Missing in Action: The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults

"The catechumenate for adults, divided into several distinct steps, is to be restored and brought into use at the discretion of the local Ordinary. By this means, the time of the catechumenate, which is destined for the requisite formation, may be sanctified by sacred rites to be celebrated at successive stages." Sacrosanctum Concilium, 64. 4 December, 1963. 

This paragraph from Chapter III of The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy resulted in the the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. 6 January, 1972. 

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Last week, I visited Blessed Trinity Catholic Church in Orlando, Florida with my husband Patrick.

Set on ten acres that acts as a lush respite in its urban neighborhood, Blessed Trinity serves a diverse population of approximately 2.200 families. The parish includes a Hispanic ministry, an elder community, young families that continue to move into Orlando and join the parish. The extensive facility includes the original church, which now hosts a really beautiful memorial wall and whose interior serves as a center for religious education and faith formation.

Memorial Wall  

The principle church boasts two side chapels, spacious offices for the parish staff and volunteers, an entire house that serves as a thrift shop and operated by volunteers, as well as a robust liturgical ministry that includes several choirs, ministries of hospitality and art and environment. Faith formation includes a ministry of reconciliation for returning Catholics called "Welcome Home.' This parish is serious about building the body of Christ. 

An immersion Baptism font and Paschal Candle (left) is the first encounter with symbol and sacrament as you enter the narthex at Blessed Trinity. A vibrant catechumenate for the Rite of Christian Initiation includes a catechumenate team and 22 catechumens. 

 

Separate repository chapel of the Blessed Sacrament 

While we walked past one of the buildings, the Faith Formation administrator exited a door holding a box of items that appeared full of the usual 'church goodies' that you find on a clean-up detail after an event. After introductions, Carlos put the box down and said, "Let me give you a tour." We told him that we certainly didn't want to interrupt his work day but Carlos insisted that he was never too busy for people. “That's what we’re all about here. Paperwork can wait. People are our priority.” Okay, I thought; this guy is the real deal.

Carlos took us through many of the offices, multiple small chapels, meeting rooms and principle worship space, talking about the Blessed Trinity community, life in urban Orlando and his perspectives on a number of liturgical areas, including parish music. Pictured left is a Rodgers 3-manual organ, a Steinway grand piano, a drum kit, congas, a cello, choir section that serves both parish choir, youth choir and Hispanic music ministry.

As Carlos spent an hour with us, I asked him how he came to be involved in faith formation and his work with the catechumenate at Blessed Trinity. "I worked for the Diocese of Orlando in the bishop's office for years," he said. "But you tend to feel a bit removed from people when you're not involved in parish life. I learned how to direct faith formation and about the catechumenate through the pastor's leadership. I drew knowledge and inspiration from the pastor's vision and from being with people who are searching for faith. The pastor leads well and works very collaboratively together with staff. Musicians, catechists, liturgical ministers, volunteers - we're busy here and happy that we're busy. More and more people are joining the parish all the time." 

Carlos continued to say that some people are baptized and somehow stopped living sacramental life. They now want to continue their process of Christian Initiation because they have children and want to be fully initiated Catholics too. Others begin right at the beginning -  as unbaptized persons who ask questions. They put their toe into the water before they take the big plunge into Christianity. That commitment changes a way of life and way of being.

Do I hear a shout out for Blessed Trinity? Here lives Christian hospitality that clearly welcomes everyone and creates a safe haven that is 'home' for anyone willing to encounter Christ. Thank you Carlos and to the pastoral staff and people of Blessed Trinity in Orlando, Florida for your Christian witness. Inspiring. 

After our visit to Blessed Trinity, I started to reflect on the way the early Christians, how they were known by their charity for one another and their neighbors and the resounding appeal that drew others to Christ. Parishes who embrace the Rite of Christian Initiation in its fullest form model the early church for us in this post modern age. We may be in 2012 but the human heart longs for the same relationship with the living God now as in the past. How do we draw people into the heart of Christian faith? 

Here's what The General Directory for Catechesis states about Christian initiation: 

"Initiatory catechesis is thus the necessary link between missionary activity, which calls to faith, and pastoral activity, which continually nourishes the Christian community. This is not, therefore, an optional activity, but basic and fundamental... Without it, missionary activity lacks continuity and is sterile, while pastoral activity lacks roots and becomes superficial and confused: any misfortune could cause collapse of the entire building." No 64 cf also 91 (Statuta, Art. 6 §2

Further, the Directory goes on to say that 

"Ongoing formation in the faith is directed not only to Christians individually, to accompany them on their journey towards holiness, but also to the Christian community as such so that it may mature also in its interior life of love of God and of the brethren, as well as in its openness to the world as missionary community." no 70 (Statuta, Art. 22 §1)

These two very strong declarations clearly place Christian Initiation front and center within the heart of parish life. If we build on anything less, we build our house on sand. The Rite of Christian Initiation not only serves people seeking faith; the process and involvement of the parish as the Church in mission transforms and strengthens it as matures in its own spiritual life. The work of Christian Initiation does not belong to leadership alone: it is the desire and duty of every baptized Christian as a work of evangelization from the source and summit from where we are sent  - the Eucharist, to become the body of Christ for everyone. 

