What do you think of this funeral Mass on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minn?

[Ray_Marshall]

** A religion and a way of life meld in Red Lake**
Catholics and Indian traditionalists share practices, mourn together

**BY STEPHEN J. LEE

Grand Forks Herald

RED LAKE, Minn.** — Traditional Indian religious beliefs and the Christian practices that have been a big part of the Red Lake Indian community since at least 1858 came together Wednesday as people grieved, prayed and mourned together.

Some victims of the worst school shooting in Minnesota history were Catholic; some practiced traditional Indian religion or spirituality.

During a noon memorial Mass on Wednesday in St. Philip’s Catholic Church in Bemidji, the Christian Eucharist was followed by a traditional Indian “smudging,” a sacred smoke ceremony of prayer and offering to the Great Spirit.

The mingling of two cultures, two faiths, is something the Rev. Bill Mehrkens has seen happen for years. From 1991 to 2003, the retired priest was pastor of St. Mary’s Mission, the Catholic parish in Red Lake that — at nearly 150 years — is older than almost any other Catholic parish in northwest Minnesota.

Retired and living in St. Philip’s rectory in Bemidji, Minn., Mehrkens was helping out Wednesday at St. Mary’s. The current pastor there, the Rev. Pat Sullivan, dealt with the many people touched by the school shooting Monday that killed 10 and injured seven others.

“I have come to respect many of their traditional beliefs,” said Mehrkens, 82. “When I came here I had prejudices about it and misunderstandings about it.”

Leaning on a cane, Tom Stillday, the chief spiritual elder on the Red Lake reservation, said at a prayer service outside the North Country Hospital in Bemidji, that he was leaning on his beliefs to help his people in this time. The veil between the living and dead, this world and next, seems less opaque in traditional Indian teaching and Stillday still feels the need to help even those who were killed.

“We lost three students from Ponema and I have to help them get to the spirit world.”

The Creator is the one who knows what is going on and who supports people, Stillday told a circle of several hundred people on Tuesday. "Then there is the counterpart, the devil. He can possess us.

Mehrkens was sitting near Stillday on Tuesday near the center of the circle. He says he’s grown to respect Stillday and count him a friend, although they are clergy of differing faiths.

He has invited Stillday to take part in Catholic ceremonies and Stillday has reciprocated at traditional Indian ceremonies, Mehrkens said.

Instead of the usual incense used by most Catholic churches, St. Mary’s uses sage and sweet-grass, the same Stillday uses in his ceremonies, for incense during Mass. “We also have sometimes incorporated drums and the use of the sacred pipe and smudging,”

Mehrkens said. “We try to incorporate as much of their symbols and traditions into our Catholic worship and I think we have made some progress.”

Some of the ideas of traditional Indian ways also help, Mehrkens said.

"A phrase that ecologists and many others are using more and more is ‘We are all related,’ " he said, a concept more in evidence in the Red Lake community than in most of America. It’s true in Christian teaching, too, “that all human beings are related,” Mehrkens said.

Robert and Lorena Cook represent the melding in a personal way. Both grew up on the Red Lake reservation, attending St. Mary’s school. They married and raised their children, and now have grandchildren.

They are part of St. Philip’s parish in Bemidji where they live now, although Lorena Cook said she’s the “active” Catholic, while Robert attends only occasionally. He practices traditional Indian ways, Robert Cook said. “It’s not so much a religion as a way of life.”

At the end of Wednesday’s Catholic Mass in St. Philip’s, Robert Cook was asked to do a smudging. He lit dried sage in a seashell before the altar, wafting the smoke with an eagle feather to the four directions.

That’s to recognize the “gatekeepers” to the spirit world, first to the east for beginnings, the sun rise; to the south for cleansing; to the west — “we go west when we die”; and to the north, which represents home for Indians.

He then offered the smoke to any who wanted to come forward, and Indian and white drew the sage smoke over their heads.

During the Catholic liturgy, Pearl Walker, 15, read the names of the shooting victims, then the name of the shooter, and the 115 people assembled prayed aloud for them all.

“It’s sad, it’s hard to understand,” said Walker afterward. An enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux nation, she lives in Cass Lake with her parents and is active in St. Philip’s. “I know people on Red Lake.”

 

[John_Higgins]

Sounds appropriate to me.

