tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post1867025457480764736..comments2023-12-16T16:17:43.886+00:00Comments on Fr Ray Blake's Blog: The Morphing ChurchFr Ray Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584140126211527252noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-68818375987626364902013-08-08T23:16:05.928+01:002013-08-08T23:16:05.928+01:00@ JaneAyerlandz
The piece referred to in that lin...@ JaneAyerlandz<br /><br />The piece referred to in that link is spinning the texts of the relevant documents to thereby make a case for musical anarchy. It gives strength to the case made by Bishop Schneider for an authoritative interpretation of the V2 documents, the lack of which is currently splitting the Catholic church so bitterly.<br /><br />The author glosses over the sections on Gregorian chant and Latin and goes on to argue the case for the use of the guitar, an instrument like the lute, which works in intimate spaces and which, without artificial amplification, could hardly be a less suitable choice for use in the Catholic Mass.<br /><br />One of the reasons for the persistence of support for the Tridentine Mass is that it avoids argumentation over what should be sung and what kind of music is appropriate, since it is all given.<br /><br />People should be free to worship in whatever way they want, and people should also be free not to have to listen to music they find objectionable, and since the Mass is an obligation, the Mass is not the place for the exercise of personal taste. People can do their thing at separate praise and worship services.Physiocrathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13682019625346594568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-43898165120099737952013-08-08T22:10:47.687+01:002013-08-08T22:10:47.687+01:00Thought this might be of interest? http://www.cath...Thought this might be of interest? http://www.catholicyouthwork.com/index.php?page=1506Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03825120755377694008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-10888441776796797102013-08-07T19:12:24.649+01:002013-08-07T19:12:24.649+01:00If they were at home and heard it on the radio, th...<i>If they were at home and heard it on the radio, they would turn it off, but there are no "off" switches in church.</i><br /><br />Exactly. The Sunday obligation forms a kind of "captive audience". Consider that there chant recordings that have sold millions and are appreciated by even non-Catholics. There never will be successful "Greatest Hit of the <i>Gather</i> Hymnal". In fact, without the captive audience and the cabals of publishers, chancery and parish offices artificially keeping a stranglehold on liturgical music, it would die a richly deserved death like a fruit fly. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-80964146351226476862013-08-07T16:35:24.648+01:002013-08-07T16:35:24.648+01:00PAPER
ROSES
All the world's
A beach
And all t...PAPER<br />ROSES<br /><br />All the world's<br />A beach<br />And all the men and women<br />Merely players…<br /><br />For volley-ball<br />Flash mob call<br />Swaying hands<br />In the stands<br /><br />Picnic up<br />Party down<br />Plastic people -<br />Molded town -<br /><br />Well choreographed<br />This plastic mold,<br />Hollow containers<br />Are humbly bold<br /><br />And to choreographer<br />Their eyes look up<br />But where is Jesus...<br />In<br />A<br />Paper<br />cup.<br />Long-Skirtshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00791967605782446951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-61534686468005923622013-08-07T15:23:01.850+01:002013-08-07T15:23:01.850+01:00Sorry, and this associated interview: http://www.z...Sorry, and this associated interview: http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/cardinal-ranjith-on-forming-the-faithful-to-live-the-liturgy?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+zenit%2Fenglish+%28ZENIT+English%29Deliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01383433319373651830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-21818258093467791712013-08-06T19:53:49.163+01:002013-08-06T19:53:49.163+01:00In the light of some of the above comments, i thin...In the light of some of the above comments, i think it's worth listening to this interview with Cardinal Ranjith l(apologies, Father, if you put it on your blog before!)<br /><br />http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-JDpdLg72ss&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D-JDpdLg72ssDeliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01383433319373651830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-33349622557816209142013-08-06T16:58:55.751+01:002013-08-06T16:58:55.751+01:00Worse and worse, look at this