That raises some questions that I pose here for your reflection.

Why is the Rite of Christian Initiation missing in action from so many parishes? 

Does apathy or lack of initiative on the part of ordained and lay leadership restrain a parish from embracing this process?

Why do so many parishioners never have an opportunity to meet the faith seekers, inquirers and catechumens before they are baptized at the Easter Vigil? Why do our beloved elect, those whose faith we cherish that enriches us so deeply seem to just materialize out of the blue? What are their stories and where do we find God together as we encounter one another within sacred passage? 

Why do so many parishes never experience the beauty and power of all of stages and rituals that create the entire rite of Christian Initiation? This rite contains the power to transform a parish into Christian dynamo on fire in service of the world. Why is the Rite of Christian Initiation so hidden when it clearly belongs front and center in parish life? 

Come and meet some people who know and live this magnificent gift to the liturgical life of the church, the Rite of Christian Initiation. If you're part of a pastoral staff (including all you pastoral musicians!), you cannot afford to miss this conversation. If you're a parishioner an you want to deepen your understanding of the Church, you cannot afford to miss this conversation. If you're seeking life as a Christian, you REALLY cannot afford to miss this conversation and opportunity. We are the Church; everyone's welcome! 

LIVING ROOM DIALOGUE

Monday, November 12,2012 at 7:00 pm

157 Stevenson Street, New Bedford, MA 02745

The Rite of Christian Initiation
the heart of evangelization

Presentors

Michael and Kathy Sites

with 

Fr. Paul Caron 

from St. Anthony/St. Rita Parish

 Please RSVP by email to roncallicenter@gmail.com or call 508-982-3200. Bring a friend.

Living Room Dialogue: Recalling the moment in pictures and reflection

Fr. Tom chats with Kevin in the kitchen after the presentation and dialogue.

Living Room Dialogue participants continue the conversation over some food and drink. What's a conversation with something to eat?!

Kevin works in finance; Tim works in education. Great being with you!

Participants Fr. Hugh Cleary, C.S.C. and MaryAnne Cappelleri, Stonehill College Campus Ministry. Welcome voices in the dialogue.

"The people of God believes that it is led by the Spirit of the Lord who fills the whole world. Impelled by that faith, they try to discern the true signs of God's presence and purpose in the events, the needs and the desires which it shares with the rest of humanity today. For faith casts a new light on everything and makes know the full ideal which God as set for humanity, thus guiding the mind towards solutions that are fully human." Gaudium et Spes, 11. Second Vatican Council, 7 December, 1965.

Living Room Dialogues (LRD) began in the '60's in the wake of the changes brought about by Vatican II and the documents that it produced. Those discussions led to the full, conscious and active participation of people at prayer because those same people became involved and invested in the dialogues. They felt welcomed, comfortable, free to ask questions and voice opinions. The moderator led the conversations to explain Mass changes, break open the documents of the Council and lead a dialogue surrounding an area of interest in worship, social justice, education, health care, etc., through the lens of Christian witness. Those same people took the show on the road into the public marketplace and lived what they learned in tangible ways to create change for the social good of all people.

50 years later, the dialogue revolving around full, conscious and active participation seems to be unraveling by a slow un-doing of what the Spirit prompted through the Council. In a report called Nones on the Rise from The Pew Forum (www.pewforum.org), statistics produce a bleak picture of the ecclesial landscape. I am not alone in my belief that people will only be full, active and conscious participants in anything when they feel that their voice and opinions are taken seriously and add weight to the conversation and its outcomes. How do we connect liturgy and life beyond the parking lot after Sunday worship and take Christ to the world with the fire of Pentecost in this time and place? 

In these turbulent times with many issues resting on how we think as a Christian community, Living Room Dialogues create an opportunity for open discussion and action within an environment of Christian prayer and hospitality. Small ecclesial communities sparked a fuse that lit a lot of dynamite in the years following the Council. This is a different century but no less infused with the Spirit of God who wants to break into the conversation and unleash a new revolution of Christian animation and change. "Pour forth your Spirit O Lord and renew the face of the earth." Do we really mean that or is it just notes on the pages of a psalm and liturgical correctness when we sing those words? 

On October 11, 2012, the newly established Roncalli Center's first Living Room Dialogue drew about fifteen people from all professions between the ages of 25 and 70. From newspaper publishing, finance, health care, education, pastoral ministry, social services -- all participants added their voice to the dialogue that followed Fr. Tom Gaughan, C.S.C.'S inaugural talk.

