New York City church holds 'Clown Eucharist' (Episcopalian)

  • Thread starter Thread starter stumbler
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
S

stumbler

Guest
The Layman Online
Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Looking like refugees from Clown Alley at Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus, ministers and many parishioners participated in a “Clown Eucharist” at an Episcopal church in New York City.

http://www.layman.org/layman/_images/events/clown-eucharist.gif

Earlier, the rector of Trinity Church-St. Paul’s Chapel Trinity Church, the Rev. Dr. James Herbert Cooper, encouraged the parish family to come to church “in clown dress, big hats, floppy shoes or some sort of foolish garb. Those watching on the Internet might even be foolish enough to put on some white face or a big grease-paint smile as we worship God and learn about the structure of the Eucharist by being the circus which came to town and to church on that day.”

The church bulletin’s order of worship for May 22 states:

“The Procession-Entry of the Gladiators arrangement by Owen Burdick: The Ring Master, Choir, Acolytes, and Clergy enter the Church.”

Someone mimed the Old Testament reading, and three people mimed the Gospel reading. Then, the bulletin states, “The Ringmaster directs the Sacred Ministers to the front of the altar.”

After that, listed under The Offertory, the bulletin states: “The alms, oblations and other offerings of the People are presented. The Celebrant blesses the gifts, the altar and the People. The People respond to the blessing with their noise makers.”

During The Breaking of the Bread, according to the bulletin, “The Celebrant breaks the Bread. At the cue of the Ringmaster the People respond with noise makers.”

And, during The Retiring Procession, as the ministers retire to the narthex, the bulletin states that, “The People toss their streamers into the aisle.”

After the service, as people gathered outside for a parish picnic, one parishioner in clown makeup said, “It’s okay to be happy.”

In a letter posted on the church’s Web site before the service, Cooper said that the church would celebrate Trinity Sunday with the Clown Eucharist, “‘doing church’ as if we were a circus come to town. We will celebrate the Eucharist and learn about the basic traditional outline for Eucharistic worship by experiencing it and participating in it from a new perspective.”
Full article
 
I saw this online today, so we should be soo happy to equate church with a circus. Umm… no thank you.
 
I think this tops my previous “fave” pastor:

Elvis-impersonating preacher rocks Ont. church

Canadian Press

NEWMARKET, Ont. — In the Christ the King Graceland Independent Anglican Church of Canada, “Rockin’ Reverend” Dorian Baxter presides with the sideburns and singing of Elvis Presley to attract the wayward to Jesus Christ.



Equal parts entertainer, activist and preacher, the 52-year-old Baxter - who also goes by Elvis Priestley - does it his way, singing Elvis favourites with a Christian twist. “Well it’s one for the Father, two for the Son, three for the Holy Spirit and your life has just begun,” he starts to the tune of “Blue Suede Shoes,” wrapping up the chorus with: “You can do anything but don’t turn Jesus away.”

His church is labelled independent because Anglican church elders frown on the Elvis-themed antics, and Baxter held Sunday’s inaugural service with 200 supporters in a Newmarket, Ont., veterans’ hall.

While not defrocked, Baxter was forced out of one Toronto-area church and denied a license to perform Anglican weddings, with Bishop Ronald Ferris of the Algoma diocese calling the mix of Elvis and church functions in poor taste.

Baxter sports a thick, curly mane of combed-over black hair with muttonchop sideburns, and while he conducts services in the robes and collar of a minister, he changes into a jumpsuit afterward to perform as a well-known Elvis impersonator.
 
I’m searching for an icon of a little face with a slack-jaw and his hand slapping his forehead.
 
My next door neighbor is a Lutheran and she invited us to go to this recently (she was the “clown”). I declined. What a total mockery and disrespect. I never could stand clowns… 😉
 
I guess Satan’s been really doing some overtime.

I’m appalled. :nope:
 
while i agree this is a disgrace,it,s not near as bad as known pedophile priests celebrating mass and distributing holy eucharist,now thats beyond irreverance and bad taste,it,s truly evil,bishops who allowed this should be in prison! celt
 
It’s been done in catholic churches too according to some Sedevacantist websites online

traditio.com/nos.htm

I suggest you don’t prowl around on that site too much though, it’s pretty offensive.
 
This is what you call attention-deficit trying to be funny (it’s funny though) in bad taste !!! :rotfl:
40.png
stumbler:
I think this tops my previous “fave” pastor:

Elvis-impersonating preacher rocks Ont. church

Canadian Press

NEWMARKET, Ont. — In the Christ the King Graceland Independent Anglican Church of Canada, “Rockin’ Reverend” Dorian Baxter presides with the sideburns and singing of Elvis Presley to attract the wayward to Jesus Christ.

http://www.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/...0_dorian_baxter_elvis_impersonator_030105.jpg

Equal parts entertainer, activist and preacher, the 52-year-old Baxter - who also goes by Elvis Priestley - does it his way, singing Elvis favourites with a Christian twist. “Well it’s one for the Father, two for the Son, three for the Holy Spirit and your life has just begun,” he starts to the tune of “Blue Suede Shoes,” wrapping up the chorus with: “You can do anything but don’t turn Jesus away.”