http://supertradmum-...Worse and worse, look at this<br />http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.ie/2013/08/the-body-of-christ-in-plastic-cups-do.htmlSupertradmumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07829935047036023159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-5586302431187111202013-08-06T16:46:29.103+01:002013-08-06T16:46:29.103+01:00Parepidemos,
Pope Benedict had over a million pil...Parepidemos,<br /><br />Pope Benedict had over a million pilgrims in Germany. I tend to think that the huge numbers that Francis drew was based on the fact that he was the first S. American Pope and visiting the largest Catholic country in thw world. I doubt it was the music. If it was, we lose. We will not beat the Pentecostals at the emotional music/grand production. They can always take it up a notch.<br /><br />It was not the music that drove people off. The issue with Pentecostal music and worship is that it arguably obscures the liturgy and theology of the Church--according to many, many prominent theologians including Pope Benedict. It also gives the impression that the differences are not important, which makes it easier for people to leave the Church without giving it real thought. Clearly some many people do not think that this is the case, and others do not think its a huge deal. Some people do. Who is right?<br />Cosmoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14199946824127025416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-36953038521051686282013-08-06T16:12:14.229+01:002013-08-06T16:12:14.229+01:00Jane,
The idea is not what is older is better--t...Jane, <br /><br />The idea is not what is older is better--that is, in fact, that protestant falacy has been used to undermine a lot of traditional practices. The idea is that what is handed down over generations of believers becomes sacred. We don't pridefully reinvent the wheel every generation. This was a dominant theme of Pope Ratzinger's papacy--surely I don't have to throw him off now that we have a new boss? Surely it matters that the liturgical reforms were authorized by VII, but are not in line with that authorization?<br /><br />As far as for the "holier-than-thou" attitude, that certainly cuts both ways. Go back and read your posts... you seem to be pretty darn confident about the righteousness of your position as well. Modern music = openness to sinners and other cultures. Traditional music = close-minded, pharisaical elitism. It seems pretty clear that you feel like holiness is on your side.<br /><br /> I am simply arguing that we can't throw out what is handed down to us as if we are the standard of all things. We have to respect our ancestors and our traditions. We can't assume we always know better. <br /><br />We are all friends here, but as you would obviously agree based on your posts, not every opinion is equally valid or equally Catholic! Cosmoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14199946824127025416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-53569501728791424292013-08-06T15:36:26.993+01:002013-08-06T15:36:26.993+01:00@ parepidemos
"Apparently, Latin Americans a...@ parepidemos<br /><br />"Apparently, Latin Americans are leaving Catholicism to join Pentecostal groups which use the style of worship and music that is criticised in this thread. If this is so, how can the Catholic Church's use of this very same style of worship and music be responsible for the exodus?"<br /><br />Here is a possible explanation. If Lex orandi, lex credendi applies, then a couple of generations have had little in the way of orthodox Catholic formation. They might take the view that if you want evangelo-pop, you might as well go to the source and get the genuine article. Seems reasonable.<br /><br />Just a thought. And I cannot imagine many people wanting to go to a Tridentine Mass celebrated in front of a monster crowd on a beach. The idea is grotesque when there are churches and priests available.Physiocrathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13682019625346594568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-79693690204322179252013-08-06T14:54:01.472+01:002013-08-06T14:54:01.472+01:00Apparently, Latin Americans are leaving Catholicis...Apparently, Latin Americans are leaving Catholicism to join Pentecostal groups which use the style of worship and music that is criticised in this thread. If this is so, how can the Catholic Church's use of this very same style of worship and music be responsible for the exodus? There is a definite lack of logic in the approach of some commentators, who also seem to be stuck in a very euro-centric view of Catholicism.