Performed by the St. Peter's Schola Cantorum in Rome at St. Peter's Basilica on January 4, 2012. Composed for and sung for Cardinal Raymond Burke. Composed by Peggy Clifford.
This choir has basically been disbanded after a priest transfer to the Stevens Point parish. The priest did not like sacred music and all efforts to quell his 1980s approach to liturgy fell on def ears. His antics lead to a mass exodus from the parish. Probably one of the best if not thee best parish in the La Crosse Diocese. Very sad, don't expect any protection in this diocese, it's every man for himself.
8 comments:
I will say that it appears to be something NOT solely the new priest's doing. A few 'squeaky wheel', non-Traditional parisioners and a liberal dean in Stevens Point have surely contributed. St. Pete's had a vibrant and large homeschooling group connected with their parish - it is now gone. Apparently diocesan lawyers are cracking down on what is and isn't a parish entity...and, the diocese (exactly who, I'm not sure) has decided that a homeschool group is not any sort of mission of the parish. As a result of all the changes (having altar girls were threatened by the priest) many of the homeschooling, traditional-minded folks have found new homes - several have joined Sts. Peter and Paul in Rapids....others have headed to Polonia, Sacred Heart, where Fr Michaud is.
It is sad that a parish priest with the backing of a few "squeaky wheels" can do to a parish. Don't believe the nonsense about the diocesan attorney cracking down on parish support of homeschool groups. The diocesan attorney would have nothing to say about such a situation unless the parish priest was looking for a way to put an official stamp on getting rid of something that he doesn't want to deal with in the first place. Please be sure to pray for, and vocally support those parish priests who struggle mightily to do right by the people of God. They need to hear from you during the fight, not after it while they're packing their bags to move on. If a pastor isn't at the helm in your parish for at least six years (and as many as 12) you should be asking yourself "why?".
I'm disappointed to see such a biased post on Badger Catholic. Having been in this parish for 3 decades and as an active member of their Schola, and knowing very well the previous pastors, the dean, and the last 4 music ministers, I will tell you that it is much more complicated than "a bad priest and some squeaky wheels".
Ever increasing exclusivity in the name of "liturgical correctness" had taken hold and started to poison both the choir and the parish. This is not to say that the Pastor acted perfectly, but I would guard my tongue and pen (or keyboard I suppose) against pronouncing judgments like the ones written above.
I like Latin, I'm belong to a Parish (I had to move for work reasons) where we chant the introits and antiphons, I occasionally attend tridentine liturgies, so I'm not some hand-clapping twang-box loving person. But I knew something was changing in the parish, when some choir members (the most extreme among them) told me that two prayers I was reading were "Hippie non-sense" and "heretical" respectively. The two prayers were the Canticle of the Sun by St. Francis and Christ Has No Body by St. Teresa of Avila.
You describe above a mass Exodus; It's interesting that you didn't mention the first one born of feelings of exclusion and judgment. My family that remains in Stevens Point and other friends have recently started attending Mass at St. Peters again because the atmosphere (not the liturgy) has improved so much. And again, we are quite traditional in our worship preferences; but it doesn't matter which language you pray in, or which direction you face, if hearts are bitter and unwelcoming.
TAq, I'm happy you have given more input here.
I have no firsthand knowledge of what has happened, only many people who have told me that they left.
I agree that certainly we must do all things in charity. But you seem to indicate that the priest facing ad orientem in the traditional way, and praying in Latin cause peoples hearts to be bitter and unwelcoming. Am I misunderstanding? Or are you saying that good liturgy doesn't always give people charity? I would say on the flip side that "atmosphere" can be a bit deceiving, a person can be the most hospitable person in the world but still lead souls away from Christ.
I would obviously disagree with those people who asserted that either of the two prayers you mentioned were anything but part of the richness of the Faith. I would also agree that there is a certain type of traditionalist who are, well how do we say, jerks. But I think it's a little to short sighted to "blame" the liturgy for their shortcomings. I meet jerks at all kinds of liturgies.
Those of us who have followed Benedict's New Liturgical Movement simply desire a liturgy that is in continuity with the liturgy pre-1969. It is up to the grace of God to pound out our human failures. I would assert that good liturgy = increased grace from God.
I certainly did not mean to imply that Ad Orientem masses or Latin embittered people. I enjoy both. What I meant, and may have poorly expressed is that, as lovely as those things can be, if they are separated from a spirit of charity they are hollow. Outward actions don't always reflect inward dispositions, and someone participating in the mass in English is no less holy and merits no less grace than another individual doing the same actions in Latin but with a hardened heart.
I'd be curious how many of the many people you've heard things from, were life long members and didn't join the Parish during the first Exodus. There was a period of intense parish shopping in central wisconsin, when traditionalists from all over the surrounding area were driving to St. Peters. I was lucky enough to be right near by; but their commitment to the parish obviously had more to do with style and pastors than dedication to the community because I ask where they've all gone now. We're still praying, we're still singing. I like to think my allegiance to a community is based on more than the style of the presider.
I am one of the parishioners who left. We were long time parishioners and received many of our family's sacraments there.
The reasons behind what happened are multi-facted and complex. In this Holy Week, it is easy to remember the beautiful music and liturgies and feel a sense of loss for what happened. The true reason lies of course with the Evil One, who wants to sow disunity and division in the church. This came about because of a number of factors, including a perception of parish finances being hurt due to the Sacred Music choices, personality conflicts and hardness of hearts on the part of all involved.
As for why people left, everyone has their own reasons. I do not feel that you join a parish to be "dedicated to the community." We joined because it was, for a time, the best place to be spiritually fed, to give us the help we needed to raise our children to be saints. A liturgy that tries to implement what the Council teaches is a big part of that, for our family. When the parish changed, it was far more than what music was being sung or what language it was in. Over time, it was clear that for us, what we needed was no longer at this parish, and what was lost will simply not return.
TAq, do you feel like outsiders took over the parish and now it is being returned to the state it was prior to the "corruption?"
In an age past, a pastor's "style" did not have the same impact because the liturgy by it's nature removed his personality. Today, a priest's "style" can justify all kinds of craziness.
Anon: thank you for sharing.
God Bless you all! This has been very helpful to read different viewpoints on this situation. I was impressed with the civil discourse over matters that often can be emotionally charged.
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