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.

You Call This a Mass?

Yesterday, I found myself in an unfamiliar place for Mass, and I think it's best I do not return.  What I witnessed was truly unbelievable.

The celebrant arrived wearing an outfit that caused me to at first mistake him for a dentist.  When he came out of the sacristy in his "vestments", I thought, "oh, he's a deacon, and I bet this will be a Communion service."  Wrong.  His white alb and green stole, were in fact, his idea of vestments.

I give him credit for raising the Host and allowing the faithful time to adore the Lord in the Eucharist.  However, I was very dismayed that an unnecessary minister of Holy Communion approached the altar with her cell phone in her hand, went into the sacristy, and exited with the cell phone still in her hand.  The priest, in a move I confess I've never seen before, handed her a piece of his Host, which she took with one hand with the phone still in the other.  When he said the words "Behold the Lamb of God", the unnecessary minister shoved her phone in her pocket and then raised her piece of the Host as well, and  self-communicated.

After Mass, a gaggle of EM's approached the tabernacle and began to place the appropriate number of Hosts in their pyxes.  Apparently, what I just witnessed wasn't dismaying enough.  A woman who came in too late for Holy Communion approached one of the EM's and asked to be given Holy Communion.  I have never even seen a priest do this for someone who missed Mass.

Last week, when I complained about spiritual aridity, many of you wrote with helpful insights and suggestions.  I decided today that once I have concluded the prayers that I normally pray on the commute, I will listen to some of my favorite sacred music, rather than listen to the radio.  And I'm going to avoid liturgy like what I witnessed today with everything I'm worth.