<br /><br />Somehow I very much doubt that a Latin Mass in the Extraordinary Form with accompanying Gregorian chant would have brought 3 million young Latin Americans to the beach to listen to the Bishop of Rome - and I speak as someone who loves both the EF and chant. <br /><br />Jane @ 8:48 and Mary @9:46, I completely agree with your comments<br />parepidemoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06416012601568784997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-4837947799057475932013-08-06T14:40:27.343+01:002013-08-06T14:40:27.343+01:00As regular readers and contributors know, Fr. Blak...As regular readers and contributors know, Fr. Blake's blog is essentially an examination of how the Catholic Church is and should or might be in the 21st century. Discussions are often robust and disagreements profound, sometimes mistaken. <br />On music in the liturgy, I agree it's always better to have the musicians hidden so as not to detract from the core intention, which should never be a performance but an intrinsic part of the liturgy, rather than a free-for-all-what-I-fancy adjunct. With regard to the Mass, it depends whether you think it's a celebratory meal or the recreation of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. The former will point up joy, the latter solemnity. <br />As to "what Jesus would do or say", the evidence appears to be that in the Temple He was serious, in His teaching frequently severe. He was not Jesus meek and mild. He didn't jazz the message up to make it more palatable or frame His appeal to what people wanted to hear, which is why so many turned away. To become like little children in the matter of faith in Him as Son of the living God, yes. But to be wholly adult in our dialogue with Him, absolutely. Gentyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05569143943867323153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-20626259777154683792013-08-06T14:05:47.574+01:002013-08-06T14:05:47.574+01:00@JaneAyerlandz
If the parish decides to have one ...@JaneAyerlandz<br /><br />If the parish decides to have one form of music at their main Sunday celebration, then they are inevitably not just depriving those who do not want that type of music from having it, but they are also being forced to listen to they would rather not have to hear. If they were at home and heard it on the radio, they would turn it off, but there are no "off" switches in church.<br /><br />For this reason, what happens in churches - and this extends to the architecture and furnishings, needs to avoid addressing one social group at the expense of another; the same issue arises in relation to all shared public spaces, such as street landscapes and everything associated with public transport. If you read the relevant passages in SC and GIRM, you will see that this will inevitably direct the worship in accordance with tradition.<br /><br />As regards the use of Gregorian chant - this music is very much older than Christianity itself. It was brought into the church by the first Jewish converts and Gregorian tunes remain in use within Judaism.<br /><br />There is of course nothing magical about Latin, but the open vowels which characterise the language make it easy to sing, in contrast with the Slavonic languages which are consonantal and the Germanic ones characterised by mixed vowels such as Ø. Try singing that - a sort of O-E sound.<br /><br />The use of a single liturgical language throughout the Catholic church is both a sign of Catholic unity and a means by which that unity is sustained. It is as much as anything a matter of practicality. I will give an example of what happened this morning in my local church in Sweden, which demonstrates the problems caused by the vernacular, and, incidentally, the Novus Ordo Mass itself.<br /><br />Priest - Lebanese, celebrating in lightly accented Swedish 90% understandable.<br />Concelebrating Priest - Polish with heavily accented Swedish. 70% understandable.<br /><br />First reader - Heavy local dialect, 20% understandable.<br />Second reader - Swedish with English accent but read too fast - 40% understandable.<br /><br />60% of the congregation were also immigrants from at least a dozen different countries. The church has a heavy echo, which does not help, and the sound system leaves a lot to be desired. It is just a strain trying to hear what people are trying to say and in the end a lot of people probably give up trying. In these circumstances, the entire liturgy would have worked a lot better in Latin, and in the Tridentine form, so that everyone could have followed the texts in their missals in whatever language they chose.<br /><br />Physiocrathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13682019625346594568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-39787497626179939742013-08-06T09:46:28.226+01:002013-08-06T09:46:28.226+01:00I am one of the great mass of the 'unwashed...I am one of the great mass of the 'unwashed' and 'non-intellectual' 'ordinary' catholics. I have been reading through your recent postings on this blog and I am shocked at the constant stream of negativity aimed at Pope Francis. I find it strange that a priest would conduct such a forum and allow comments calling the Pope an ass to be posted. I know you objected but the comments should never have been allowed on your blog in the first place. Like it or not God has seen it fit to give us Pope Francis at this time and we owe him our full support as he faces the battle between good and evil that is so evident in the world today. I for one find his simplicity refreshing, but then what do I know I am not an intellectual catholic. I believe from my heart.