It’s summertime in Scranton

It’s summertime in Scranton, and with the warm weather comes bazaars. I can already smell the pierogies, hamburgers and halushki. These festivals are quite popular fundraising and social events here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. But in some parts of the Diocese, with the summer bazaar comes the bizarre liturgy known as the “Polka Mass.” Usually this means a spoken Mass with four to five “hymns” played by a polka band. Often, these songs have little to do with the actual liturgical texts for the day. So why does this strange custom persist?

Father Edward MacNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical Athenaeum in Rome, had this to say in a 2004 article on “Polka Masses:”

I was rather surprised to hear that Polka Masses were still going on — I had thought that they had gone out in the ’70s along with a host of other similar fads.

Perhaps the principal difficulty with such things is not so much the music in itself, which like many human elements in the liturgy may have different meanings in different cultures and in different epochs, but the idea that the Mass needs some sort of a theme in order to enhance its significance or relevance.

When we label the Mass we tend to diminish rather than augment its importance. We restrict its universal meaning as Christ’s very sacrifice renewed upon the altar and the sacred banquet which forms and increases our union as part of Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church.

This is the Church’s greatest offering to God and any addition to the Mass itself — such as “Polka,” “Clown,” “Disco” (yes, there have been cases) or any similar extraneous element — reduces its scope and attempts to press it into service for some cause other than the worship of God.

Perhaps you followed the coverage of the local Latino Catholics moving to a new, larger church. According to one article, a mariachi band was situated in the sanctuary as part of the welcoming Mass. “Polka Masses” are no more a part of genuine Polish liturgical tradition than “Mariachi Masses” are part of the Hispanic tradition. Unfortunately, in this day and age where “diversity” is king, such liturgical abuses continue. Both Poles and Latinos have a lot to offer the Church in Scranton, such as a deep devotion to Blessed Virgin Mary. We need to celebrate our noble heritage and traditions. But let’s leave the failed liturgical experiments in the past.

Diocese Announces Priest Assignments

Catholic Watchdog readers may be interested to know that the complete list of clergy assignments, effective July 15 or as noted, are now available on the diocesan website.

What’s in a name?

The restructuring of the Diocese of Scranton has been quickly moving forward, with a number of churches already closed and many more to close in the weeks and months ahead. As parish after parish is suppressed, new consolidated parishes are being created. One of the primary tasks of the teams responsible for implementing the changes in parish structures is to propose several names for the new parish from which Bishop Martino will ultimately decide. While I haven’t seen all of these lists, I’ve noticed an interesting trend among those I have seen. The proposals seem generic at best. And they represent a departure from the traditional nomenclature for parish churches in this diocese. Don’t expect to see a new parish under the patronage of the Sacred Heart (many parishes barely even noticed this solemnity earlier this month – even though most churches have a statue or even an altar under this title). Don’t expect to see many parishes named after a saint, either, perhaps with the exception of St. Katherine Drexel. No, in the profoundly renewed Diocese of Scranton, we will see parishes with names like “Divine Mercy,” “Resurrection,” “All Saints,” “Holy Family,” and “Happy Family.” Just kidding about the last one, by the way.

While there is nothing wrong with naming a church after a mystery of the faith or a title of Christ, it seems to me that the new names represent yet another unnecessary break with the past. With so many changes looming in the Diocese, is it too much to ask for traditional Catholic names for these new parishes? When a parish is given a generic title such as “Precious Savior,” the parishioners will miss out on developing a devotion to a particular saint, or to a specific title for Christ or Mary. The parish will miss out on celebrating its patronal feast, a solemn day in honor of its namesake and intercessor in heaven.

Perhaps even more disturbing is the prospect of disastrous “renovations” at these new parishes, undoubtedly fueled by lingering misconceptions about church art and architecture in the contemporary church. It’s hard to find a parish in the Diocese of Scranton that was spared from the destructive renovation projects of the 1970’s and 80’s. High altars were destroyed and a “presidential chair” planted in their place. A waterfall and baptismal pool often took the place of side altars. Statues and devotional shrines were removed, except for a token statue of St. Mary and St. Joseph. Of course, none of these steps were called for by the Second Vatican Council, whose constitutions and documents never even required that “people’s altars” be constructed or that Mass must be said facing the people.

