**Whether or not these things belong in Mass is up to the Bishop, not the laymen. **
In the parishes in our diocese, we see Gospel music (at the Italian parish where I play, there is a contemporary choir that does it), Christian rock (at the Life Teen Mass), hand raising (during the hymns at parishes throughout the diocese), and clapping (believe it or not, in the Italian parish–they clap during songs like Go Tell It On The Mountain, and the Franciscan friars who preside over this parish lead it out!).
We don’t see “testimony times” during Masses, but we see them in other settings. There are many Catholics in our community who are getting out there and telling people about the Catholic Church and Jesus!
These practices are NOT abuses!
St. Paul says in the Scriptures that he wants men everywhere to pray with holy hands lifted.
Interestingly, one of the families at our parish who is big-time into what you would probably call the “Protestant worship style” have a daughter who a few years ago entered a contemplative convent a few days after she graduated from high school, and apparently is now a full-fledged contemplative sister. This young woman was probably the most enthusiastic Catholic hand-raiser I have seen to date! She also played keyboards (not piano or organ, but keyboard) for the Life Teen Mass rock band. Apparently these “Protestant” practices didn’t destroy her Catholicism!
We also have a surplus of priests in our diocese and most of them do NOT come from the TLM parish (which we have had in our city since the 1980s).
Happy clappy? Not really Catholic?! Well, criticize all you wish, but you need to take it up with the Bishop, and I don’t think he’s likely to change something that seems to be working so beautifully in our diocese and that is NOT abusive according to the Church.
I think that many of you are stretching it when you talk about “Catholic culture.” I don’t intend this to sound rude, but frankly, I think it smacks of snobbery. You are adding “rules” to the Catholic Church that don’t exist. These things are your valid personal opinion and therefore, certainly have merit. But they are not what makes a person “Catholic” according to the Church. Just as I put up walls between myself and other Catholics when I refuse to have anything to do with alcohol, YOU are putting up walls when you maintain that hand-raisers, etc. are not practicing true “Catholicism.”
Cat, I don’t mean to imply that you are not a “good” Catholic and I don’t think any of the people who replied the same way did either. But you are the one “adding things” to the Mass.
However, I am sure you are sincere and mean no offense. Many of these things spontaneously starting occurring in parishes over the years and I think much of it came from evangelical converts and charismatics movements. I don’t think you realize how many Catholics see it as converts trying to put their protestant “twist” on the Mass. I don’t mean to offend you but I don’t want to attend a “protestantized” (if that’s a word?) Mass. That would be like me becoming a Baptist and insisting that I want to make the sign of the cross or genuflect at the cross (since they have no Blessed Sacrament) or something. I’m sure there is no rule about it but it would certainly not be well received.
Of course many of these things are not in the GIRM because they don’t list EVERYTHING you CAN’T do. That would be impossible. They speak of what should be done. But you shouldn’t be adding your own gestures and such to the Mass.
There was an interesting thread on here before about people who tend to make the “gestures of the priest” which is a no-no and which is spoken to. Also, some people want to say the doxology along with the priest during the Our Father and that is a no-no. All these and the types of things you speak of add confusion to the Mass because they all get mixed up together in what is an abuse, not an abuse, etc.
Also, I read that in some places they had to “pull back” some of the “Teen Life” Masses. There may not be a rule written about it but anything can be taken to a point where it gets out of hand and you may not be able to run and find a “rule”.
I’m sure you probably know that Benedict is not a fan of folk music at the Mass. There may come a time when he addresses some of these things. As we have seen he is slowly making changes. It takes a long time for some things to work all the way down to the parishes even though it shouldn’t.
Just a little side issue. I was speaking to our priest about people coming up for a blessing. I asked about it because my husband is in RCIA and I had doubts about it as the priest blesses us all at the end of Mass. He said that it was something that started spontaneously and has grown thru the years. He said he would never deny someone a blessing but that it really was a “communion line” and not a “blessing line”. Also said the same thing about holding hands at the Our Father and that I certainly did not have to do that either if I would rather clasp my hands in prayer. However, I would not hurt someone’s feelings over something like that and if they reach out their hand I do take it.
You say we are stretching Catholic culture and it smacks of snobbery. I think that you should take a moment to think about leaving your protestant church, becoming a Catholic, and then calling it snobbery when we object to you bringing what is “normal” in many evangelical/protestant churches into the Mass.
Again, I really am not trying to offend you. You sound like a good person.
By the way, I love “Gospel Choirs”. Just not in the Mass. Also, I’m a convert.
) on “Protestant Hymns”: We cannot blame the problems in the liturgy or problems in liturgical music on the Protestants or the converts from Protestantism. In addition to unnecessarily alienating converts as some sort of subset of “not quite Catholic yet” Catholics, it is also oftentimes inaccurate.