Is this liturgical abuse???

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pakengkeng

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A Priest has been preaching his homily ,before reading the main gospel.he told us that it doesnt matter, if homily is said before or after the gospel.what irked me most ,was when he told us to remain seated while gospel was being read.two people did stand up,i didnt.some left .he also play secular country music after the gospel reading.his two gargantuan dogs ,whom he considered his children are always with him at the altar.our bishop is scared of him as he is one loud mouth priest and he’s been in that church for decades.he seems untouchable .where can i report him,since our bishop is scared of him and complaints fall on deaf ears?? Furthermore, theme of his homilies are about his life and the people around him.attending his services is like watching his show and not worshipping God.Btw,i just sent him a mail about this issue.
 
It seems weird to have dogs running around at the altar during a Roman Catholic Mass.
 
A lot of priests in Australia have their dogs on the altar at Mass. It does no harm and most people find it touching that the priest has a mate in a very lonely life. Old cantankerous priests are as old as the church. I always respect their priesthood despite their manner. I have no idea if the sermon should always be after the gospel, but I do know most sermons tend to call on aspects of the gospel of the day. Give him the same leeway you would hope from your Lord and concentrate on the most holy Eucharist before you all this time while you worry about the little things.
 
Petaro said:
A lot of priests in Australia have their dogs on the altar at Mass.
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I’ve been in the Catholic Church in Australia since 1981 and I’ve never seen or heard of this before.

The homily is always supposed to come after the gospel and the congregation should always stand for the gospel.

These are not minor issues. I’d switch parishes if I could.
 
Thanks for all the responses.fortunately,i dont belong to this parish.i love the church,but not him.he just officiate masses ,just the way he wants it.there were so many instances in the past,where parts of the Mass were not performed e.g. Praying the “Our Father”.I attend services there ,maybe just twice a year.Just imagine if its every Sunday,I may have suffered a heart attack already! today’s music was a gospel country,first time ,i heard it.before,it was garth brooks,kenny rogers et al.he based his homily on the message of the music and will order us to listen intentively to it (song).i just wished he retires soon,but i know it will be next to impossible! I have wriiten already to the diocesian website,especially that we were told to sit during gospel reading,which never happened in my lifetime !
 
Edmundus1581 said:
I’ve been in the Catholic Church in Australia since 1981 and I’ve never seen or heard of this before.

The homily is always supposed to come after the gospel and the congregation should always stand for the gospel.

These are not minor issues. I’d switch parishes if I could.
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Australia is a big place. Our old priest at Our Lady of Lourdes Sunnybank Hills, Brisbane always had his little dog with him at Mass until he died with his boots on saying Mass one day.I have been to at least three other parishes where the priest processed up with his dog. It was rumoured that the dog was the sinless of the congregation.

We are so lucky we can change parishes as others can cross the road. In the old days you had to travel far to find a priest. Cherish them in their idiosyncrasies for they are the chosen workers in His vineyard.
 
I recommend that you don’t go to mass there, since you find it upsetting. If you are disturbed by what he does during the mass, it could keep you from concentrating on God instead.
 
I don’t know what more you can do, since you have already personally written to the priest and had recourse to the bishop. Stop attending that parish and pray daily for that priest.
 
I don’t know about you guys but I’m very doubtful when I read threads like this.

Why in the world would a bishop be scared of a priest? Country music? Two gargantuan dogs?

Maybe the priest is politically connected and I don’t know what kind of shenanegins take place in other countries but I’m really skeptical when I read posts like this.

-Tim-
 
pakengkeng said:
A Priest has been preaching his homily ,before reading the main gospel.he told us that it doesnt matter, if homily is said before or after the gospel.what irked me most ,was when he told us to remain seated while gospel was being read.two people did stand up,i didnt.some left .he also play secular country music after the gospel reading.his two gargantuan dogs ,whom he considered his children are always with him at the altar.our bishop is scared of him as he is one loud mouth priest and he’s been in that church for decades.he seems untouchable .where can i report him,since our bishop is scared of him and complaints fall on deaf ears?? Furthermore, theme of his homilies are about his life and the people around him.attending his services is like watching his show and not worshipping God.Btw,i just sent him a mail about this issue.
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He is going against the GIRM. The priest cannot make his own choices.

