LETTERS

ARTICLES

NEWS

FOLLOW ME

ROAMIN' CATHOLIC






Contents © 2003
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

LETTERS
December 2003

---

WOULD THEY PROVIDE HEAD PHONES?

Your story on the crazed "mystery" convention in Monterey and the anti-Catholic remarks of speaker, Sister Mary Boys, are all too familiar [see "It," November 2003 Faith]. Fifteen years ago we might have picketed events like this; but the failure or inability of bishops to put a stop to the nonsense was discouraging.

Many of us drive miles on Sunday to reach a non-offensive Mass. The big problem is weekday Mass because we are too pressed for time to drive 40 miles. At St Augustine's, Pleasanton, I used to leave during the homily and sit on the concrete outside the church till it was safe to go back in. I found another church nearby for weekday Mass but, with the new pastor, have had to exit again prior to homilies just to protect my peace of mind.

Can I suggest that churches offer headphones or privacy sound booths for Mass-goers who do want to attend Mass but do not want to stay for the heretical homilies? If churches provided alternative, taped homilies by the pope, the saints, orthodox Church leaders, we could happily slap on the headphones, turn up the volume, and pretend that life was normal. Until modernist churches become tolerant and inclusive enough to offer this service, I, for one, am stuck with cold, wet concrete.

Mary Arnold
received via e-mail


TOO NOISY TO PRAY

As orthodox Catholics, we often joke about the rampant shenanigans in our Churches. But sometimes parody cannot outdo reality. For example, my recent visit to the Xavier Chapel at the "Catholic" University of San Francisco.

Last Sunday I went to the 9 p.m. Mass at USF's Xavier Chapel -- a cowardly act of desperation. I should have made the effort and gone to St. Dominic's 9:00 p.m., Mass, but....

I walked into the chapel. The first thing that struck me was that everyone was talking. No silence anywhere. The altar is in the center of the chapel, with chairs arranged in a circular form around it. Kneelers? We don' need no steenkin' kneelers. If there is a tabernacle there, it's news to me. I looked and could not find it.

I sat down. A tall, white-haired, but still youngish-looking man sat in front of me, wearing a polo shirt and jeans. A couple of girls sat on the floor next to me and didn't want a chair when offered one. The Mass began. The priest, a short Asian man, told everyone to greet one another. The gentleman in front of me turned and limply placed his hand in mine, and introduced himself as a priest.

The readings for Mass were read by a couple of students. One of the girls had a hard time with her piece. "You are a priest forever, after the order of ... um ... WHATEVER." The priest looked up from his seat. "Melchizedek!" he hissed. "Yeah, what he said. The Word of the Lord," she responded.

A collection was taken up for the students who had recently been arrested at the School of the Americas. I noticed that the leaflet that I had been given when I entered advertised a Halloween costume party to raise funds for twenty-six more students who planned to make the trip to Fort Benning.

The altar was dressed by a girl with dyed red hair, wearing a tight halter-top that pushed a substantial amount of belly through the gap between her shirt and her camouflage pants. The Sanctus was sung to a bluesy melody, and then three or four people knelt during the consecration. The priest concluded with "Now, EVERYONE TOGETHER: Through Him, with Him, and in Him...."

I left as soon as I could at the end of Mass. Too noisy to pray, but at least it was a nice night outside.

We do have good parishes in this city, and it's a real shame that some of these students, already bombarded from all sides with political nonsense, have to endure religious poppycock as well. No wonder that they don't feel compelled to kneel, pray, or confess their sins.

John Herreid,
San Francisco


BROADWAY'S JUST AS GOOD

I have read all of the 2002-2003 "Roamin' Catholic" articles about Masses in various parishes, and I am horrified, to say the least. It is obvious that the Mass is celebrated differently depending upon where you go. It certainly doesn't seem to be universal or traceable back to the apostles. I don't really care for the spiced-up music and dancing in the aisles myself. I think it turns the sacrifice of the Mass into a big production and takes away from its reverence and prayerfulness.

My family and I attend St Dunstan's in Millbrae, which is a pretty conservative parish, and I have been fairly content with it. We are planning on moving soon to another location on the peninsula, and I am worried about what parish we will encounter. In fact, I want to research the parish before we decide upon bidding for homes in that neighborhood.

I wonder if there are others who are interested in an Indult Mass (traditional Latin Mass). I recently made a request to the archdiocese for one, and they told me that they had researched it a few years ago and that there was no interest. I just wonder how they determined there was no interest, because no one has ever asked me. I believe that if one were offered, some people would go because it is so much more spiritually stimulating. I think many people are tired of a church that bends to society and really want some sound spiritual direction. Why go to the local church when you can get the same satisfaction from a Broadway performance? Given the utter confusion in how to celebrate the Mass, I am asking myself why I stay with the mainstream church? I want to remain loyal to the pope, but is the Catholic Church in America loyal to the pope? Will the real Catholic church please stand up!

Teresa Davancaze
received by e-mail

TOP