What does this have to do with our current situation in the Diocese of Scranton? The creation of new, consolidated parishes will undoubtedly bring about another round of renovations. Such projects can alter a church positively or negatively. According to an implementation report from one local community, their parish church will undergo extensive renovations in the near future that will provide “…the contemporary environment necessary for modern worship.” Perhaps I’m reading too much into this, but that statement is quite unsettling. What environmental changes are necessary for “modern worship” as opposed to worship according to Catholic liturgical tradition? If parishes want to truly update their sanctuaries, they will need to ensure that they can facilitate both the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the Mass. Furthermore, historic high altars should under no circumstances be removed, nor should statues or devotional shrines. Wherever renovations happen, they need to be done tastefully and in accord with Catholic tradition.

Corpus Christi

Today in the dioceses of the United States we celebrate the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ: Corpus Christi. In other ecclesial provinces, it is celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. The Liturgy of Corpus Christi is an opportunity to celebrate the mystery of the Holy Eucharist in a manner less restrained than on Maundy Thursday. The organ is played, incense is used, and High Mass should be celebrated with full ceremonial and music. A few liturgical notes about today’s feast: The sequence, Lauda Sion Salvatorem, or at least the final two stanzas, may be sung before the Gospel. It is customary to expose the Blessed Sacrament after Communion for a Eucharistic Procession. Thomas Aquinas’ hymn Pange Lingua Gloriosi is sung. Benediction may be given at the end of the Procession, or it may be given multiple times at three altars set up along the procession route.

I would highly recommend the follow videos of Corpus Christi liturgies. Here is the Solemn Mass celebrated outside of St. John Lateran in Rome by Pope Benedict on Thursday. And here are a few videos from Corpus Christi Mass at S. Clement’s in Philadelphia.

Trinity Sunday

I found this reflection on the Holy Trinity to be quite good, especially in its comparison of the mystery of the Trinity with the mysteries of the Sacred Liturgy.

A Few Practical Tips

Here are a few practical tips for priests, musicians, sacristans, etc. to improve the quality of parish liturgies.

1. First and foremost, “Say the black, do the red.” This is the most fundamental rule, but it still is widely ignored. The temptation to alter the language is a real problem in vernacular liturgies. Priests, don’t begin Mass with “Good morning.” Don’t paraphrase the dialogues. Is asking for faithfulness to the Missal being too strict or legalistic? I don’t think so. Mass in the Catholic church should be truly catholic, that is conforming to the rubrics and discipline of the universal church.

2. When lighting the altar candles, never use a plastic lighter. Every sacristy should have a candlelighter and tapers. This may sound like a triviality, but remember that everything in the church, and especially in the sanctuary, takes on a special role in the church’s worship. Using a proper candlelighter adds dignity to even the simple act of lighting altar candles. I’ve even seen churches coordinate the lighting and extinguishing of candles with two altar servers on either side of the altar.

3. Reevaluate the use of microphones at Mass. In this day and age we have become too accustomed to over-amplified voices. Unfortunately, this mindset has carried over into churches and now the “liturgical microphone” is perceived as a necessity for every parish. However, many churches are acoustically designed to carry the human voice without amplification. Priests, lectors and the choir may need to practice projecting their voices without microphones, but it can be done. Where microphones are necessary (i.e. churches with too much carpeting, tiles on the ceiling, etc.), they should be used tastefully and sparingly.

4. An amplified solo voice should never soar above the choir or congregation. Cantors or psalmists may use a microphone if absolutely necessary only when chanting verses of a psalm or singing an incipit. Once again, many churches are acoustically designed to carry the singing of the choir and cantor. Don’t use a microphone when its not needed.