Fr. Tom posed a question based on what prompted Pope John XXIII to call a council three months into his papacy. Fr. Gaughan asked, "Do we invoke the Spirit when we pray?" He talked about how we respond to the invitation of the person of the Spirit who evokes, invites and motivates a community's response by breaking open the person of Jesus, God's Word alive and in our midst. "The Spirit is always with us, like the air that we breathe," Fr. Tom said. "Veni Sancte Spiritus" was the take away that evening, with that prayer of Pentecost infused on the minds and hearts of the participants. 

A lively conversation followed, ending with a really big question: "Where do we go from here?" That's a question that the bishops and peritus probably asked when they nixed the original documents sketched by the Curia. "Oh no. We're starting again. We need to talk about this and ask for the Spirit's direction." And they did. And look what happened.

In a follow up conversation with Fr. Tom, we arrived at a conclusion that people need to experience great liturgy in preaching, presiding, music, robust symbols and wholehearted participation. That includes pastoral ministers who are responsible for the prayer of the people and what the Council called the source and summit of our faith - the celebration of Eucharist.

To this end, the Roncalli Center will act on behalf of all liturgical ministers through days of study and prayer surrounding the documents of Vatican II, including break out sessions for all liturgical ministries with workshops on preaching, presiding, music and other liturgical ministries. Beginning with a celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours and ending in a robustly celebrated Eucharist, those events serve to inspire and teach, encouraging ministers to continue to do the hard work of the Gospel in their own pastoral settings.

However, I really believe that the Roncalli Center needs to go further, dig deeper and outreach further casting a wider net that embraces more than the people who serve as ecclesial ministers. A foundational principle from the Second Vatican Council contends that the liturgy, particularly the Eucharist is the source and summit of the life of the Church that extends from that centrifuge into daily living. That thinking begs questions. What about those who live on the periphery of church life? What about those people who include themselves as members of the Church but do not wholly participate in its liturgical life? How do we include their voices in the dialogue? Their numbers are legion. And why would we expect those members, or anyone for that matter, to participate in any of the dangerous counter cultural mission of Christianity without offering them an opportunity to weigh in through dialogue and voice their opinions and share their stories? 

I find that this is particularly true in young people who are already suspicious of institutions and organizations on the whole. Where will they find collegiate community, mutuality, respect and recognition when they speak up and voice their opinion? And I find that my own generation of mid-lifers didn't do a particularly great job at handing down a faith tradition to their children, a missed opportunity and deeply regretted by people who cannot wish the tide back onto the shore when its out to sea. When a crisis kicks in - let's face it, we all face them in one way or another - people who have turned from faith and others who have no faith attempt to find that interior strength that can only come when firm foundations are laid on something other than the sand of contemporary culture. Can honest dialogue with small ecclesial communities draw them into a life of faith? 

We learn from one another, through a mutual exchange where we meet the living God. How does our faith shape how we vote in a national election? How does our faith inform how we work with local government? What about Christian ethics in media, finance and social enterprises? Choices in health care, beginning and end of life issues, marriage, sexuality? How do the documents of Vatican II act serve as very real guides in ways to think and act about these issues in full, conscious and active participation in the way we live our lives as Christians sent out to the world with the mission of Jesus? That's not new. That's been the work of every baptized person who follows the person of Jesus Christ.  

Leaders who listen to the dialogue of people and act as a result born from that wisdom seems to be a diminishing skill. That's not a judgment on my part but a comment based on my conversations with both lay and ordained ministers and a lot of people that I meet and talk with in pubs, in the gym, in hospitals and nursing homes, in church, in schools and around the kitchen table. I believe that dialogue and feedback is the only way for any of us to take the pulse of the people we encounter. People will fully participate in something in which they fully invest. If people remain silent or unheard, they will simply not participate in liturgical worship, in service and Christian mission. Worse, people will participate as silent objects at worship rather than people of worship. 

Living Room Dialogues offers people the opportunity to be heard, to ask questions and listen to one another as they share their own narratives, opinions and views. They also provide a conversation to show where the Conciliar documents have affected church life throughout 50 years within areas of scripture study, faith formation, liturgical practices, health care, ecumenism, education, social services, government - in every corner of society and throughout the world. In this landmark year, we can seize a moment together and become something new, a people on fire with the flame of the Spirit. Believers and inquirers, ecclesial ministers and those who have been away or are hungry and searching for faith and dialogue with community have an opportunity to examine the influences of the Second Vatican Council discern its effects on public and private life and envision a hope for the future of the world. Are we ready for a new Christian revolution of dialectic deepening through conversation as we crack open the Documents of Vatican II to absorb their prophetic vision in day to day living? How will the Spirit speak to us, move us, change and renew us? 

Christ continues to speak to us in this time and place, through Word, table and through one another. The Spirit of God invites us to ignite the flame of Christian witness that embraces the seeker, strengthens the weary, bolsters the despairing, consoles the bereaved, hears the cry of the poor and acts on their behalf. A human solution through divine prompting to fill the whole world. Sounds like a good plan. So where do we go from here? 

