Liturgical Abuses?

[KoinoniaScott]

Somebody with legitimate authority, please help! My wife and I went to the Easter Vigil at our parish last night, and we are feeling very distrought. This was the third vigil with our new pastor, and every year he changes more and more. These changes contradict many things that we were taught on how the Liturgy should be celebrated.
Here are just a few examples. Before each of the Old Testament readings, he would give an explanation, almost like a mini homily, saying what the Word of God was saying to us. During several of the readings, he had the choir playing music and singing. On one of the readings, the lector would read a verse, then pause while the choir sang a response. Then the lector would read another verse or two, followed by a pause and the same response. Our pastor has a passion for the theater, and this particular response just screamed of a b-rate high school musical. We felt like tap dancers in top hats and canes would come dancing down the aisle any minute. My wife and I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. When the Deacon read the Gospel, there was a non-optional section that was not read. Our pastor sang much of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and it was beautiful and perfectly acceptable to my knowledge. But he had the choir sing an accompaniment along with the Liturgical prayers, which I have been taught is wrong.
I could go on and on, but I’ll stop here. For these reasons, along with a multitude of other “changes” outside of the Liturgy, we feel like the Parish that we’ve loved for so many years has been pulled out from under our feet and replaced with a 1970’s I’m ok, your ok, let’s make everybody feel good, follow your concience (not an informed conciense), thumb our nose at Rome theology.
Are we off base or just confused? Can somebody with legitimate authority please help?

Peace in Christ

 

[theMutant]

First, you must realize that there are so many legitimate options available for the current rite of Mass that not all of them may be listed in your Missal and are most likely not even mentioned in the Church Missallette. Therefore, if you wish to pursue this, you need to get a hold of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal and verify if what was done is not some obscure option.

Regarding a required reading being skipped. I suggest the “benefit of the doubt” be given. Unless this is a regular thing that the priest does consistently, you shouldn’t assume deliberate action on his part.

If you think a real abuse is taking place, then you need to contact the priest. Do so in writing and make sure that you are not accusatory in tone. Simply point out your concern about irregularities you see taking place and see what his response is. Also, consider the response seriously. If that response is unsatisfactory, contact the pastor of the parish (assuming that he is not the pastor). If contacting the pastor doesn’t help, then your next step to to contact the bishop. The bishop is responsible for ensuring that Mass is offered correctly throughout his diocese. In the end, if this does not help, you can try contacting the Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S.

Always remember to keep your correspondence calm and respectful and to be sure of your facts.

 

[John_Lilburne]

…
Here are just a few examples. Before each of the Old Testament readings, he would give an explanation, almost like a mini homily, saying what the Word of God was saying to us. During several of the readings, he had the choir playing music and singing… When the Deacon read the Gospel, there was a non-optional section that was not read.
Our pastor sang much of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and it was beautiful and perfectly acceptable to my knowledge. But he had the choir sing an accompaniment along with the Liturgical prayers, which I have been taught is wrong.
…

Introductions to the readings are permitted. From the Introduction to the Lectionary for Mass:
“15. There may be concise introductions before the readings, especially the first. The style proper to such comments must be respected, that is, they must be simple, faithful to the text, brief, well prepared, and properly varied to suit the text they introduce.”

This is also mentioned in the 2007 Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20070222_sacramentum-caritatis_en.html
“45. … When circumstances so suggest, a few brief words of introduction could be offered in order to focus the attention of the faithful.”

The choir playing music and singing during the readings is not permitted.
From the 2002 General Introduction to the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :
“29. When the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself speaks to his people, and Christ, present in his own word, proclaims the Gospel.
Therefore, all must listen with reverence to the readings from God’s word, for they make up an element of greatest importance in the Liturgy.”
The reader can sing the reading. From the Introduction to the Lectionary “14. … The readings, taken from the approved editions, may be sung in a way suited to different languages. This singing, however, must serve to stress the words, not obscure them. On occasions when the readings are in Latin, they are to be sung to the melody given in the Ordo cantus Missae.”
But this singing is not to be accompanied by music. From the 1967 Instruction Musicam sacram “64. … Instruments are to be silent during any part sung by the priest or ministers by reason of their function.”
(From Documents on the Liturgy 1963-1979, Liturgical Press, Minnesota, 1982, ISBN 0-8146-1281-4, page 1305).

