Liturgical Jihad

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Near the end of last October four long-time friends and I agreed to begin a Liturgical Jihad in our parish. We certainly benefit from being very long term members of the parish and in a state of transition from a pastorship standpoint, but so far we have had some good successes:
  • Replaced a bare rough-hewn cross with an absolutely museum-quality crucifix that was replaced by the cross circa 1975 as the parish’s main crucifix.
  • Replaced the cheap wine glasses and glass candy dishes with gold sacred vessels that were already owned by the parish. They simply needed a professional polishing.
  • Removed tacky Christmas decorations from the sanctuary. Replaced them with the parish’s gorgeous nativity scene, which we have not seen since the early 1980’s.
  • Placed two floor-standing candles next to the altar, and removed the single odd, free-form candle.
  • Procured 2 candlesticks so the altar servers can now flank the ambo during the reading of the Gospel.
  • Purchased burse, palls and veil to be used with chalice.
Thankfully we have the run of the place (as least late at night we do) and so far the pastor has remained silent regarding backlashes by others to our jihad.

What’s next? Maybe sanctus bells…
 
Awesome work! Keep it up. If only there were someone like you at every parish…
 
Nota Bene:
Near the end of last October four long-time friends and I agreed to begin a Liturgical Jihad in our parish. We certainly benefit from being very long term members of the parish and in a state of transition from a pastorship standpoint, but so far we have had some good successes:
  • Replaced a bare rough-hewn cross with an absolutely museum-quality crucifix that was replaced by the cross circa 1975 as the parish’s main crucifix.
  • Replaced the cheap wine glasses and glass candy dishes with gold sacred vessels that were already owned by the parish. They simply needed a professional polishing.
  • Removed tacky Christmas decorations from the sanctuary. Replaced them with the parish’s gorgeous nativity scene, which we have not seen since the early 1980’s.
  • Placed two floor-standing candles next to the altar, and removed the single odd, free-form candle.
  • Procured 2 candlesticks so the altar servers can now flank the ambo during the reading of the Gospel.
  • Purchased burse, palls and veil to be used with chalice.
Thankfully we have the run of the place (as least late at night we do) and so far the pastor has remained silent regarding backlashes by others to our jihad.

What’s next? Maybe sanctus bells…
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God Bless You!
You GO!
 
buy the proper vestments for altar servers, in an assortment of sizes, sneak in periodically to send them out to be cleaned and pressed, if you could go to Payless and get and assortment of black dress shoes in various sizes, that would put you ahead of 90% of the parishes in this country.
 
how about burning your Gather hymnals or donating them to a Protestant church (since most of the songs are more congenial to them) and finding a donor for the Adoremus hymnal
 
You guys do my heart good. I can’t even begin to say how horribly distracting it is to be standing in a Protestant church while I’m standing in a Catholic church. We draw strength from our history and tradition and do honor to those who delivered our faith to us through the ages. I recently was told a story of the incredible insult done to members of a North Jersey parish when back in the 60’s or 70’s the beautiful Ambo that parishoners had spent their family money on (when the church was built) was summarily removed and replaced by more “updated” furnishings. What an ingratitude! I was lucky enough to find a parish where our priest, a member of the newer generation, literally transformed a church gutted by “modernism” into a beautiful place instantly recognizable as God’s house.
Keep up the good work, I’m right behind you!
 
Phil Eastman:
You guys do my heart good. I can’t even begin to say how horribly distracting it is to be standing in a Protestant church while I’m standing in a Catholic church. We draw strength from our history and tradition and do honor to those who delivered our faith to us through the ages. I recently was told a story of the incredible insult done to members of a North Jersey parish when back in the 60’s or 70’s the beautiful Ambo that parishoners had spent their family money on (when the church was built) was summarily removed and replaced by more “updated” furnishings. What an ingratitude! I was lucky enough to find a parish where our priest, a member of the newer generation, literally transformed a church gutted by “modernism” into a beautiful place instantly recognizable as God’s house.
Keep up the good work, I’m right behind you!
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God Bless You!

I couldn’t tell the difference between the Presbyterian church my husband grew up in and my old parish. Thank the Holy Lord I am now in a CATHOLIC church. I am very blessed.
 
my husband’s relative, a priest in the Gary diocese, has used time in each assignment to restore damage done by post V2 innovations (or desecrations, depending on how you look at it), tracking down previous furnishings, restoring them if usable and suitable (and beautiful), making sure a proper Eucharistic reservation chapel and tabernacle are prominently and properly placed, restoring baptismal fonts, statues, etc. He combines the best of new guidelines with the beauty of the old. (where the innovations were used as an excuse to get rid of ugly or damaged items, he just lets it be, just because something is old doesn’t make it beautiful or valuable). He is also great at researching who donated what, and making sure those records don’t get destroyed or overlooked, and that nothing is removed without notifying the donor (if at all possible, or the family)
 
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puzzleannie:
my husband’s relative, a priest in the Gary diocese, has used time in each assignment to restore damage done by post V2 innovations (or desecrations, depending on how you look at it), tracking down previous furnishings, restoring them if usable and suitable (and beautiful), making sure a proper Eucharistic reservation chapel and tabernacle are prominently and properly placed, restoring baptismal fonts, statues, etc. He combines the best of new guidelines with the beauty of the old. (where the innovations were used as an excuse to get rid of ugly or damaged items, he just lets it be, just because something is old doesn’t make it beautiful or valuable). He is also great at researching who donated what, and making sure those records don’t get destroyed or overlooked, and that nothing is removed without notifying the donor (if at all possible, or the family)
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God bless this wonderful priest! If only we had a few more like him.
 