Second Living Room Dialogue 

The Rite of Christian Initiation - the heart of evangelization 

Monday, November 12, 2012 at 7:00 pm

at

157 Stevenson Street, New Bedford, MA 

RSVP to 

roncallicenter@gmail.com by Sunday, November 11, 2012.

The Second Vatican Council restored the catechumenate, which consists of the steps and stages that are integral to the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. The catechumenate is a way of being church, of ministry and of mission. It requires the work of the entire church. More specifically, the catechumenate requires collaborative team work of an entire parish, which hands on the tradition to the people who seek faith through the prompting of the Spirit. It is the work of the faithful first, followed by a well formed leader and a well formed team to develop and implement the Rite of Christian Initiation. A robust catechumenate has the power and potential to change a parish. 

Don't take my word for it! Come to the next Living Room Dialogue and deepen your understanding of the conversion journey. Hear the compelling stories from an experienced pastor and well formed leaders of a catechumenate team that will help you to implement the initiation process in your own parish. Emphasis on the relationship of good liturgy to good catechesis will be highlighted. A nuts and bolts session for everyone. If you're coming from work, food is served. All are welcome -- bring a friend! 

Presenters:

Michael and Kathy Sites from St. Anthony/St. Rita Parish in Mattapoisett, MA with Fr. Paul Caron, pastor. 

I included several pictures from their recent Rite of Acceptance. A profoundly moving liturgy. 

Signing of the senses

The community blesses and sends the newly accepted catechumens to break open God's word. 

The catechuments, holding their newly received Bibles, are dismissed with their leaders to discern God's word in their lives. 

Regarding the Boston Globe's article "Save the church (kill the organs): what do YOU think?

A colleague sent me a very interesting article from the Boston Globe entitled "Save the church (kill the organs). Before I share my own opinion, I'm very interested to hear what YOU have to say on the topic. Your voice matters. Would you mind reading this very brief article and weighing in? I'd like to hear from you. Thanks you!

If you want to read other opinions, Pray Tell blog at http://www.praytellblog.com/ posted comments on several blogs regarding this article. 

http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2012/10/24/revitalize-catholic-church-let-kill-all-organs/9FpzZPSQzhfd4uUeCJNDbK/story.html?s_campaign=8315

Update on Saturday, October 27, 2012 at 11:05AM by Denise Morency Gannon

On October 25, Jennifer Graham wrote an article for the Boston Globe entitled Save the church! (kill the organs) http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2012/10/24/revitalize-catholic-church-let-kill-all-organs/9FpzZPSQzhfd4uUeCJNDbK/story.html?s_campaign=8315

Soon thereafter, a pastoral musician emailed me the link to the article, saying. Quite upset about the article, Dan Davey advocated for the importance of the organ with worship because of “its relation to the overtone series and its ability to support and encourage congregation participation.”

Dan also wondered “if others feel this way as well,” and shared his dismay that you can no longer major in organ performance in Massachusetts. “What a shame!” Dan said.  

I told Dan that I would read the article, which I did that same day. Rather than post a blog on my website(s), I sent out a social media message and asked people to read Graham’s article and weigh in. The opinions offer a generous survey that may offer Graham perspective from other viewpoints. I post the opinions that I received here on Aggiornamento http://roncallicenter.org/blog/.  

Thanks Dan, for asking, "I wonder what others think?" That question always has value. We can discover what others think when they respond to the question. Thanks to everyone who replied through email and through social media. 

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 “De gustibus. (In matters of taste, there can be no disputes.) Substitute "organs" with "bad music." Then try defining "bad music" with any referent to worship. It's an ancient argument with no resolution. I don't know the author, but I suspect that the whole thing is hyperbolic and satiric, sort of "A Modest Proposal for Catholic Church Music." If it isn't, it should have been.” Rory Cooney

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“I thought two things: 1) newspapers seem to think - or maybe they actually have data to prove - that controversy will keep readership; 2) this is a symptom of the larger cultural phenomenon of fewer and fewer people being "churched" and the diversifying of musical experience among those who are still churched.

To be honest, as I was looking at Hallowe'en costumes and there was minor key Baroque organ music playing, I had the same "organ=scary" experience. It actually strengthened my resolve to NOT play the Bach D minor this weekend, but something bright, major keyed, jubilant, and joyful!” Alan Hommerding

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“This is what I posted on PrayTell

“ANY instrument in the wrong hands is a mess. I am a guitarist and have worked with an organist/pianist for years! We simply adjust our instruments to the piece we are playing. Kingsfold, for example, comes out delightfully Celtic with a light organ touch and strong finger picking. O’Connor’s Lift up Your Hearts has a heavier rhythmic guitar and pedal bass from the organ. I even use my guitar (12 string) as a sort of harp when accompanying chant! It is not the instrument that is the problem, it is the ability and vision of the player/planner to make all genres of music a part of liturgical prayer.” Linda Dell'Uomo Reid

