What to do about inculturation?

[mystified]

Oh Lord, deliver me from mosquitos, too.
As for “Negro Gospel Songs”, I’d venture to say that some of them may be more theologically solid than those of Haugen, Haas, and Co., although I can take them only in limited doses.
Still prefer Gregorian at Mass.

 

[Bro_Joshua]

“What people call dancing in the Ethiopian Rite or Zairean form of the Roman liturgy is in fact a rhythmically ordered procession, very much in keeping with the dignity of the occasion…Popular piety has a special importance as a bridge between the faith and each culture”

The Spirit of the Liturgy
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
page 199

“A liturgy in an Upper Bavarian village looks very different from High Mass in a French cathedral, which in turn seems quite unlike Mass in a southern Italian parish, and again that looks different from what you would find in a mountain village in the Andes, and so on.”

The Spirit of the Liturgy
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
page 202

Excellent book. Thanks for quoting it. I ended up buying three copies so I would have a couple to loan out and for very small groups to discuss the book “Spirit of the Liturgy.”

I think the book can be helpful in so many ways, but particularly in some parish settings where those that are sort of in charge of bringing some sort of “meaning” to the Liturgy in light of important parish events (1st Communons, graduations, recognizing a particular Ethnic group to name a few things) can do so, but in a smooth and reconizable way for all invloved - and avoid distortions of the liturgy.

 

[Bro_Joshua]

Inculturation involves the whole life of the Church and of a local culture. It is not just something to do for Mass once in a while. My understanding on inculturation is that the Belgium missionologist who coinded the word somewhere in the 1920’s and the word first appeared in official Church documents with Vatican II, did not give a high focus on Liturgy as the sole or primary vehicle for inculturation. In the early days it was a very limited, almost mute area of inculturation.

Inculturation involves so much. I’ll metion a couple key areas that interest me. Local prayer traditions are explained to the foreighn missionary by the local Elders. As much as can be done, the missionary endeavors to obtain as pure an understanding of local faith in accord with local language and understanidng – not to be interpreting everything from (for example) an Italian or Roman history and mind set.

Local ceremony or devotion, prayer form and such items become Christian for those of the local region who continue in their old ways, but as Christians. It is primarily up to the local tradtional leadership or elders to determin the legitimacy of this.

I know of so-called home missionaries that work on Reservations that still forbid local ceremonies at grave-side funerals. (I am not talking of the in-Church building concerns at the moment). They say they do not understand the language of the chants or the drums (or what ever in accord to each location). This is not inculturation - that is assimilation or perhaps something closer to cultural genocide.

Inculturation in the above example wold be for the missionary to learn the language if he can. If he can’t he must accept that he is unqualified to judge what he does not know and repent of this error, and fid alternatives. If he can’t do that, he should request a transfer (or be removed). Inculturation sees the traditional prayer custom as true prayer and lofty and worthy. It is not forced into the Liturgy, but survives in its natural setting. The rosary, for example is a prayer custom of high respect - but it is not part of the Liturgy. The Rosary has its own setting, time and purpose. It comes from a number of ancient traditions that were not originaly Judeo/Christian, yet today is readily recognized as Catholic Christian.

There is room for inculturation within Mass, but the primary focus should be the whole local cultural condition, work, family value and tradition, local prayer ceremonial practices and the interweaving of all these things. Inculturation is a mutual embrace of Church and local culture, not a compromise or surrendering of either.

Obviously as Christians we would not embrace human sacrifices to volcanoes if that was a local custom. In my experiences, there are very few cultures caught up in human sacrifice. Many culures were accused of such by early missionaries, but the accusations were false in most cases.

Doodem (Totem) symbols were suspect by early missionaries. Inculturation would get the the truth of what Doodem is. Basically it is a family clan. Destruction of the symbols was part of destruction of family value and unity. Inclussion of the Doodem symbols (family crests in a manner of speaking) of Church life, on the other hand, is a mutual building up of family values by the Chruch at large and the local culture.

So much can be done for inculturation before tackling the Liturgy. Then, if the Liturgy is to be touched - it can be done with a better understanding, with genuiness and dignity.

 

[KathleenElsie]

Re: What to do about inculturation?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ridgerunner forums.catholic-questions.org/images/buttons_cad/viewpost.gif
*I strongly support the widespread use of the TLM, and moreover maintain that learning the Latin of the TLM is not at all difficult, so maybe I can be forgiven in a “Traditional Catholicism” thread for saying the following.
*

Well, you’re certainly entitled to your opinion about how easy Latin is to learn. But the many generations of school kids had quite a different opinion.

Quote:
“Latin is a language as dead as dead can be. It killed the ancient Romans–and now it’s killing me”

I remember it as this:

Latin is a dead language this we all agree first it killed the Romans and now its killing me.

This being said I received the highest score on the SAT’s and can with a fair certainty know the meaning of many “big” words. LOL it really is a handy thing to know. So my children and now my grandchildren are all learning Latin.

Last night at vigil Mass my daughter sang a Latin hymn. There were tears in the eyes of the Priest and others. There was joy in my heart for this blessing. It was unexpected but communion went overtime and the music minister restarted the music and gave her the go ahead. She cantered both last night and today and they did four verses in English and four in Latin at both.