5. Reevaluate the use of electric lighting in church. This goes hand in hand with microphones. Edison’s lightbulb was a brilliant invention, but have we gone overboard in our use of artificial lighting? Churches do not need to be awash with bright electric light. Use a lighting scheme that tastefully provides just enough light in the right places.

6. If the church has a high altar, use it! Churches lucky enough to have retained their original altar should use it for its intended purpose. High altars are not glorified flower holders. If removal of the “frontal altar” proves too controversial, at least use the high altar for special occasions. The rubrics of both the ordinary and extraordinary form allow for Mass to be celebrated ad orientem.

7. Learn to sing the core repertoire of the Roman rite. In 1974, Pope Paul VI issued a collection of simple Gregorian chants entitled “Jubilate Deo.” The Pope intended “to make it easier for Christians to achieve unity and spiritual harmony with their brothers and with the living tradition of the past. Hence it is that those who are trying to improve the quality of congregational singing cannot refuse Gregorian chant the place which is due to it.” It will take time and patience to teach the choir and congregation this music, but it can be done.

8. If you sing hymns, sing all the verses. Of course, hymns are not the normative music of the Mass. But they are a licit option at introit, offertory, and communion, and many churches have maintained a gracious custom of singing a hymn at the recession. Hymns are prayers. If you choose to sing hymns at Mass, complete the prayer by singing all the verses whenever possible.

9. Sing the dialogues. In the ordinary form, the dialogues between the priest and the people (i.e. the sign of the Cross, the dialogue before the Gospel, etc.) should be sung above all else, followed by the ordinary then the proper.

Diocese to close two (more) schools

In the aftermath of massive school closures and consolidations, the Diocese of Scranton has quietly announced that two more schools will close at the end of the academic year. St. Aloysius Elementary in South Wilkes-Barre and Sts. Peter and Paul School in Plains will not reopen in September.

WBRE first reported the news last evening, but as of this morning, no official notice has appeared on the diocesan website. Teachers were informed at a faculty meeting yesterday afternoon. The closing of St. Aloysius and Sts. Peter and Paul brings to an end more than one hundred years of Catholic education in the Wilkes-Barre area. Moreover, the closures will leave only one Catholic elementary school in operation in the city of Wilkes-Barre.

In a recent televised message regarding the special second collections for the Diocesan Annual Appeal, Bishop Martino asks us to “imagine Catholic television going dark….” He goes on to stress the importance of parish religious education programs, the priestly retirement fund, etc. and urges all to give generously to the appeal. However, with news of more school closings just announced and massive parish closings just around the corner, the faithful have many questions. Many would agree that the priorities of the Diocese of Scranton are in need of serious reevaluation. The school consolidation process was supposed to strengthen and preserve Catholic education in our region. But since the first round of closings, three more elementary schools have closed. Furthermore, there is a serious problem in communication. Bishop Martino has made sure that the public was well aware of his displeasure with Senator Casey’s recent voting record. But has he taken the time to engage in open, honest, and compassionate dialogue with the teachers, students, and parishioners whose lives will be greatly affected by his decisions? We learned of the latest closures from a local television news outlet. As of this morning, no official notice has been posted on the diocesan website.

The implications of this story are huge. Before Bishop Martino’s school restructuring, there were four Catholic elementary schools in Wilkes-Barre, not including Sts. Peter and Paul’s in neighboring Plains Township. In all of Luzerne County, only eight Catholic elementary schools will remain for the 2009-2010 school year; only one of those schools, St. Nicholas/St. Mary’s, is located in the city of Wilkes-Barre. As a result, even more students will enter the public school system. Holy Redeemer High School will be adversely affected as it loses two more feeder schools.

The future of Catholic education in the Wyoming Valley looks bleak, but it is worth fighting for. We need to rethink our priorities, refocus our energy, and invest in the future of our churches and schools.

“We are managing on our own.”

Last year, Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith, secretary for the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments addressed a conference on “The Parish and the New Evangelization” in Rome. From Catholic News:

Archbishop Ranjith answered questions from the conference participants after his address.