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“Denise, I think the problems of the church are deeper than whether or not an organ is played or will be played at masses. The liturgical minister should use their discretion and music knowledge to decide on what instrument(s) is best suited for what song, and sometimes an organ is not suited for a particular song. I find, however, the organ to be a beautiful instrument when used properly - and the same goes for other instrument and song pairings. I do think the church needs a revival in its music ministry and needs to spend more time thinking about how music enhances liturgy. For a person to drift away from the church because of an organ seems like a childish and foolish thing to me. I wish it was that small issue that made me drift away. I think the problem of people leaving the church is due to its stance on homosexuality and gay marriage, it's stance on women and a woman having control if her body, it's stance on condoms when it comes to preventing AIDS and other diseases, just to name a few. Those are legitimate reasons to drift away, not an organ.” Mark Sabina

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 “Oddly, the writer overlooks the work of Archbishop Spooner Oldham ("When A Man Loves A Woman"), Archbishop Al Kooper ("Like A Rolling Stone") , Archbishop Ray Manzarek ("Light My Fire"), the late Archbishop Billy Preston ("Let It Be") and oh, only about 59 zillion OTHER "alternative" church organ grinders. True, none of those songs were recorded during a liturgy, but according to the late Archbishop Janis of Joplin, those four tunes and (organ) tone-fests are as "religious" as any religion can ever hope to get. ;-)” John Rood

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“I'd go to church to hear any one of those.” Ron Gamache

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 “I could not disagree more - a really nice organ, well played is one of the best instruments available. If only the troubles surrounding the church could be so easily resolved.” Michael Sites

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“Amen.” (In response to Michael Sites) Lucia M. Costa

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“Wasn’t that the most ridiculous thing you ever read? I wrote about it on my blog.” Margaret Felice

http://felicemifa.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/four-alternatives-to-killing-your-pipe-organ/

Four alternatives to killing your pipe organ

Posted on October 25, 2012

This morning in the Boston Globe was an opinion piece that got my blood boiling before I had even left the house. Jennifer Graham writes To revitalize the Church, let’s kill all the organs! While I appreciate her observation that the liturgical life of parishes is crucial to the revitalization of the Catholic Church, our points of agreement pretty much end there.

I encourage you to read the whole piece before reading on, but I’ll try to summarize: the organ is “scary”, no one has it on their iPod, she doesn’t like the music at her parish, and that’s why people don’t go to Mass.

“I cringe at the Responsorial Psalm, ancient and lovely words bleated in call-and-repeat fashion with all the auditory appeal of an electronic can opener in full swing.” I cringed myself at the thought of the cantor at her parish reading that. But I’ve been to parishes where the music disappointed me, too, so I’m not going to dismiss her criticism out of hand. Instead, I’ll offer my tips: Four things to do other than killing the organ

1. Encourage music education

I know lots of people who play the organ stunningly. They also play guitars, piano, they sing, whatever the situation calls for. Someone taught them along the way, and at least for those of my generation, some part of that education took place in schools, either public or private.

That’s also where people learn to listen. Even as a music major in college, it took me a long time to learn to listen to and appreciate music. By learning to listen well, we also learn about observation, description, and attention to detail. This is enriching in its own right.

2. Prioritize and support music in the parishes

Bach was, among other things, a genius. But perhaps equally important, he was a paid, full time church musician. Do you think he could have composed some of the most iconic music in history if he had been working four jobs to make ends meet? Knowing him, perhaps. But you get my point.

There is this myth out there that we music ministers should just donate our time because don’t we love Jesus and Church? But at the end of the day, you get what you pay for, and those of us who have invested in our education and training have trouble working at places that won’t invest in us.

Not every parish can fund a full-time music ministry program, but there are lots of ways to show that you have invested in the program. I have seen programs where the pastor criticizes everyone. I have seen programs run by tyrants. I have seen programs who play politics more than they play music. There’s lots of ways to do it wrong, but also lots of ways to do it right. Respect your musicians.

And if you’re sitting in the pews, that means sing with them. I guarantee the cantor the author of this op-ed derided for her Psalm stylings had her hand up hoping the assembly would sing along with her. If you don’t like it, drown it out.

3. Give people more

The author is right on the money that people want more. But she seems to think that it’s because of Bose speakers and YouTube. In a world of slick packaging and empty clarity, I think it is folly to think that they want more surface appeal. People want more. But they want more substance, not more style. Which leads me to my last point…

4. Let music come to life

“In an age in which we can experience the front row of a stirring live symphony while in the back seat of a 20-year-old pick-up, our tolerance for the banal, predictably, is waning.”

Does anyone who has been to symphony think that the experience can be recreated anywhere? To hear real sound coming from real instruments and real people, while surrounded by other real people, is an experience that cannot be duplicated.