His church is labelled independent because Anglican church elders frown on the Elvis-themed antics, and Baxter held Sunday’s inaugural service with 200 supporters in a Newmarket, Ont., veterans’ hall.

While not defrocked, Baxter was forced out of one Toronto-area church and denied a license to perform Anglican weddings, with Bishop Ronald Ferris of the Algoma diocese calling the mix of Elvis and church functions in poor taste.

Baxter sports a thick, curly mane of combed-over black hair with muttonchop sideburns, and while he conducts services in the robes and collar of a minister, he changes into a jumpsuit afterward to perform as a well-known Elvis impersonator.
Click to expand...
 
Thing is, you can’t trick people into loving god or church. You can’t have a clown mass and expect people to say “wow, I really liked that, I think I’ll start going to normal mass!”.

It’s Retarded!

Same goes for youth masses and such. The mass should never be changed to attract a bigger audience. Kids are smart enough to recognize something sacred. I imagine rock music in church and that will attract some people who will just get into church for the social aspect of it (yuck) but in a lot of cases I know that sort of thing would drive someone like myself away.

This comes from a lack of faith on the part of those in charge. If all of our church leaders, priests and other religious had deep faith in what the church actually teaches, these things simply wouldn’t happen. This sort of thing, when it occurs in catholic churches, is coming from a lack of faith in the real presence. The mass isn’t about entertainment, it’s about something far more vital and necessary than that.
 
http://www.layman.org/layman/_images/events/clown-eucharist.gif

I’ve always thought that clowns and mimes were kind of scary. Even if it weren’t sacreligious, to whom exactly is it supposed to apeal? I hope that’s not a real Eucharist. It looks like he broke apart a large focaccia bread. Look at the beautiful, sacred images in the background and then back at the clown - talk about from “the sublime to the ridiculous.” :nope:
 
40.png
mercygate:
Hey! Glass houses: stjosephsmen.com/letters/clownmass.htm
Click to expand...
Mercygate:

That particular parish Church had the bad habits of “forgetting to say the Creed” during the Sunday Mass and of using Rite “Make it up as you go” Eucharistic Prayers.

I can’t give too many details, but I happened to have occasion to attend that church and complained about those very things on another board.

I don’t know who read the blog, but I noticed later, not only did they say the Creed, but they printed it in their parish bulletin. The priest also used a Rite from the Mass Book, not Rite “Make it up as you go along”.

The Internet allows this sort of complaining to work as a corrective, but I wonder how many Catholics know how and when to use it. and, What did people do before the Internet?

Blessed are they who act to save God’s Little Ones. Michael
 
40.png
Jayson:
It’s been done in catholic churches too according to some Sedevacantist websites online

traditio.com/nos.htm

I suggest you don’t prowl around on that site too much though, it’s pretty offensive.
Click to expand...
Yeah, umm…that’s definitely not a Catholic website. Most of the pictures look like protestant services anyway. I don’t even know what Novus ordo is either, but arent Sedevacantists the ones who don’t believe that there is a valid pope?
The “Papal sugarcookie mass” was a black and white photo of JPII holding up a host…nice try.
The “Woodstock mass” was most likely a photo of World Youth Day (I went in 2000–you try looking your best after walking around in 100 degree heat and sleeping on the ground).
The “Papal Hindu mass” was a photo of dancers performing for JPII…news flash everyone: JPII had THOUSANDS of people perform for him during his papacy.
The “Patio mass” was a photo of a mass at someone’s home–my uncle has said mass at our house before, and at my cousins’.
The “Polka mass” was just another picture of some performers playing for JPII…explained above.
The “Soda mass” looked like a picture from a priest speaking at a youth conference.
The “Sponge Bob mass” was the dumbest one there–just a picture of a sponge bob toy and “various” listed as the parishes.
“Voodoo mass”…voodoo is not practiced in Brazil, as far as I know, and the picture just shows a black man in native dress.

I could do this for every single one on there, but that would be a waste of time, seeing as how I can’t e-mail the people at that site. The things anti-Catholics do…even those who claim to be “true” Catholics.
 
40.png
Jayson:
It’s been done in catholic churches too according to some Sedevacantist websites online

traditio.com/nos.htm

I suggest you don’t prowl around on that site too much though, it’s pretty offensive.
Click to expand...
Jayson:

I spent some time looking at their photos so I could see what they wer complaining about.

I’d say that about 1/3 of what they were complaining about was totally legit - They had every reason to complain. and, Another 1/3 was something where I’d say that honest people cooud differ. but, the last 1/3 was stuff where I was left with the feeling with that they had lost all sense of proportion, that they were finding problems because that’s what they do.

Sorry, but that’s what I thought about what I saw.

That doesn’t mean that something doesn’t need to be done to fix the 1/3 that they’re right on so that people can be sure that they’re attending Valid Masses under licit and reverent conditions.

