Sunday, January 1, 2012

Liturgical Dance At Its Worst

Around these parts, New Year's Day means one thing: The Mummers Parade.  The parade has evolved through the ages, kind of like the Novus Ordo.  At one time women were banned, now they're not.  What's not banned but should be are the antics that take place at the annual Mummers Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.   I think it's a good thing that the parade strutters, many of whom come from a long line of proud tradition, should want a blessing, but why does it have to take place in this manner, at Holy Mass, complete with parasols and the faithful doing the Mummers' Strut down the aisle?    Why not leave Mass and do the revelry outside?  

Observe the "dancer" at the front of the church behind the priests.  I'd be in need of confession if I had personally witnessed this.

You'll never, ever, ever see this kind of abuse at the Traditional Latin Mass.


11 comments:

  1. Joyce, that was quite the most nauseating thing I have seen in a long time.
    They belong to a different faith, they are not Catholics.
    Prayers needed for them.

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  2. Umm...I don't even know what to think about that...as I have never seen anything like that in my entire life...inside or outside of a Catholic church.

    I guess I need to google Mummers Parade b/c I don't understand the point of this...it looked like some bizarre Mardi Gras parade...during Mass...?

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  3. Richard, I quite agree. They've been permitted to carry on like this and so it's viewed as "normal". God help any orthodox priest assigned to this parish.

    Valerie, the Mardi Gras comparison is a good one. I am held captive in my home every New Year's Day by some of the revelers and the kinds of people that use the parade as an excuse to commit every type of public debauchery imaginable. We have the misfortune of living just a few blocks from the parade route. This is not to say that everyone who is a Mummer or who enjoys the parade fits this description, but I just walked to the Adoration chapel and back and endured near physical assaults, not to mention the "aroma" of stale beer. I could go on and on. My husband calls them "the Bummers" and sadly, I quite agree!

    If this is their idea of a happy new year, I'd rather suffer through a bad one!

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  4. It is hard to believe this is going on in Archbishop Chaput's territory. I bet it wouldn't be if he knew about it.

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  5. Well, he may not have known about it, but my hunch is that he will now. I never knew about it either until I saw it on the local news last night. I was horrified. What's worse, I've seen You Tube video of this Mass being celebrated by a Bishop. I can't tell from the video which one it was but that in and of itself might explain why this abuse has been permitted for so long.

    Happy and blessed New Year, Mary Christine!
    Joyce

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  6. Joyce, what a disgrace! How sad that such nonsense would happen before the Most Blessed Sacrament, muchless in the context of a Mass!

    At St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, there is a ridiculous custom of honoring women in their "Easter bonnets." It's not quite as offensive as the Mummers, but it is completely out of place. All the applause and flashing of cameras is so disturbing. I wish our Holy Father would crack down on all of these abuses.

    So sad!
    Patricia

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  7. Well, as I said, this has apparently been going on for some years. I only found about it because I happened to see it on the evening news last night and could not believe my eyes. I hope our new Archbishop puts the kabash on this. The Mass looks like it's packed. I wonder if the regular Masses are as well attended. Sad indeed.

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  8. I've never heard of the Mummers Parade. Thanks for enlightening me. I agree, that is inappropriate for mass.

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  9. My husband will just love this since he is not from Philadelphia and just can't understand the whole *Mummers* thing. This will only confirm the ridiculousness of it all...what a disgrace. I am happy to know you have a Latin Mass to attend because it seems there is a lot of nonsense that goes on in some of those parish masses. I am grateful that my parish is still *traditional* in a sense even though it celebrates the Norvus Ordo. ~Theresa

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  10. Unfortunately, we live in the thick of it on New Year's Day. I scoff when people tell me how lucky I am to live near the parade. Well, at least I don't belong to a parish that would permit that sort of disrespect. The sad part is that I doubt any of the revelers even get why it's wrong.

    Happy New Year Theresa.

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  11. I was reading this to my husband and he knew all about The Mummers. I had no idea. I'm with you, if I'd been in that Mass I'm not sure I could have sat there while such abuse was being touted as a celebration. Straight to confession. Lord help us.
    +

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