From an article about Holy Angels Church –
An Ecumenical Catholic Community (first off never trust a Church whose parish website is on geocites) about their new "Deacons."
She said she encouraged her husband to become a deacon. He wanted her to become one as well.
"It seemed the right thing and the right time and place," she said. "Because really all it is, in some ways, is the formalization of what we already are, as opposed to something entirely new. It was a natural progression."
Most of the training was background material for Donald Metz.
"I’ve been president of the parish council liturgy boards and the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, and for each had lots of training programs, and that’s training which is spread throughout a lifetime," he said.
Yea all that background with liturgy and the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine really paid off in joining a faux Catholic church founded by Reverend Patricia A. Zorn who specializes in products like "Flower Essences for Animal." She does have some profound things to say about the meaning of life though.
Baptism/Baby Naming Ceremony: Life is Hello!
Bereavement: Life is Goodbye!
Now I am confused which is it? Maybe she is well versed in those two pop theologians Paul McCartney and John Lennon (who was bigger than Jesus you know).
You say yes, I say no
You say stop and I say go, go, go
Oh, no
You say goodbye and I say hello
Hello, hello
I don’t know why you say goodbye
I say hello
Hello, hello
I don’t know why you say goodbye
I say hello
Part of their Mission Statement also made me laugh.
We are a Community of Believers, members of all religious faiths, and from every walk of life.
We are deeply rooted in Holy Scripture and firmly grounded in Christian Tradition.
Wow this must be a really really large church. Members from all religious faiths? Hindus, Gnostics, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Pagans, Pantheists, Falun Gong, Taoism, Baptists, Russian Orthodox, Catholics, etc all in one church founded in Holy Scripture and Christian tradition. Not to mentions from every walk of life. Considering the thousand of professions this is really quite an accomplishment. I wonder what there mission statement was before they found that next to last person from a walk of life or religion. Gee if we could just find a Sunni who is also a shoemaker we will finally have them all.
17 comments
Yikes, I looked at another website of Rev. Patricia A. Zorn, she claims to be “receiving messages from God.” Let’s just say these supposed revelations she received were beyond bizarre.
Is her name really “Zorn”. If I recall correctly, in Richard Adams’ book Watership Down ‘zorn’ is a rabbit word which means catastrophe. Just seemed oddly appropriate.
I’d rather the Call to Action types gather at places like Holy Angels than spread their rot in the Catholic Church.
I tell you what, at the risk of sounding sexist… the biggest argument against ordaining women as ministers is the unequivocally disproportionate number of nut cases among ‘ordained’ women in comparison to their male counterparts.
It is not that women are more crazy than men, Fiddler, it is that the act of pretending to be what you are not and then demanding everyone acknowledge your fantasy as real is something that attracts loonies. As proof, I offer you the extroverted cross-dresser.
As for this faith community, I think what they call “ecumenism” is better termed “alchemy”. Theirs is the fetid basement of superstition where they labor in the darkness of their delusion hoping to one day “create” the perfect amalgam of all the world’s religions.
Into what? All they are doing is making yet ANOTHER religion (I offer you the Bahai). If their goal is unity, they are their own worst enemies.
I think one of the creepiest things about this priestess movement is the belief of the infallibility of the “oppressed minority” that supports it. Many of these believers honestly think a woman could never become the sort of poison-Kool-Aid proffering demagogue that men have become.
I for one am no sexist and believe the likes of “Rev” Patricia to be perfectly up to the task.
Another instantiation of Ronald Knox’s excellent essay, “Reunion All Round, ” in which the Anglican Church is shown to have finally included w/in its borders every shade of belief.
Zorn is silly; Knox is so much better!
I rather wish my parish had a list of 13 uses for hydrogen peroxide.
And this line struck me as odd… “GOD WANTED ME TO TELL YOU WHAT GOD DESIRES FOR YOU IN 2007.” Looks like she’s a pronoun-ophobe.
http://www.geocities.com/crowbear22/holyangels.html
Matej Z,
Was that line taken from a Marty Haugn written psalm in the Gather hymnal?
Um…I’m confused…um…the “she” in the first sentence of the article refers to the deacon? 😛
Sad to say this is not that far from some of our wackier parishes with Fr. Feelgood and his compatriots as pastors. There are legions of Patti Zorns huffing and puffing, singing and preaching on any given Sunday.
In an age when PETA defends the rights of cockroaches, and many of our liberal Catholic politicians have the same concern for unborn children as neo-Maoists, and a Prince of the Church in LA seems to play patty-cake with pansexualists, we might think of poor Patti Zorn as the rule in certain religious circles rather than the exception.
Somewhat off-topic, but when Lutherans sing Haugen songs from Lutheran hymnals, they usually aren’t in gender-neutral language. That’s Gather’s publisher’s doing, not Marty Haugen’s.
Ready for a headache? Check out hundred of churches like this at http://www.ind-movement.org
cjmr- Yeah, I think the gender neutral thing is because of the Gather. I haven’t noticed it when we sing his works in choir.
This is off-topic, but I’d like to mention to folks that the traditional choral/organ versions of most works by Haugen, Walker and Haas are quite good, though with a few painful exceptions. Ban the guitars and other inappropriate instruments is what I ask.
Off-off topic, I question i’ve long wanted to ask: since neither a guitar nor an organ is a lyre or harp, why is a guitar less worthy an instrument than an organ? I’m not trying to be obnoxious; I just don’t get it. (Consider Spanish guitars and classical guitars–do they not make beautiful music?)And yes, I like guitars.
Off, off, (off?) topic- Noted joanne, I speak from my experience around the OC diocese, where the guitar is the primary instrument of folk masses, in which the music is less than reflective. If you have seen the infamous “Halloween mass” video, then you’ve heard a typical example of that strain of music. (I’ve been tempted more than once to yell for them to be quiet already so I can actually pray after communion.)
It is rather hard to play folksy music on an organ, and sacred music sounds really really good coming out of one. I would not object to the guitar if I trusted the musician.
Back on topic, I bet those are exactly the type of masses Zorn’s people like to celebrate.
“We’re always 100 percent supportive of whatever. It’s a new beginning, and where do we go from here? It’ll be interesting to see.”
This statement, sums up the mind-set quite nicely of the church body. I betcha one day will come when they are not “100% supportive” of the issue at that prime moment …. sigh
Joanne,
Here is something from Vatican II that liturgists forget all about.
“The pipe organ is to be held in high esteem in the Latin Church, for it is the traditional musical instrument, the sound of which can add a wonderful splendor to the Church’s ceremonies and powerfully lifts up men’s minds to God and higher things”. SC VI #120);
I love guitar myself and am also a guitarist, but I have never heard a guitar Mass that approached anywhere the sound of the Pipe Organ for use in liturgy. If actual Classical guitar was used this would be an improvement over the straight chord folk-style guitar at Mass which is predominantly used. Though it would still be an impoverishment compared to the organ.
As the Pope said:
“An authentic updating of sacred music cannot occur except in line with the great tradition of the past, of Gregorian Chant, and of sacred polyphony,”
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