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puzzleannie:
my husband’s relative, a priest in the Gary diocese, has used time in each assignment to restore damage done by post V2 innovations (or desecrations, depending on how you look at it), tracking down previous furnishings, restoring them if usable and suitable (and beautiful), making sure a proper Eucharistic reservation chapel and tabernacle are prominently and properly placed, restoring baptismal fonts, statues, etc. He combines the best of new guidelines with the beauty of the old. (where the innovations were used as an excuse to get rid of ugly or damaged items, he just lets it be, just because something is old doesn’t make it beautiful or valuable). He is also great at researching who donated what, and making sure those records don’t get destroyed or overlooked, and that nothing is removed without notifying the donor (if at all possible, or the family)
Click to expand...
That’s awesome. Our jihad began when we came across the 8’ tall crucifix in a storage room. It honestly brought goose pimples to each of us when we saw it for the first time in years.

Our feelings were “enough already, let’s just* fix* this.”

I believe the pastor knows what is going on and I’m not sure how long the jihad can sustain itself, but it really is great right now, even though things can get mighty terse at times. We have 3 canned phrases we use when people question us while we are making an actual change:
  • Please leave me (us) alone.
  • Please mind your own business.
  • We are on a mission from God.
We have a ciborium veil on order and a “super frontal” for the altar that says “SANCTUS SANCTUS SANCTUS”

I wish we could gain the authority to fire all the EMsHC. Maybe that will come with a great deal or prayer…
 
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puzzleannie:
how about burning your Gather hymnals or donating them to a Protestant church (since most of the songs are more congenial to them) and finding a donor for the Adoremus hymnal
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Hear, hear! :blessyou: And dump the Glory and Praise and Journeysongs while you’re at it. Just imagine: A crisp autumn evening and a roaring bonfire as each member of the parish has an opportunity to consign a hymnal to flame. Then we’ll hold hands and sing “Gather Us In,” “One Bread, One Body,” and “Be Not Afraid” for the last time.

Followed by a solemn procession into the church and a sung Latin Mass. :sleep: Huh?? Wha?!? Sorry, I must have been dreaming.

You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.
 
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puzzleannie:
buy the proper vestments for altar servers, in an assortment of sizes, sneak in periodically to send them out to be cleaned and pressed, if you could go to Payless and get and assortment of black dress shoes in various sizes, that would put you ahead of 90% of the parishes in this country.
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Black cassocks and white surplices! 👍
 
Detroit Sue:
Black cassocks and white surplices! 👍
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While such vesting is wonderful, it would never be appropriate for an altar girl to wear such garb…
 
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puzzleannie:
. . .and get and assortment of black dress shoes in various sizes
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Black dress shoes for servers?! Are you trying to put Nike out of business?
 
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JimG:
Black dress shoes for servers?! Are you trying to put Nike out of business?
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You should visit the poll forum, entitled, “Is Life Teen an Orthodox Organization” it6 would do a lot of good to have people listen to wehat you all are saying i too wish our mass, in all of it’s context would get back to SACREDNESS!!!
Main catagory: Liturgy and th Sacraments, (sub category) “Is Life Teen an Orthodox Organization”
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Nota Bene:
While such vesting is wonderful, it would never be appropriate for an altar girl to wear such garb…
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There’s a solution to that!
 
That is beautiful, you should be commended, if you were the Priest of that Parish, you would probably have been reprimanded by the Bishop for being “to Orthodox” and “not with the times”
Nota Bene:
Near the end of last October four long-time friends and I agreed to begin a Liturgical Jihad in our parish. We certainly benefit from being very long term members of the parish and in a state of transition from a pastorship standpoint, but so far we have had some good successes:
  • Replaced a bare rough-hewn cross with an absolutely museum-quality crucifix that was replaced by the cross circa 1975 as the parish’s main crucifix.
  • Replaced the cheap wine glasses and glass candy dishes with gold sacred vessels that were already owned by the parish. They simply needed a professional polishing.
  • Removed tacky Christmas decorations from the sanctuary. Replaced them with the parish’s gorgeous nativity scene, which we have not seen since the early 1980’s.
  • Placed two floor-standing candles next to the altar, and removed the single odd, free-form candle.
  • Procured 2 candlesticks so the altar servers can now flank the ambo during the reading of the Gospel.
  • Purchased burse, palls and veil to be used with chalice.
Thankfully we have the run of the place (as least late at night we do) and so far the pastor has remained silent regarding backlashes by others to our jihad.

What’s next? Maybe sanctus bells…
Click to expand...
 
Nota Bene:
While such vesting is wonderful, it would never be appropriate for an altar girl to wear such garb…
Click to expand...
That’s the idea 😉
 
I would have to agree- the druid robes (sometimes with a wooden bare cross necklace) on the altar servers and servettes are hideous.
 
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