<br />MaryMaryrosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06339461206224779521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-82403989364726831242013-08-06T08:48:06.875+01:002013-08-06T08:48:06.875+01:00And as 'Catholics' what I must believe in ...And as 'Catholics' what I must believe in is what the apostle creed tells me, I must believe in the virgin birth, the immaculate conception, the Resurrection, the true presence etc. Deny me my 'Catholic' beliefs purely because I wish to worship with music you do not agree with or is not to your 'taste' as catholic. The early church would not have know gregorian chants, or latin songs, they would sing the psalms and jewish prayers. They would have sang purely to praise the Lord. It is often the 'holy than thou' attitude that turns people away ffrom the church. Open your arms and accept those who can't sing, who can sing, who sing at the top of their lungs, those who sing in whispers, those who sing in english or french, those who bang on african drums or the keys of a piano, those who greet the lord with trumpet blasts, those who greet the lord with the strings of a violin. Let us enfold into our flock the outsiders, those on the edge of society, those who struggle to pray, those that forhours can sit in the presence of the lord. Let us be thankful for all those who long to come into communion with christ and the catholic (universal) church. Let us be thankful who are like Peter, and struggle to always understand, those who doubt, as Thomas, let us praise the Lord for all those who just want to praise him without understanding or seeing, but with pure faith that he is present and he has saved us.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03825120755377694008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-13582314942500851312013-08-06T08:40:59.467+01:002013-08-06T08:40:59.467+01:00I never said it did not, @Cosmos, you should read ...I never said it did not, @Cosmos, you should read my posts more carefully. Everything I have posted is from the general instruction fro the roman missal, VII and sacrosanctum concilium. All I am saying is that, no you do not have the right to judge, my heart shall be judged by the Lord and not man. "What was given to us by our beloved anscestors" then we should be saying the mass in Hebrew or aramaic and NOT in Latin which was only imposed by the Roman government. I do not wish to argue, I merely wish to appeal that all music and worship has place, and that none of you have the right to judge how 'catholic' I am due to my, and my peers desires as to what we feel and believe is appropriate to the mass. We never sing or play anything that is inappropriate or liturgically incorrect. I believe maybe you should all take an inward look as to what 'self gratification' is. I do not sing or pray for self gratifying means or for the pure sake of it. I pray and praise the lord as my heart and soul and god himself calls me to do. I am not dismissing tradition, but saying that a contemporary world and the traditions of the church can live as one, you do not have to separate them, as you are then deeming the church for an 'elite' and not for all. The Lord said the kingdom of heaven belongs to the little children, then let us be like the little children and with innocence accept all those in communion with God and to allow those who long to praise the Lord and eat at his table to come to it. Christ never turned anyone away, and if we are true Christians we would do the same. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03825120755377694008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-14116969256810032452013-08-06T08:20:08.034+01:002013-08-06T08:20:08.034+01:00Pope Benedict didn't find Catholicism in Angli...Pope Benedict didn't find Catholicism in Anglicanism, Fr. He provided a means to encourage Anglicans who concluded they couldn't find that to become Catholics, bringing with them parts of their heritage which can enrich our culture.IanWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14802289720095323373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-5406687836870339702013-08-05T23:45:48.009+01:002013-08-05T23:45:48.009+01:00Jane,
SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM para. 116 states qui...Jane,<br /><br />SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM para. 116 states quite clearly:<br /><br />"The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services."<br /><br />The only possible justification for the introduction of the various musical forms we have all grown accustomed to is the Second Vatican Council. However, only a determined lawyer with a predetermined end could claim with a straight face that the Council actually called for the current situation. AS stated above, VII made make quite clear that we are to favor Gregorian Chant. So if this is what the Church tells me to do, how am I guilty of being (god, forbid) judgmental?<br /><br />In fact we do have a place in judging other people's worship, not only as those following the lead of VII, but perhaps more importantly, as those entrusted with the traditions of our fathers and mothers. How can you claims to recieve what is handed down to you ("tradition") without recieving it as superior, or at least set apart? What was given to us by our beloved anscestors, and that which was tested over centuries in varying contexts, clearly deserves a different level of respect than mere novelties. If we don't believe this, if we don't recieve our great traditions with a heightened respect, are we really even Catholic anymore? Our faith becomes something that was fabricated rather than recieved. We are protestants with an absolute monarch.<br /><br />In another sense, the traditions of the Church are precisely what keep us from judging ourselves better than those around us by imposing our own tastes. Like it or not, Gregorian chant has the seal of approval. <br />Cosmoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14199946824127025416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-88895611414114518992013-08-05T23:28:14.099+01:002013-08-05T23:28:14.099+01:00"We must acknowledge error on both sides"..."We must acknowledge error on both sides".<br /><br />Yes of course (…although we could debate the implication that the 'sides' are equal) - but I think it’s arguable that the more modern musical practices in the liturgy which fall outside of the 'traditional norms' offer more opportunities for such errors to take place, perhaps because there is an inherent 'entertainment dynamic' within some of the more modern styles. In most cases, they have essentially been imported from popular culture into a non-entertainment setting (arguably via a protestant influence which is incompatible with the nature of the Holy Mass). <br /><br />I'm not sure that popular styles of music ever became integrated into liturgy in times gone by - this seems to be a post 1960s phenomenon, no? Folk music, for example, is as old as the hills but was never, as far as I'm aware, adopted as a musical style within the liturgical setting. <br /><br />I say this as someone who is a Catholic and a musician who has 'been there, done that, got the t-shirt, reflected deeply and put the t-shirt back in the bottom drawer without daring to quite throw it away'. I'm all for the use of more 'modern' musical forms (imprecise terminology here but hope you follow) in non-Mass settings (e.g. praise and worship, prayer groups, retreats, etc, etc) and am active musically in this sense.<br /><br />Coming back to Fr Ray's main point, I believe there's a correlation between what could be described as the 'protestantisation' or secularisation of Catholic liturgical style and loss of Catholic identity/core beliefs.<br />polycarpedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04497516836606916878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-5843320551678724472013-08-05T21:49:06.121+01:002013-08-05T21:49:06.121+01:00@polycarped
You are right, but this doesn't j...@polycarped<br /><br />You are right, but this doesn't just refer to those whom play more 'modern' 'pop' based music, equally I go to a very traditional church where the choir 'perform' on the sanctuary facing the congregation their gregorian chants and their latin songs, where as the evening 'music group' with their guitars and drums and flutes, play their worship facing the sanctuary within the congregation. We must acknowledge error on both sides. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03825120755377694008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-32697799212715839392013-08-05T21:43:24.919+01:002013-08-05T21:43:24.919+01:00I didn't say you couldn't sing and praise ...I didn't say you couldn't sing and praise in the way you want, but noone has a right to deny others that, even, as I have shown, the church acknowledges this. Traditional worship can be just as self-absorbed as 'modern' worship and self-satisfying and self-praising, as people can believe they are 'holy' than others due to their piety and solemnity. We must find a way to acknowledge and understand God in a contemporary setting, in a society that is expanding and developing as it has done for millions of years. Even Christ himself developed and moved on from the teachings within the old testament from "an eye for and eye" to "turn the other cheek." I am not saying we should throw away all tradition, but we must be able to understand and engage those around us and allow everyone the opportunity to celebrate and worship in the way they feel like they can in their hearts. You have no place to say that they were not celebrating the sacred mysteries for you do not know what is in their hearts and their souls. You have no place to play God and judge their worship, as I have no place to judge yours and your prayers to God. I am not saying replace tradition, I am saying we able to embrace both equally. This is not a matter of undermining or throwing away tradition, but giving it a new life.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03825120755377694008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-81942774908222276452013-08-05T20:22:13.153+01:002013-08-05T20:22:13.153+01:00@ JaneAyerlandz
