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That’s allowed? I thought if a lay person is going to speak, it has to be during the announcements.
 
There is something very wrong. Lay people cannot give a Homily, it is when the Priest is supposed to explain the readings or as said previously, read a letter from the Bishop. Sounds as if the priest hasn’t heard what Pope Francis said about Homilies either.

Seems as if the only option is to write to the Bishop.
 
Only ordained priests or deacons may give the homily. Further, the Church does not favor lay people even talking from the pulpit. From Redemptionis Sacramentum:

If the need arises for the gathered faithful to be given instruction or testimony by a layperson in a Church concerning the Christian life, it is altogether preferable that this be done outside Mass. Nevertheless, for serious reasons it is permissible that this type of instruction or testimony be given after the Priest has proclaimed the Prayer after Communion. This should not become a regular practice, however. Furthermore, these instructions and testimony should not be of such a nature that they could be confused with the homily, nor is it permissible to dispense with the homily on their account [RS 74].
 
Our Deacon will present the Homily for one of the three weekend Masses. Right now we have 2 Deacons, one is to ordained a Priest next June. The mime in this case seems to have had an inappropriate subject for this act. Perhaps his interpretation was not effective to anyone but himself. Such displays should go through the Parish Council first. But there is a possibility that they gave permission… I agree it should be done outside of Mass.
 
Mark1970 said:
I’ve just come back from the opening Mass of a mission in my parish. Sounds good. But instead of a homily from the priest, we had a layman giving a 10-minute talk, followed by another layman performing a mime act, to music, right in front of the altar and the reserved Blessed Sacrament.

The Pastor proclaimed the Gospel, then introduced the layman who was conducting the mission immediately afterwards without any preliminary homily of his own. The layman went on to talk about God’s love for us and a few other topics, then introduced the mime act. The Creed was straight after the mime act.

This was actually the second time in two weeks something like this happened - two weeks ago, we had three ladies dancing in front of the altar and Blessed Sacrament, again with the Pastor in attendance.
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These are liturgical abuses of the gravest kind.

You (possibly more than one person) should write a letter to the bishop, as well as - if possible - call in person and leave a message.

It is actually your duty to do so, in order not to be an accomplice in this sacrilege.

I would also pray and receive Communion in reparation for the sacrileges and offenses to which Our Lord is subject in many places around the world.
 
Mark1970 said:
I’ve just come back from the opening Mass of a mission in my parish. Sounds good. But instead of a homily from the priest, we had a layman giving a 10-minute talk, followed by another layman performing a mime act, to music, right in front of the altar and the reserved Blessed Sacrament. Perhaps it’s just me, but it just didn’t seem “right”. Has anybody else experienced something like this? How do other people feel about it?
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Parish missions aren’t what they used to be. I think one of the problems is that people aren’t turning out like they used to and those giving the mission are trying to be " relevant " so more people will come. If the whole thing does you some good, then it has accomplished its purpose. Perhaps you need to look for a week-end silent retreat.

In the mean time, don’t make a big deal about it. If the Lord can put up with it so can you.

Linus2nd
 
R_C said:
These are liturgical abuses of the gravest kind.

You (possibly more than one person) should write a letter to the bishop, as well as - if possible - call in person and leave a message.

It is actually your duty to do so, in order not to be an accomplice in this sacrilege.

I would also pray and receive Communion in reparation for the sacrileges and offenses to which Our Lord is subject in many places around the world.
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This…and post #4…good advice.
 
I would have physically booted the mime out of the sanctuary. At least he wouldn’t have screamed.
 
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