I wrote this years ago about a trip to Symphony Hall to hear the Neruda Songs:

We are bodies, living in a world we can touch, feel, see, smell, hear. The sonic experience of orchestral forces in a live setting is incomparable, a fact of which I am reminded on every trip to the symphony. The magic of skill and intention forming sound waves that surround us is a perfect example of the blessings of our physical world. Add to that the power of a perfectly calibrated human voice – an example of every part of the human body working together perfectly, art truly incarnate – and you have a recipe for transformation…

A rich human voice, an orchestra, an emotive musical setting of sensual poetry created the perfect storm, tearing me away from the elite intellectualism honed over many years in the ivory tower. My brain was ripped out and I was only body, heart and blood and guts and skin.

This doesn’t happen every time you hear live music. But it can’t happen when you don’t. Live music can produce hits and misses, moments of catastrophe and moments of grace. But when it’s done right we come alive, together, surrounded by other people, truly in a moment that will never exist again.

So let’s not blame the organ, and let’s not burn it either. Let’s encourage real, gritty, honest music, and let ourselves be set aflame.

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“This is an issue I have struggled with through most of my ministry, some 37 years’ worth.  I have often had conversations with other Catholics regarding music in the church.  I come from a school that says all music has its place and time.  To people who harass me because I play a mixture of music, (my music selections can be traditional thru contemporary, on guitar, organ, or keyboard), I will ask, "So you want only the traditional?" To their affirmative answer I remind them that Gregorian chant is the foundation of music in the church, their premise says that we should return to chant.   I go on to remind them that church music moved from chant into people like Hayden working for the church with multiple choirs and instrumentalists playing from lofts.  I wonder if the chanters thought that the new "long hair" music was appropriate.  The organ is the result of the church moving into out-lying areas; it was a way to produce a similar effect at minimal cost.

I played in a contemporary group (keyboard, guitar, bass, percussion...) and we were applauded at the end of each, well attended, mass.  That church had a 15 person children's choir, 20 person adult choir and multiple cantors. 

I moved to become the director of music ministries at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus.  I have attempted  to grow my adult choir (it now stands at eight, median age 70), start a children's choir (all the way up to 4 children), start a contemporary group (no takers), and begin a cantor program (again, no takers) and with little success.  I affectionately refer to the church as St Theresa of Apathy; the same 12-15 people do all the work.  What the author of the article fails to realize is that the church is made up of many people and we are all asked to do our part.  If people refuse to lend a hand, sit in the pew week after week (maybe), and write articles about how the rest of us should be working to suit their tastes...maybe it is time they stop sitting on their hands and help the rest of us preach the good news.  The author might then be able to pick a mass that is more in line with their musical tastes. Just my two cents.” George Creighton

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“WELL......everyone is entitled to their opinion but I totally disagree with her. Come to St. John's and listen to the choir proclaim the psalm.....I may be prejudiced but to my ears and heart it is a thing of beauty!   I am not saying that there isn't room for other instruments because we all know there is but in a church the size of St. John's I feel the organ best assists the congregation and supports them as they sing. Perhaps the organist she listened to was not skilled? “Sheryl Walsh

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“Though both my father and grandfather were organists, I have never been a huge fan of the organ.  It certainly has its place in the church but I don't feel any strong attachment to it.” Michelle Rioux

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On the one hand, Jennifer Graham has a point.  On the other hand, she misses the point completely.  It is true, as Ms. Graham points out, that contemporary music and our entertainment culture are not propelled by the sounds of the organ.  It is equally true, though she does not make note of this fact, that where the Catholic community is growing numerically [in Africa and Asia], the pipe organ and its derivative first cousin, the digital electronic organ, is not indigenous, i.e., is not a part of their cultures. 

A principle of the Second Vatican Council that this and the previous pontificate of Pope John Paul II have hidden in the basement of the Vatican library is the liturgical renewal principle of cultural adaptation.  The vernacularization of the Liturgy was the Catholic Churches greatest single embrace of the dignity and worth of human culture since the flowering of the great cultural adaptations of the eucharistic celebration in Syriac, Aramaic, Coptic, Greek and Latin in the fourth and fifth centuries of the Christian Era.  This is the point that Ms. Graham overlooks.  Music reflects a local churches history and culture.

Where I believe the organ should be killed (or, at least, not installed) is not in the churches of Europe and North America, but in local churches where it has no cultural value or purpose.  The imposition and sacralization of Euro-centric devotional thought and practice on local churches like Uganda, Korea or Samoa is what needs to be euthanized.  It is culturally and historically appropriate that German, French and Italian Catholics (and their descendants in North America) use the organ as an instrument of worhsip and praise.  It is a complete disregard of the use of the principle of cultural adaption to insist that the organ be used to accompany the singing and dancing in the African churches of west Africa.  In these churches, the drum is the appropriate cultural instrument for worship not the organ.

The viability of the organ in the worship life of Catholic Churches in North America is relatively stable.  Our bishops, collectively, have moved moved to the right of center.  While the more liturgically open ones might let a group of middle school Confirmandi do a liturgical rap song on the gifts of the Holy Spirit as an expression of their youth culture, you can bet that the organ will be used to play Come Holy Ghost at some time during that liturgical celebration.