We are no longer in the modern t...@ JaneAyerlandz <br /><br />We are no longer in the modern time, and so the presentation of WYD was as dated as a Gary Glitter song or a computer running DOS. We are in the Post Modern time, and have been for the past thirty years. Post Modernism itself arose out of the ruins of Modernism, whose theoretical basis was dismantled in the 1960s by anthropologists such as Levi-Strauss and Roland Barthes. In the past two decades we have had huge advances in understanding in linguistics, cognitive psychology and neuroscience.<br /><br />Building on this, philosophers such as Catherine Pickstock have demonstrated the unwisdom of tampering with the liturgy, and this is confirmed by empirical observation of the contemporary success of the Orthodox church, spectacularly in Russia.<br /><br />Culture needs fixed points and the liturgy is one of them. A familiar and trivial example is the design of the Marmite jar, which has scarcely changed since the product was launched. It is now owned by Unilever, who employ advertising agencies who, unlike contemporary "liturgists", have to sell things and do so by using all the knowledge currently available. You can be sure that if they thought it would sell more Marmite, Unilever's advertising agency would have recommended a re-design, but they did not.<br /><br />The Catholic church previously had what in the commercial world would have been described as a strong brand image, an identity sustained by bringing into play all the arts. No commercial agency would lightly throw away such a strength.<br /><br />As regards the music of the Mass, there are specific sections dealing with this in GIRM and Sacrosanctum Concilium.Physiocrathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13682019625346594568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-55902814262143156312013-08-05T19:57:00.096+01:002013-08-05T19:57:00.096+01:00"in addition to my last comment, let us remem..."in addition to my last comment, let us remember the most important thing in all this - 3 million young people coming together to celebrate the sacred mysteries of the catholic faith"<br /><br />Isn't that precisely the problem? "Sacred mystery" was missing from the anthropocentric, performance-based pop liturgies on display. Too much imminence, not enough transcendence, too much subjectivity, not enough objectivity, too much trendy didacticism, not enough mystery. Where was the offering of the Sacrifice on the altar? It was there, but hidden underneath layers of banal novelty. I say we get ecumenical and do what Muslims and Orthodox do, and stop dumping our ancient worship traditions in an effort to be "relevant" to contemporary popular culture. And this is not my mere opinion: You'll find plenty of support for it in the papal magisterium and even in Vatican II. Or are they also "outdated"?Geraldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02204199533749851084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-34637800716873939242013-08-05T18:11:12.989+01:002013-08-05T18:11:12.989+01:00@JaneAyerlandz
"May I first point out to you...@JaneAyerlandz<br /><br />"May I first point out to you that no matter what mass or service you go to...someone must make a choice as to which songs and hymns are performed..."<br /><br />But surely this is a key issue in this discussion - so often it seems to be about 'performance' rather than worship? I've had to suffer through numerous Masses at a Parish relatives of mine attend where the 'music group' are not only sat up on the same level as the altar but also facing the congregation, rather than facing the sanctuary. They cannot resist filling every opportunity for silence with some additional 'performing', presumably so we don't get bored...<br /> <br />polycarpedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04497516836606916878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31069882.post-40502737058367011412013-08-05T17:34:52.215+01:002013-08-05T17:34:52.215+01:00in addition to my last comment, let us remember th...in addition to my last comment, let us remember the most important thing in all this - 3 million young people coming together to celebrate the sacred mysteries of the catholic faith - surely this itself is what we should be holding onto and worth celebrating! God is good! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03825120755377694008noreply@blogger.com