 

[lucybeebee]

Inculturation involves the whole life of the Church and of a local culture. It is not just something to do for Mass once in a while. My understanding on inculturation is that the Belgium missionologist who coinded the word somewhere in the 1920’s and the word first appeared in official Church documents with Vatican II, did not give a high focus on Liturgy as the sole or primary vehicle for inculturation. In the early days it was a very limited, almost mute area of inculturation.

Inculturation involves so much. I’ll metion a couple key areas that interest me. Local prayer traditions are explained to the foreighn missionary by the local Elders. As much as can be done, the missionary endeavors to obtain as pure an understanding of local faith in accord with local language and understanidng – not to be interpreting everything from (for example) an Italian or Roman history and mind set.

Local ceremony or devotion, prayer form and such items become Christian for those of the local region who continue in their old ways, but as Christians. It is primarily up to the local tradtional leadership or elders to determin the legitimacy of this.

I know of so-called home missionaries that work on Reservations that still forbid local ceremonies at grave-side funerals. (I am not talking of the in-Church building concerns at the moment). They say they do not understand the language of the chants or the drums (or what ever in accord to each location). This is not inculturation - that is assimilation or perhaps something closer to cultural genocide.

Inculturation in the above example wold be for the missionary to learn the language if he can. If he can’t he must accept that he is unqualified to judge what he does not know and repent of this error, and fid alternatives. If he can’t do that, he should request a transfer (or be removed). Inculturation sees the traditional prayer custom as true prayer and lofty and worthy. It is not forced into the Liturgy, but survives in its natural setting. The rosary, for example is a prayer custom of high respect - but it is not part of the Liturgy. The Rosary has its own setting, time and purpose. It comes from a number of ancient traditions that were not originaly Judeo/Christian, yet today is readily recognized as Catholic Christian.

There is room for inculturation within Mass, but the primary focus should be the whole local cultural condition, work, family value and tradition, local prayer ceremonial practices and the interweaving of all these things. Inculturation is a mutual embrace of Church and local culture, not a compromise or surrendering of either.

Obviously as Christians we would not embrace human sacrifices to volcanoes if that was a local custom. In my experiences, there are very few cultures caught up in human sacrifice. Many culures were accused of such by early missionaries, but the accusations were false in most cases.

Doodem (Totem) symbols were suspect by early missionaries. Inculturation would get the the truth of what Doodem is. Basically it is a family clan. Destruction of the symbols was part of destruction of family value and unity. Inclussion of the Doodem symbols (family crests in a manner of speaking) of Church life, on the other hand, is a mutual building up of family values by the Chruch at large and the local culture.

So much can be done for inculturation before tackling the Liturgy. Then, if the Liturgy is to be touched - it can be done with a better understanding, with genuiness and dignity.

I think there is a difference in the examples you mentioned and what often occurs in the United States, in which random elements are thrown together in the mass just because people think they’re neat. It seems that in the US, there is a dislike of tradition along with a paradoxical desire to be “authentic” and form community. The do-it yourself qualities present in the NO, as well as attempts to be “relevent” and “inclusive” illustrate this tendency. In the US, where people feel like they can create their own identity, attempts at inculturation will generally take on a “cafeteria-style” quality.

 

[Bro_Joshua]

I think there is a difference in the examples you mentioned and what often occurs in the United States, in which random elements are thrown together in the mass just because people think they’re neat. It seems that in the US, there is a dislike of tradition along with a paradoxical desire to be “authentic” and form community. The do-it yourself qualities present in the NO, as well as attempts to be “relevent” and “inclusive” illustrate this tendency. In the US, where people feel like they can create their own identity, attempts at inculturation will generally take on a “cafeteria-style” quality.

Thanks. I think you and I are busy agreeing with each other (lol). I went back to read my message again because I was wonder if I said something that made it sound like I was from another country. I am writting in the good old USA. With a smile of appreciation on my face, I agree the stuff tossed in at random in the Mass causes problems.

Conversations in certain Native American circles here and there discuss what can or should not be used in Mass of our traditions. Some want a pipe, some don’t. I think the Pipe, like the Rosary has a very great place in our faith walk – but not as part of the Mass. Processional styled dance might have a place in the Mass seeing as this is our tradition, but even at that, lots of careful thought should be given. I was asked to be part of a group that would dance at the Entrace and Exit of Mass in an almost all White Church. I said, “No. Maybe as part of a social after Mass over in the parish hall.”

I did not want this traditional dance prayer and drums to be part of a freak show in a Church. On the other hand, I have danced without any hesitation in a couple of churches where this is normal and accepted in dignity, (processional dances - not a show or performance).

I agree there are many parish churches (and some private chaples of religious orders) that can doo foolish things. some of their smooth, fuzzy attempts at inculturation end up being rahter insulting to the group they want to get relevant with. When Mass becomes the sole expression of inculturation, then the ring leaders probably have no clue what they are doing. The lack of inculturation outside of Mass is a strong suggestion that that local group (parish or what ever) need to find a starting point to get a handle of some sort of ethnic or racial biases.