A priest from the Netherlands, who presented his country as “the most secularized country in the world,” asked for encouragement “because we are so marginalized — we try to find any kind of means, like the media, to show our presence.”

Archbishop Ranjith answered, “It is good to use all the means available and to think that sometimes ‘dreams can become reality’” but “the most important thing is to feel strong and trust in God … and to pray.”

He gave the example of his diocese in Sri Lanka, which has a large non-Christian population. Catholic laypeople go and visit the Muslim or Hindu families, he explained, and “they have tea together and discuss about religion.”

“The sad thing would be to give up,” the archbishop affirmed. “Be strong, be courageous, you will succeed.”

A priest from Belgium asked if closing parishes reflected a lack of faith. Archbishop Ranjith offered the example of a spiritual partnership between a Sri Lankan diocese and a German one. When a German priest died, Sri Lanka offered: “I will send you the best priest I have.”

The German diocese considered the proposal but eventually decided to close the parish. This “‘we are managing on our own’ means closing churches,” Archbishop Ranjith lamented.

Unfortunately, this attitude pervades many Western dioceses, including Scranton. Remember Futurechurch?

As for the priests? The days when a priest actually belonged to a parish are long gone, and the bishops know it. They don’t really want more priests – too much hassle. (If they did, they’d be on the phone to India, Nigeria and Poland and have two dozen priests on their doorstep by next Monday.)

Called to Holiness and Mission, with its call to close nearly a hundred churches is Scranton’s way of saying, “We are managing on our own.” Instead, we need to restore our Catholic culture. We need to import priests from countries overflowing with vocations to work in our new mission land. We need to stop discouraging priests and priestly vocations.

A Magic Carpet Ride?

Have soft music playing in the background as you quiet yourself and imagine that you are on a magic carpet ride through the Diocese of Scranton 5-10 years from now, after it has been profoundly renewed. What are the youth doing? Who’s working out in the new mega-parish gym? Who’s sipping a latte in the parish coffeehouse?

Think I’m making this up? From the Diocese of Scranton Implementation Guide, page 101:

If you have any doubts remaining about the wisdom behind the parish restructuring plan, maybe this magic carpet ride will help.

We’ve only just begun…

Pessimism abounds in the Diocese of Scranton these days, both from clergy and the laity, and with good reason. The current policies of the diocesan leadership will close an unbelievable amount of our churches, turning away all but a faithful remnant of lay Catholics. I have argued many times that this approach is not acceptable.

Some are ready to give up the fight. It’s not worth the effort, they say. But Northeastern Pennsylvania is such an amazing place. We have a fascinating history, a rich cultural legacy, and beautiful geographic features. There is a future here. We’ve only just begun. We can rebuild what we have lost. We can breathe new life into our time-honored structures. But we have to act now before it’s too late, and the diocese’s planned renewal is not the way to do it.

Creating a strong Catholic culture is one of the principal ways toward true renewal or restoration of our diocese. Liturgy, music, and devotional practices are all facets of Catholic culture. A distinctive element of the Polish Catholic tradition is the Lenten service of Lamentations called Gorzie Zale, or “bitter sorrows.” This service begins with a pobudka, or wake-up call, bidding church-goers to prepare themselves to mediate on the sorrows of the suffering Christ. A meditation is given and Gorzkie Zale przybywajcie is sung, followed by a hymn, a series of lamentations, a sorrowful discourse between the soul and the Blessed Mother, and concluding with a threefold repetition of Ktorys za nas cierpal rany, or “By thy wounds and sacred passion, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.” This same pattern is repeated two more times with different hymns and lamentations throughout Lent. Benediction is usually given and a Polish Lenten hymn is customarily sung at the end of the service.

Gorzkie Zale will be sung this Sunday, March 8 at St. Mary, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Mocanaqua beginning at 2:00 PM. This is the first such service at the church in many years. Readers who know of other churches offering Gorzkie Zale during Lent are encouraged to leave a comment with more information. The revival of beautiful customs such as the Polish Gorzkie Zale are positive steps toward true renewal. I strongly encourage you to support – or initiate – such efforts at your parish.