It's not that organs should be killed Jennifer, it's that the principle of cultural adaptation should be resurrected.” Bob Rousseau

*******

“I totally disagree with this article. I love playing the organ at church and I believe it enhances the hymns.” Denise Weaver

Beginnings and Endings

Endings and Beginnings

After a year of creating my first blog on my own website (www.denisemorencygannon.org) and writing weekly, today marks the end of A View from the Pew. From this time forward, I’ll blog on the new blog page Aggiornamento from The Roncalli Center at www.roncallicenter.org.  

Throughout this past year, I thoroughly visiting you in your parishes and schools, listening and addressing your inquiries about pastoral practices, connecting the dots to help people find work, musing with you about issues like collaborative ministry and work relationships. I’ve attempted in a small way to address your pastoral music concerns and liturgical questions on A View from the Pew. For those faithful readers who may not be directly involved in pastoral ministry but enjoy reading A View from the Pew, fear not. I’m still here, just on a different website.

 Throughout this year of blogging, I’ve shared pieces of my own journey. You became an intimate part of my story. You journeyed with me as I cared for a sick aunt and subsequently buried her and then cleaned out her home. You prayed for me when I placed my father in a long term nursing home after caring for him at home for six years. You supported me when I helped to assist our diocesan Office of Worship with the implementation of the new Roman Missal. You applauded my efforts to create The Roncalli Center, which celebrates and promotes the liturgical arts in the spirit of Vatican II. You encouraged me as I produced a fourth collection of original music (Tell Them About Me at www.CDBaby.com). You read me as I blogged and wrote for several national publications (Ministry and Liturgy Magazine, Celebration Magazine). You literally prayed me through a transitional time of life when I needed to reconstruct my life in body, mind and spirit. New life emerged. I think the Christian calls that resurrection.

To that end, I begin this new work of The Roncalli Center with the full understanding that the Spirit of God (and a little nudge from Pope John XXIII) prompted me to dream it and creatively shape it for the last twenty years. The future of the center depends on a community that is willing to do its work and share its gifts to shape the course of this center in programs, events and retreats, living room dialogues and concerts. Still a grassroots endeavor, I will seek a not-for-profit status for the center and go after grant funding when we’re up and running. People who give money want to see success before they contribute. That’s up to us. What will emerge as we chisel and carve what now hides within this center’s chunk of stone? What transpires in faith, prayer and theological reflection will inform how we live, who we profess to be: Christian disciples who live the Gospel. The myriad gifts of the Spirit unfold in powerful ways when unleashed and released. I’m not making this up; the early Christian church got it right.

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit; to another mighty deeds; to another prophecy; to another discernment of spirits; to another varieties of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes. (1 Corinthians 12: 4-11)

How do we begin?  We start by returning to what begin 50 years ago at the Second Vatican Council, which emphasized that the church is the people of God, the same way the early Christian church began. We gather. We remember who we are and who we believe in. We tell the story (scripture) and discover how that Word is active and alive within our own narratives. We celebrate and then sent to be living Word in Christian mission for the world. It’s really that simple.

The church is about collaboration and collegiality. The church is about a confident encounter with the ‘joys and hopes, the griefs and the anxieties,’ the deep hunger of people searching for the living Gospel of mercy, justice and generosity. The church is about a respectful encounter with other faith traditions, a church that is open to truths revealed by God who discloses truth within every human heart. The church is about worship marked by the “full, conscious and active participation” of people in liturgical celebrations. These are turbulent times, political times, messy times. Sounds like a perfect time to begin, don’t you think?

So ends A View from the Pew. Thank you for your readership, your comments, prayers and concern and for your friendship. I continue to count on you; you mean the world. And we’re in this together. Welcome to new readers, new friends, new community! I look forward to sharing the journey with you.  

I will continue to post on the Aggiornamento blog site at www.roncallicenter.com next Sunday, same as always. Feel free to send comments about programs that you’d like see, speakers, events, retreats, Dream big and aim high. Stay in touch. Pray always. Participate. The church needs you. Christ needs you.  

The Roncalli Center

Living Room Dialogues

October 23, 2012 at 7:00-8:30 pm

Place: The Morency Gannon’s

157 Stevenson Street

New Bedford, MA 02745

Please submit any questions with your RSVP to

roncallicenter@gmail.com

or call

508-982-3200

Penetrating Soul and Spirit, Joints and Marrow - The Rite of Acceptance

Penetrating soul and spirit, joints and marrow – The Rite of Acceptance 

This morning, I gratefully accepted an invitation to worship with the parish community of St. Anthony’s in Mattapoisett, MA. We celebrated the Rite of Acceptance, a ritual that never fails to penetrate my soul and spirit and invade my joints and marrow with unequivocal Christian joy (see the reading from Hebrews on 28^th Sunday of OT).  For me, this rite embraces all that we can be as Christian community. We witness in the flesh seekers who desire faith through full communion as Christian disciples. These ‘first responders’ answer an internal invitation to “change their lives and enter into a relationship with God in Christ” (RCIA, 42), which ‘incorporates us into Christ and forms us into God’s people.” (RCIA, General Introduction, xiv).

