Well, so what if Franciscans did things differently? Is that an excuse to dump Chant in the wider Church?
I don’t get the sense that’s what is being said. I think the objection is to what has been said. When people say that Gregorian chant is a must and there is no more sacred form of worship, that rattles anyone who is associated with Franciscans, Jesuits, Servites or Missionaries of Charity who never allowed Gregorian Chant.
If one were to say that there is a special place for Gregorian Chant, you would not get a reaction from anyone. No one denies this.
- I do have a problem with the Legion of Christ. The issues with the founder’s life are so awful, they shouldn’t be allowed to reform. No one will ask me, but if someone did, I’d say disband the whole Legion, help every priest find somewhere else, and ban all Legionary leadership (the highest leaders) from holding any positions of leadership in any future placement.
You’re talking about suppression. Suppression is a very serious penalty that is put on a religious institute for violating very serious points of the faith. The Legion is not guilty of such violation. They have had serious leadership problems and they need to reform their leadership. They have been given an Apostolic Administrator to help them do so. They are doing what they are being told to do. There is not legal reason to penalize them. You must remember, these are not just priests. If that were the case, you could distribute them to different dioceses. These are first and foremost, consecrated religious. They have been consecrated to follow the charism of the Legion and no other. The Church is not in the habit of suppressing religious charisms.
Even during the Jesuit suppression, it was not the entire Jesuit order. The suppression was by provinces. The Swiss and German provinces were allowed to remain. That’s where many Jesuits went until the suppression was lifted. Later, the Franciscans would prove that the claims made against the Jesuits were false and the provinces were restored, precisely because the Church sees religious charisms as gifts from the Holy Spirit.
- I question LifeTeen’s continued existence
Your assessment may be too harsh. I have seen wonderful Catholics come out of Life Teen. When it is correctly followed, its curriculum is very good. It has excellent resources for youth and those who work with youth.
My experience with them is very positive. We have four vocations that came to us through Life Teen. They attended a concert put on by the Franciscans of the Renewal. At the concert, the friars spoke about Francis and the faith. That did the trick for these guys. When they came home, they called us. They were from three different Life Teen groups.
What I have seen in all youth ministry is that youth ministry works when there are enough adults to oversee it and when those adults are strong in their own faith. The Franciscans of the Renewal do a lot of youth ministry and they borrow a lot from Life Teen. They have harvested more than 100 friars and sisters from those groups. If you met some of these friars, they look like thugs, even the way they dress. But they are the holiest men in town.
I wouldn’t be so hard on this movement. There is a lot of good there too. Every movement has its weaknesses. Just look at the Benedictine Order. How many times has it been renewed? The Franciscans have been renewed three times. The Augustinians lost count. The Carmelites at least once. Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, at least once. And the same is true for older lay movements such as the Knights of Columbus, Cursillo, Charismatic Renewal, Legion of Mary and others. We’re always trying to get it right. We have to do our best and trust that God does not expect success, but great love and effort, as Bl. Mother Teresa said.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, FFV
) beverage. We can discus this is a calm, reflective fashion.
