Your words sterile and perfunctory have no real meaning to me…I do not know what you wish to indicate. I can only presume, from this post, that you are using sterile and perfunctory in apposition to elaborated and extended
The Roman Rite is supposed to be marked by “sobriety” and by “noble simplicity.” The ideal Roman prayer is quintessentially Da, Domine, quaesumus ____. Give, Lord, we beg you [fill in blank with as few words as essential to make the request]
One person’s luxe is another’s superfluity. I remember, in ancient days, when we had three cloths on the altar…each altar. Now the church/chapel ideally has one altar, not multiple altars, and the altar need have only one cloth. I’ve never seen that as an impoverishment but rather a change both practical and appreciated. The sacristans & I were the only ones who knew the two undercloths were not there…well, except God and His attending angels. The honour being paid was not shortchanged for there being fewer cloths, that could not be humanly observed, dressing the altar
As for vestments, as a retired priest, I’ve helped in various parishes…and will quite consciously pass over the vestment placed at hand to choose something simpler as I prefer a more monastic simplicity to such things
The same is true for the linens. That they’re not elaborately embroidered is of no interest to me…that they are functional – i.e. made out of a fabric that is absorbent and easily cleaned – is of maximum interest to me. I’ve dealt with linens of inferior quality that looked quite elaborate but were so made that they did not dry the sacred vessels they were meant to wipe. They were, for all their elaborateness, perfectly useless
Over the years, I’ve been in parish priest of parishes where I removed baptisms from being done at a Sunday Mass because of the number of complaints by both those having their children baptised – they found the arrangement not conducive – and complaints from parishioners who found baptisms made the Sunday Mass much too long and elaborated. I’ve removed incense, which I personally like, because of complaints arising from allergies, breathing disorders, and various other maladies from headaches to nausea attributed to incense
When I am in a monastic setting, the liturgies invariably are longer and more elaborate. But then they are monastic liturgies and they are not parish liturgies
When I have been chaplain to communities of other cultures, Masses could go easily twice as long as a standard parish Mass because of the inculturated liturgy involving more and longer pieces of music, liturgical dance, and so forth. Some, not being of the other cultures, who came to the liturgies really enjoyed them and would return while others found them much too long and involved, even leaving in the middle of them rather than staying until the end
Conversely, the shortest Masses of my priesthood are those in the era when I was a hospital chaplain. They were kept simple and to the smallest time duration possible because staff, patient, and visitors all had priorities to be about within the hospital beyond fitting Mass into their schedule…and I also was pressed by duties and rounds
As for the funeral Mass you cite, I have done many over the years. The taking or rejecting of options for funeral at which I preside rests with the one arranging the funeral. I only overrule if the request is not in keeping with liturgical norms. I’ve had funerals with no music. Funeral with an organist or other musician playing but without hymns or singing. Funerals with a cantor and singing…with or without musical accompaniment. Funerals with an added soloist. Funerals with a choir. In places where the organist is receiving a stipend per Mass played, the family must either supply an organist or arrange financially with the one we used…and so it is for the cantor, soloist or choir. For some who are arranging funerals, expense becomes an issue
In short, there are reasons for every choice that I’ve made when administering a parish. Usually involving a balancing of goods. Mostly practical
I would never run while breaking out in a sweat from a parishioner making a suggestion…I’ve turned and silently walked away, with no further acknowledgement, from parishioners who are repeating the same request for the 15th, 20th, 25th time…because they have already received their answer. Repeatedly. The answer being: NO
I’ve never been one to repeat myself over and over. Once an answer has been given to an individual and once they have been reminded they have been given an answer, assuming they are not dementia patients, I do not repeat myself. Unfortunately, there are parishioners who will continue to repeat a request as though they will gain a hearing by the sheer multiplicity of asking. That behaviour should not be encouraged or rewarded
Frankly, the words sterile and perfunctory most evoke for me memories of the pre-conciliar Masses I remember from my younger days…when Masses were offered every hour on the hour and Sunday Mass was less than 45 minutes as, principally, a dialogue between the priest and the altar server. I do not miss those days, whatsoever
You say you have seven Masses in your parish. How many priests do you have presiding at these seven Masses?