The church’s magnificent gift of the Rite of Acceptance gives people who seek Christ the opportunity to publicly “declare their intention to the Church and the Church in turn, carrying out its apostolic mission, accepts them as persons who intend to become its members.” (RCIA 41) This morning, two adults responded to the call of Christ and moved deeper in the process of ongoing Christian initiation. They followed the prerequisite period of inquiry, prayer, discernment with the guidance of the parish catechumenate team and sponsors, to determine that “the beginnings of the spiritual life and the fundamentals of Christian teaching have taken root in the candidate.” (See Vatican Council II, Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity, Ad gentes, No. 14.)

The heart of the initiation process, the Rite of Acceptance never fails to move me profoundly. As tears of gratitude for the Christian faith freely flowed down my cheeks throughout this morning’s celebration, I saw others experiencing similar emotions as the rite unfolded before our eyes, beginning with a literal knock on the outside door of the church, a sign of requesting entrance into the church. Members of the hard working and committed catechumenate team and sponsors surrounded and supported the candidates, who felt understandably nervous about entering a church full of people. Standing with the processional cross, Fr. Caron met the ensemble at the door and asked, “What is your name?” A significant question; you meet someone by first introducing yourself by name. The community met the candidates probably for the first time; we needed to know them by their names, as Christ calls us by name and who knows us by name. Now named, the seekers now assumed an identity as real people standing before us and actively responding to the call of grace with a desire to be members of the Christian community.

“What do you ask of God’s Church?” Fr. Caron continued. “Faith,” they each replied. Their heart’s desire is faith. Think about that for a minute in terms of your own faith. The question and answer dispatches a poignant message for us all. If I am a fully initiated Christian and a member of a worshipping community, do I take faith for granted? How would I feel if I was the person standing outside and actually knocking on the door to come in? What would I expect to see, hear and feel? Would I have the kind of courage that active faith-seeking requires?   

“What does the Church offer you?” Fr. Caron continued. “Eternal life,” the candidates responded. Here’s more marrow to chew upon. Do I place faith in earthly treasures? Do I choose God’s reign or a winning lottery ticket? And if I win the lottery, will I invest the winning in myself or will I follow the Gospel and give the winnings away to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, take care of the sick and bury the dead? How invested am I in actively building the reign of God here and now because of my faith in life beyond here and now? How deeply does the Gospel penetrate my soul and spirit, joints and marrows?

 “Are you ready to accept the gospel way of life?” There it is: the cross greets us front and center the minute we decide to follow Christ. This part of the rite always blows me out of the water. By what other means other than the grace of God would we be inclined to accept the challenge of a man who died on a cross? Once the candidates, team and sponsors come into the church, the candidates become ‘marked’ with the cross of Christ over their entire persons that includes all of their senses. Not only forehead but ears, eyes, lips, heart, shoulders, hands, feet – the whole body belongs to Christ on the cross as a way of life. Christ claims us for his own when we accept his invitation.

The Rite of Acceptance is a time of almost-but –not-yet for both candidates and the Christian community as we pilgrim together toward Easter. We affirm the candidates and agree to receive them in a working partnership together on a sojourn of ongoing faith. These pilgrims teach us about ourselves in our witness of the Gospel. We promise support in prayer and partnership not only for the candidates but for the whole world in Christian mission. Church, are you ready?

The Rite of Acceptance is the first of these beautiful rites within the Rite of Christian Initiation. These rites contain the power to transform the church, to penetrate our soul and spirit, joints and marrow. So here’s my question: why don’t we see more celebrations like the one that I saw this morning? Through robust liturgical symbols (and that includes the candidates and assembly), excellent presiding, proclamation and preaching of the of the Word, full-bodied singing led with well executed music and a diligent and devoted catechumenate team, we feasted on the Word, in a full expression of bread and cup that catapulted us with zeal, joy and Christian mission into the work week. Why isn’t this happening everywhere?

This year marks the 50^th year of Vatican II. The result of the Spirit’s prompting made Christian initiation an imperative. The entire Rite of Christian Initiation is based on the documents of the Second Vatican Council. We complain about a diminishing church. We spend countless dollars on programs that attempt to evangelize. We create prayer services and events to appeal, attract and entice people into church. And all those things are good. Yet, so many parishes fail to celebrate one of the most magnificent rites that penetrates soul and spirit, joints and marrow right here at our disposal and celebrated when the church convenes around the source and summit of our faith – the liturgy on a Sunday morning. Did I miss a memo that said we just don’t do that anymore?

My offer my heartfelt thanks to the parish of St.Anthony’s Catholic Church for your diligent work in the Lord’s vineyard. Deo gratias.