John

 

[HagiaSophia]

Yes it does and I don’t find it unusual at all. My Indian friend has often described to me how her native customs are interwoven with their church rubrics and rituals and I believe in the Araphaoe tribe, the deceased is still anointed with the crimson marks on forehead and hands so that when he gets to heaven his tribe members will recognize him.

 

[catsrus]

I attended a Mass on the Yaqui Indian reservation with a Yaqui woman. It was a very different and moving experience. Though the entire Mass was in the Yaqui language, I was able to follow pretty well. There were some aspects of the Mass that my friend explained to me were cultural. The people were so beautifully devoted.

 

[Shiann]

I agree, sounds pretty appropriate to me. Around here, the Sioux Indian culture have professional “wailers” (a group of women performing a sing-song cry) for the funerals of tribal members.

 

[Exporter]

Back in the 1500s Saint Francis S.J. ( Xavier) went to India and had converts. Dont you think he allowed some native customs?

 

[demolitionman65]

having spent a year working with the Arapahoe in Wyoming (St. Stephen’s Indian Mission), I can attest to the curious beauty and moving enmeshment of some of the Native traditions with Catholic teachings.

An example: The crucifix of the church (I CAN’T find a picture, though have tried) has a standard corpus crucifix superimposed on the wooden structure of a tipi. The tipi has no cloth on it. Jesus has two eagle feathers hanging from each hand.

When I first saw this, I was offended. But with some digging, I discovered the moving meaning behind it.

To Plains tribes (such as the Arapahoe), the sign of bare tipi poles connotes imminent flight and danger. Superimposing the crucifix on this shows the belief of the Arapahoe that Jesus is there to protect them from danger. . .in essence, that he is protecting (redeeming) them of danger (sin). The eagle feathers are the strongest sign of honor that Plains Indians can give.

Wish I could find a picture. Worth a thousand words.

 

[HagiaSophia]

demolitionman65:

To Plains tribes (such as the Arapahoe), the sign of bare tipi poles connotes imminent flight and danger. Superimposing the crucifix on this shows the belief of the Arapahoe that Jesus is there to protect them from danger. . .in essence, that he is protecting (redeeming) them of danger (sin). The eagle feathers are the strongest sign of honor that Plains Indians can give.

Wish I could find a picture. Worth a thousand words.

There was an artist priest sometime back who painted with Indian symbology the lovliest Madonnas. His Our Lady of the Snows always just delighted my eye. Beautiful stuff and every detail in each picture had meaning.

 

[JCPhoenix]

I once read a book about a conversatio between a white man and a Native American Chief.

The Chief was telling the author that when white man came to the plains with their new religion, the people embraced Jesus. Finally, he was a point of identification between the different peoples, because beliefe in him and his resurrection was a matter of faith.

They have always been a devout, faithful people and saw in Jesus the way to Heaven. They were surprised at white man’s belief in Jesus and his story as it seemed to go so against what was being shown to them on a daily basis as a cultural matter.

They recognized the good missionaries as true representatives of Christ and it was easy for some to make that “leap” to follow the Lord and Savior.

As with other cultures, local customs have meshed with the mass, and honoring those old customs does not negate the truth of the teachings of Jesus.

It is beautiful to see that in Christ, we can all share in our respective traditions.

Now, that’s not to say that a smoke ceremony would be appropriate at most parishes.

 

[Ray_Marshall]

JCPhoenix:

It is beautiful to see that in Christ, we can all share in our respective traditions.

Now, that’s not to say that a smoke ceremony would be appropriate at most parishes.

A few years ago, a priest visiting from Red Lake said Mass at St. Francis Cabrini parish in Minneapolis. I was also visiting. The building is an A-Frame which turns me off, but I attended just to see what this very liberal parish might have to offer.

The priest probably was Father Mehrkens (mentioned in the article).

He held a smoke ceremony after the Homily and before the Offertory. I didn’t quite understand it, but I thought it was very well done.

The Mass I attended was on a very warm Saturday afternoon some years ago. The welcome I received was unlike anything that I have ever received in a Catholic Church. In fact, before the Mass, all visitors were asked to stand and introduce themselves and say a few words (if they chose to). Believe it or not, at the end of the Mass, several of the people remembered my name and we had a nice chat.

I didn’t return largely because of the architecture and also because of the lack of pews. I like to kneel. I need to kneel.

I’m very pleased that those who have read this thread have not included any “liturgy cops”, quick to defend the purity of the Mass.

