Interesting - Eucharistic Flash Mob

  • Thread starter Thread starter At_Trent
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
This was released to the web. I thought I’d share it for those who need help to understand the value, tradition and practice of the friars.

**And a poignant side note for those familiar with English Catholic history:

The Capuchin Friars, Brs Mark, Prins & John, return to Preston after 467 years, following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, to take responsibility for the Catholic Chaplaincy at the University of central Lancashire. The new Chaplaincy is on the site of the Leper Hospital of St. Mary Magdalen, founded c.1177. In about 1525 the hospital was transferred to the Franciscan Friars who left at the Dissolution in 1539.

It seems that the Franciscans aren’t going to wait for students to come to them. It puts a new twist on the popular (if never said by St. Francis) adage: “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.”

I found the website of their Catholic Chaplaincy and noticed something really interesting. Adoration every morning and evening, M-F, and on Saturday & Sunday mornings. And - and this is the first time I have ever seen this in a Catholic setting - a “seeker service” at 11 am on Sunday (described as a “special Mass” for those seeking God). I have no idea how that would vary from a standard parish Mass but it is very interesting.

Obviously this community has a deeply missional focus. **

This requires a lot of fraternal support and cooperation, because only Brother John is a priest. To cover the students and the community around the university, Brothers Mark and Prins do all of the preaching, spiritual direction, teaching and organizing so that Brother John can hear confessions and celebrate mass.

They not only bring Christ in the Sacrament to people, but they also give witness to the apostolic life by living like the apostles, loving each other, supporting each other and working together.

Our world needs both. It needs Jesus’ presence and it needs to see Catholics living and working in apostolic brotherhoods or sisterhood, instead of arguing and debating nonsense or worse, debating things that we have no power to change. We should be working on the things over which we do have control.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
Regarding the “seeker Mass:” Last Sunday, at my parish, they had a special catechetical Mass, to demonstrate the upcoming Mass changes. There was no music, probably for the sake of brevity. Instead, the permanent deacon presented a very well-done and educational running commentary on the various parts of the Mass. Father paused before each part of the Mass as each comment was made by the deacon. It was very similar to a play-by-play, to use a mundane explanation, and if you bothered to listen, very educational. You really understood what Father was doing, and why, and what we were supposed to be doing and why by the end of that Mass. The new response pew cards were in place in the pews, and the people were directed to use the new responses.

I guess all the congregation could use more “rehearsal” time, because about half the congregation automatically reverted to the “and also with you” (something that has bugged me for the past few decades because of the ungrammatical double conjunction.) But I digress: Maybe a “seeker Mass” would be something similar to this.

However, apparently there are a lot of Catholics who have a very short attention span. There were a few middle aged people whining like eight year olds about the changes. I got so distracted I muttered to the whiner behind me to just shut up already (not the most charitable thing, I know, but you would have had to have been there.)

Teaching is such a part of the Mass that I’m always enthusiastic when it’s done reverently and creatively, and especially when I come away from Mass having learned something new. I bet in this flash mob, a lot of people learned something new, whether they choose to follow it.
 
JimG said:
I suppose it makes a nice video, but I’m not sure that there was a point to it. The point of adoration is adoration, of course, but that can be done as well in church.
Click to expand...
Wasn’t the point to take Jesus to people who wouldn’t come into church, even if they were personally invited?

In the UK, there are lots of people with no Christian background at all (and some with a Christian background, as well) who wouldn’t even think of going to church. Any church. It just isn’t what you do. I loved this flashmob because it was about bringing the presence of and truth about Jesus to where the people are, not expecting them to come to us. 🙂
 
Godith said:
Wasn’t the point to take Jesus to people who wouldn’t come into church, even if they were personally invited?

In the UK, there are lots of people with no Christian background at all (and some with a Christian background, as well) who wouldn’t even think of going to church. Any church. It just isn’t what you do. I loved this flashmob because it was about bringing the presence of and truth about Jesus to where the people are, not expecting them to come to us. 🙂
Click to expand...
Very true!

I just watched it today on YouTube. I thought it was beautiful.
 
Are you suggesting that the Orthodox would kneel in front of the Blessed Sacrament?
Click to expand...
I didn’t take the kneeling into consideration. Not everyone knelt. I took the Catholic and Orthodox as one entity as opposed to passers-by who didn’t believe at all. And by the way, I didn’t think the English commentary was necessary. It looks like people were ready to bow down no matter what language they spoke.
 
Anthony_V said:
they do believe in real presence, don’t they?
Click to expand...
Well, first they do not have Eucharistic Adoration. Second, Eastern Christians (Catholic and Orthodox) do not kneel before the Eucharist. Communion is a time of great joy and kneeling is a posture for penitence in the East. And lastly, some Orthodox do have issues with Catholic Sacraments questioning its validity.
ProVobis said:
I didn’t take the kneeling into consideration. Not everyone knelt. I took the Catholic and Orthodox as one entity as opposed to passers-by who didn’t believe at all. And by the way, I didn’t think the English commentary was necessary. It looks like people were ready to bow down no matter what language they spoke.
Click to expand...
As I commented above, we cannot expect the Orthodox to have the very same reaction as Roman Catholics would in this scenario. Eucharistic Adoration is unique to the Roman Catholic Church although it has made its way to some Eastern Catholic Churches by way of Latinizations.
 
TrueLight said:
But if you were there, would you kneel before the Lord or not?
Click to expand...
I would, but I would have preferred the second priest to have started singing “O Salutaris Hostia” instead of his English commentaries, which I found annoying. But that’s me.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top