GIRM:

Movements and Posture
  1. The gestures and posture of the priest, the deacon, and the ministers, as well as those of the people, ought to contribute to making the entire celebration resplendent with beauty and noble simplicity, so that the true and full meaning of the different parts of the celebration is evident and that the participation of all is fostered.[52] Therefore, attention should be paid to what is determined by this General Instruction and the traditional practice of the Roman Rite and to what serves the common spiritual good of the People of God, rather than private inclination or arbitrary choice.
A common posture, to be observed by all participants, is a sign of the unity of the members of the Christian community gathered for the sacred Liturgy: it both expresses and fosters the intention and spiritual attitude of the participants.
  1. The faithful should stand from the beginning of the Entrance chant, or while the priest approaches the altar, until the end of the collect; for the Alleluia chant before the Gospel; while the Gospel itself is proclaimed; during the Profession of Faith and the Prayer of the Faithful; from the invitation, Orate, fratres (Pray, brethren), before the prayer over the offerings until the end of Mass, except at the places indicated below.
 
pakengkeng said:
…he also play secular country music after the gospel reading…
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I hope it’s not like recent American “Country” music, which too often relates to drunkenness and fornication.

By the way, are you sure it’s a Catholic church?
 
TimothyH said:
I don’t know about you guys but I’m very doubtful when I read threads like this.

Why in the world would a bishop be scared of a priest? Country music? Two gargantuan dogs?

Maybe the priest is politically connected and I don’t know what kind of shenanegins take place in other countries but I’m really skeptical when I read posts like this.

-Tim-
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I’d say it’s probably not so much a matter of the bishop being “scared” of the priest but rather one of the bishop trying to deal pastorally with a senior priest of his diocese who has wandered some way from the reservation! Granted, under Canon Law the bishop could take steps to remove the priest from the parish but, given his age, that would be a tragic end to the active ministry of a priest who has given decades of his life to the service of the Church. The bishop may instead be working behind the scenes to ease (as opposed to force) the priest into retirement. While bishops obviously have pastoral responsibilities towards the people of their diocese, they also have pastoral responsibilities towards their priests - especially the aged ones.
 
Petaro said:
A lot of priests in Australia have their dogs on the altar at Mass. It does no harm…
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I have heard of dogs attacking small children and killing them. Other people have spent days in the hospital after being bitten by dogs. If I go to church, I am not there to be looking at dogs and listening to their barking and being fearful that they might attack at any moment. Further, there is always the possibility that these animals may have to relieve themselves which is a real disgrace to have to watch this while attending Mass.
 
His children (dogs) as he labelled them ,are well behaved at tha altar.but there were complaints before from parishioners.he lashed out at them and told us during one of his homilies that anybody who doesnt like the way he officiates Masses to look for another church.this is happening here in the USA.i already received a response from the diocese website and they will look into it.he does play american country music during liturgy i.e. songs from garth brooks,willie nelson et al .at times some elements of the Mass were missing e.g. Our father.as i said i rarely go his church,but everytime i go ,there is always something going terribly wrong.i just dont know how regular parishioners tolerate his liturgical abuses.i guess they scared of him.one time he lashes out at a university professor for writing him a letter that the catholic churches do not have great influence in the community anymore ,as they used to have as one individual filed and later on dropped a lawsuit about church bells ringing which bothered him.professor told him,not everybody in your neighborhood are catholics anymore and that those evangelicals have nothing to say good about the catholic church.anyway,if this matter is not resolved,i may have to report this priest to the media ,but remain anonymus.
 
pakengkeng said:
His children (dogs) as he labelled them ,are well behaved at tha altar.but there were complaints before from parishioners.he lashed out at them and told us during one of his homilies that anybody who doesnt like the way he officiates Masses to look for another church…
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Yeah, I know all about these “well-behaved dogs.” These are the ones that attack and kill children, or maul them and leave them crippled for life. The neighbor’s dog attacked me as I tried to get into my car and when I called the police they said that the dog was a well behaved pup and they did nothing. All the time, when I ride my bike, there are dogs which attack me and bite my leg, chewing my pants. Why should anyone have to watch smelly animals relieve themselves at a sacred liturgical service?
 
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