The American Catholic Church is about 6% of the total universal Church. Africa and South America are the growth areas. We will probably see more and more cultural changes in the Mass as more and more missionary priests come to us from those countries.

 

[Maria1011]

Hello all -

This may have been a beautiful, moving Mass for some but what is wrong with this picture???

This is not Mass. You know it. The bishops know it. Stop sugar coating something that is wrong.

It is the same thing as what happened at the church in Fatima.
Bad enough that we have lost a sense of the Sacred. Allowing whatever fancies us at the moment to be included in the Mass.

What is wrong with everyone? Is not the traditional Mass, which by the way, all the saints have used and prayed with for centuries before us, not good any more? Why do we have to make changes? Are we that easily BORED?? If we are, then we are not praying (AND that includes THE PRIESTS and BISHOPS) and I highly recommend that you get back into the business of being CATHOLIC.

No wonder our numbers are dropping. We might as well be protestants and have 20,000 sects as they do. Each little parish is working in their own little world without paying any attention to ROME. No wonder priests are no longer acting like priests. They are off to more socializing than a bunch of old high society women.

I am very much Catholic and love my faith with a strong fervor and it absolutely turns my stomach to see the atrocities that take place within our beautiful churches. It is time to take our FAITH back and put it in the hands of Rome, get rid of all these Bishops who are out to destroy it because they are vain and NEED to have some CONTROL in order to feel IMPORTANT - isn’t that pride??? IS THAT NOT A SIN??? What made lucifer fall - so will the bishops because GOD protects what is His and this Catholic Church is HIS, not the bishops.

Whew… No wonder our Lady is crying, screaming for us to listen.

Maria

 

[davy39]

Hello all -

This may have been a beautiful, moving Mass for some but what is wrong with this picture???

This is not Mass. You know it. The bishops know it. Stop sugar coating something that is wrong.

It is the same thing as what happened at the church in Fatima.
Bad enough that we have lost a sense of the Sacred. Allowing whatever fancies us at the moment to be included in the Mass.

What is wrong with everyone? Is not the traditional Mass, which by the way, all the saints have used and prayed with for centuries before us, not good any more? Why do we have to make changes? Are we that easily BORED?? If we are, then we are not praying (AND that includes THE PRIESTS and BISHOPS) and I highly recommend that you get back into the business of being CATHOLIC.

No wonder our numbers are dropping. We might as well be protestants and have 20,000 sects as they do. Each little parish is working in their own little world without paying any attention to ROME. No wonder priests are no longer acting like priests. They are off to more socializing than a bunch of old high society women.

I am very much Catholic and love my faith with a strong fervor and it absolutely turns my stomach to see the atrocities that take place within our beautiful churches. It is time to take our FAITH back and put it in the hands of Rome, get rid of all these Bishops who are out to destroy it because they are vain and NEED to have some CONTROL in order to feel IMPORTANT - isn’t that pride??? IS THAT NOT A SIN??? What made lucifer fall - so will the bishops because GOD protects what is His and this Catholic Church is HIS, not the bishops.

Whew… No wonder our Lady is crying, screaming for us to listen.

Maria

You go girl!! I heartily agree with you. It seems that we live in an age that everything has to be customized to fit every ethnic and racial group, so everybody feels right at home. We are no longer Americans, we have to be Cuban-Americans, German-Americans, African Americans, etc, etc. Now we have to have special Masses for Indians, Mexicans, Polish, Children, etc, etc. We are no longer coming together as a country, or a church. We are splitting apart, and going our seperate ways. Where will this all end, if it keeps up? God only knows.

 

[mchium]

The Mass is not about everyone getting their culture represented. The Mass is a sacrifice - not of smoke or cultural images or of past traditional icons. It is THE sacrifice of Jesus, for the salvation of mankind.

The rubrics of the Mass do not permit additions or changes of any kind.

If any of these activities take place during the Mass, the Mass is illicit. If they take place before or after Mass, the Mass is not affected but those present show their lack of understanding of the Mass.

The Mass is not about us; it is about Christ’s sacrifice for us and the power of His redemption applied, continuously, through His body and blood.

It’s a sad commentary that smoke smudging is soooooooo meaningful but the Real Presence of God and His offering to be our literal food is just kind of a backdrop. Shame

 

[mchium]

I’m very pleased that those who have read this thread have not included any “liturgy cops”, quick to defend the purity of the Mass.quote]

Sorry, Ray. It’s a nasty job, but someone has to do it.