Blessed are they who act to save God’s Little Ones. Michael
 
Rand Al'Thor:
Yeah, umm…that’s definitely not a Catholic website. Most of the pictures look like protestant services anyway. I don’t even know what Novus ordo is either, but arent Sedevacantists the ones who don’t believe that there is a valid pope?
The “Papal sugarcookie mass” was a black and white photo of JPII holding up a host…nice try.
The “Woodstock mass” was most likely a photo of World Youth Day (I went in 2000–you try looking your best after walking around in 100 degree heat and sleeping on the ground).
The “Papal Hindu mass” was a photo of dancers performing for JPII…news flash everyone: JPII had THOUSANDS of people perform for him during his papacy.
The “Patio mass” was a photo of a mass at someone’s home–my uncle has said mass at our house before, and at my cousins’.
The “Polka mass” was just another picture of some performers playing for JPII…explained above.
The “Soda mass” looked like a picture from a priest speaking at a youth conference.
The “Sponge Bob mass” was the dumbest one there–just a picture of a sponge bob toy and “various” listed as the parishes.
“Voodoo mass”…voodoo is not practiced in Brazil, as far as I know, and the picture just shows a black man in native dress.

I could do this for every single one on there, but that would be a waste of time, seeing as how I can’t e-mail the people at that site. The things anti-Catholics do…even those who claim to be “true” Catholics.
Click to expand...
Rand Al’Thor:

You’re right. The Sedevacantists are people who split from the Catholic Church and believe that Peter’s Chair has been vacant since before Vatican II.

Most of what you objected to I called a lack of proportion (I really thought they had blown a fuse) - They didn’t get that St. Justin Martyr said that if something’s true it automatically belongs to us (Re the “Hindu dancers”). The problem is that this lunacy on their part detracts from the real problems that they correctly pointed out.

As I said, about 1/3 of what they were upset about also drives most Faithful Catholics nuts. The problems of Priestesses, “womyn performing the service”, Satan being invited into the services, Rainbow Flags, inappropriate matter (including the “Soda Mass”), etc are all REAL PROBLEMS. and, The fact the people calling our attention to these are Sedevacantists shouldn’t cause us to ignore the REAL PROBLEMS. Remember, they had WITNESSES to all the events - They just didn’t know what was worth getting worked up about and what wasn’t.

I just posted a letter on another Thread from a Brazillian who referred to Voodoo being used in Brazil. Like many areas which imported Slaves from both Africa and the Carribean, Brazil has a problem with the practice of Voodoo, and the dress shown was that of one of the Voodoo Gods.

**For them ecumenism should be broad and includes all creeds and religions. Recently we became aware of one bishop in Brazil attending voodoo cults … **

anglican-mainstream.net/news05052602.asp

Remember, just because they have no sense of proportion and can discern between those things that require attention and those things that don’t doesn’t mean that we don’t have a problem that requires urgent attention.

Blest are they who act to save the lives of God’s Little Ones. Michael
 
Rand Al'Thor:
Yeah, umm…that’s definitely not a Catholic website. Most of the pictures look like protestant services anyway. I don’t even know what Novus ordo is either, but arent Sedevacantists the ones who don’t believe that there is a valid pope?
The “Papal sugarcookie mass” was a black and white photo of JPII holding up a host…nice try.
The “Woodstock mass” was most likely a photo of World Youth Day (I went in 2000–you try looking your best after walking around in 100 degree heat and sleeping on the ground).
The “Papal Hindu mass” was a photo of dancers performing for JPII…news flash everyone: JPII had THOUSANDS of people perform for him during his papacy.
The “Patio mass” was a photo of a mass at someone’s home–my uncle has said mass at our house before, and at my cousins’.
The “Polka mass” was just another picture of some performers playing for JPII…explained above.
The “Soda mass” looked like a picture from a priest speaking at a youth conference.
The “Sponge Bob mass” was the dumbest one there–just a picture of a sponge bob toy and “various” listed as the parishes.
“Voodoo mass”…voodoo is not practiced in Brazil, as far as I know, and the picture just shows a black man in native dress.

I could do this for every single one on there, but that would be a waste of time, seeing as how I can’t e-mail the people at that site. The things anti-Catholics do…even those who claim to be “true” Catholics.
Click to expand...
While I agree that Traditio definitely is NOT a Catholic site (at best, “Western Orthodox” [if there is such a thing]), Novus Ordo is a name commonly given (but not an official name) to the New Order of the Mass. The Tridentine was the name of the Liturgy before Vatican II.
 
I’ve always thought that clowns and mimes were kind of scary. Even if it weren’t sacreligious, to whom exactly is it supposed to apeal?* I hope that’s not a real Eucharist.* It looks like he broke apart a large focaccia bread. Look at the beautiful, sacred images in the background and then back at the clown - talk about from “the sublime to the ridiculous.” :nope:
Click to expand...
Thank God they don’t have valid holy orders, so their “clown eucharist” is just it–clown.

Pio
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top