The deacon shortening the Gospel is not allowed, from the Introduction to the Lectionary:
“12. In the celebration of Mass the biblical readings with their accompanying scriptural chants may not be omitted, shortened, or, worse still, replaced by nonbiblical readings.”

Music with the priest’s prayers is not permitted, from the 2002 GIRM: “30. Among the parts assigned to the priest, the foremost is the Eucharistic Prayer, which is the high point of the entire celebration. Next are the orations: that is to say, the collect, the prayer over the offerings, and the prayer after Communion. These prayers are addressed to God in the name of the entire holy people and all present, by the priest who presides over the assembly in the person of Christ. It is with good reason, therefore, that they are called the “presidential prayers.” …
32. The nature of the “presidential” texts demands that they be spoken in a loud and clear voice and that everyone listen with attention. Thus, while the priest is speaking these texts, there should be no other prayers or singing, and the organ or other musical instruments should be silent.”

 

[Elzee]

Somebody with legitimate authority, please help! My wife and I went to the Easter Vigil at our parish last night, and we are feeling very distrought. This was the third vigil with our new pastor, and every year he changes more and more. These changes contradict many things that we were taught on how the Liturgy should be celebrated.
Here are just a few examples. Before each of the Old Testament readings, he would give an explanation, almost like a mini homily, saying what the Word of God was saying to us. During several of the readings, he had the choir playing music and singing. On one of the readings, the lector would read a verse, then pause while the choir sang a response. Then the lector would read another verse or two, followed by a pause and the same response. Our pastor has a passion for the theater, and this particular response just screamed of a b-rate high school musical. We felt like tap dancers in top hats and canes would come dancing down the aisle any minute. My wife and I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. When the Deacon read the Gospel, there was a non-optional section that was not read. Our pastor sang much of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and it was beautiful and perfectly acceptable to my knowledge. But he had the choir sing an accompaniment along with the Liturgical prayers, which I have been taught is wrong.
I could go on and on, but I’ll stop here. For these reasons, along with a multitude of other “changes” outside of the Liturgy, we feel like the Parish that we’ve loved for so many years has been pulled out from under our feet and replaced with a 1970’s I’m ok, your ok, let’s make everybody feel good, follow your concience (not an informed conciense), thumb our nose at Rome theology.
Are we off base or just confused? Can somebody with legitimate authority please help?

Peace in Christ

Sounds a lot like my parish.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Somebody with legitimate authority, please help! My wife and I went to the Easter Vigil at our parish last night, and we are feeling very distrought. This was the third vigil with our new pastor, and every year he changes more and more. These changes contradict many things that we were taught on how the Liturgy should be celebrated.
Here are just a few examples. Before each of the Old Testament readings, he would give an explanation, almost like a mini homily, saying what the Word of God was saying to us. During several of the readings, he had the choir playing music and singing. On one of the readings, the lector would read a verse, then pause while the choir sang a response. Then the lector would read another verse or two, followed by a pause and the same response. Our pastor has a passion for the theater, and this particular response just screamed of a b-rate high school musical. We felt like tap dancers in top hats and canes would come dancing down the aisle any minute. My wife and I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. When the Deacon read the Gospel, there was a non-optional section that was not read. Our pastor sang much of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and it was beautiful and perfectly acceptable to my knowledge. But he had the choir sing an accompaniment along with the Liturgical prayers, which I have been taught is wrong.
I could go on and on, but I’ll stop here. For these reasons, along with a multitude of other “changes” outside of the Liturgy, we feel like the Parish that we’ve loved for so many years has been pulled out from under our feet and replaced with a 1970’s I’m ok, your ok, let’s make everybody feel good, follow your concience (not an informed conciense), thumb our nose at Rome theology.
Are we off base or just confused? Can somebody with legitimate authority please help?

Peace in Christ

“Our pastor has a passion for the theater, and this particular response just screamed of a b-rate high school musical. We felt like tap dancers in top hats and canes would come dancing down the aisle any minute.”

I know how you feel, I have been dealing with the same.

John posted an excellent answer, so no need for me to add anything. Except maybe my prayers.

 

[KoinoniaScott]

Thank you, everyone, for your replies, and thank you for your offering of prayers. I will be praying for you as well.

Peace in Christ, and Rejoice!