Not under any circumstances, this is a serious liturgical abuse and should be repoted to the Bishop.
No, it is not. There are some valid substitutions for the penetential rite. The only one I know of that actually substitutes for the penetential rite is the asperges/springkling. Smudging is definately not on the list of valid occurances during Mass.
If it were a diocesan celebration, which often these are, the bishop was probably the celebrant; therefore he would know.
There are several option for the penetintial rite in the missal as you know as a deacon, there is not on that allows to substitution a non catholic ritual. Incencing is done before this point and there is no mention of smudging in the red. My brother in service to the Liturgy, it might be time to ask some questions.
Notice where i said the smudging was, before we processed in. In other words, before the mass began. However, the penetential rite can be ommited in celebrations of lessor significance, and on certain days, such as Ash Wednesday. Thats all I meant. Some could mistakenly believe the PR is replaced by the smudging it may not.
Even before mass I might have problems with a non liturgical ceremony. If it were an ecumenical celebration, then I could see a place for it.
Pope Benedict has not visited the southwestern part of the United States. The closest he came, as Cardinal Ratzinger, was Dallas, if I remember correctly.
The only thing I could find was this was done at an interfaith ceremony, not as part of or prelude to the sacred liturgy.
There’s a patent violation going on here! That rite belongs to Earth-centered traditions and there’s no licensing agreement with the RCC! Our attorneys will be in touch!
The “holier than the Pope” line is misused in some situations. Some of the past popes were pretty notorious sinners (having mistresses and illegitimate children, selling ecclesiastical offices, etc.). I don’t know if Pope Benedict participated in a “smudging” ceremony or not, but whatever sins he has committed are not an excuse for anyone to feel comfortable sinning the same way!
I do not intend to defend the rite, but we all, including the native Americans with their ceremonies are the children of God. Our responsibility is not to distance ourselves from the but to show them that their Superior Spirit is the same as our God. There is a delicate balance but we shall see and consider both sides.
However, if there were very few Native Americans there at the Mass, then inculturation really does not apply here. Furthermore, such ceremonies only breed confusion among the faithful. Novelty is never a good thing.
There is often a certain romantic notion when it comes to Native American and how they are somehow are close to the “spirits of the earth”. even though I might agree that the Great Spirit and God are one in the same, it doesn’t then follow that I would agree to worshiping all the other spirits. we are to lead all people to Christ, it causes confusion when there is a sense of equality given to beliefs that clearly are not.
Yes. This is the reason I asked for, and we should consider the circumstances. It may be appropriate in Canada, once a year, and inappropriate in Chicago or LA often.