I got a Holy in one!
Monsignor Edward McCullough will officiate at a 7:30 a.m. sunrise service on the 18th hole on Sunday, Sept. 18, during the 84 Lumber Classic at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa in Farmington.
"It's a brief service, about 15 to 20 minutes that will serve as a Sabbath Day service for folks who are golfing and not able to get to church,'' explained McCullough, who is pastor of St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church in Dunbar and administrator of St. Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic Church in Leisenring. "There will be prayers, Scripture readings and a brief reflection.''
The service is a new addition for the 84 Lumber Classic, now in its third year. [Source]
Well I guess golf courses are really religious sites. After all Jesus' name is invoked quite often there. This does appear truly to be a prayer service and not a Mass so there are not problems about suitability.
Known as 
Actually, I'm more worried by the fact it is NOT a mass. A golf course is no place for a mass, but if it's the only way to get sunday golfers to fulfil their Sunday obligation in these desperate times, I'm willing to look the other way.
I don't think such a prayer service could possibly substitute for a Catholic's Mass obligation. I've got mixed feelings about this one -- hope the Msgr's presence has a positive spiritual effect... but disgusted that the golf course is of higher priority than Mass. Of course, I also live near the Golf Capital of the World (Pinehurst, NC) so I have my reservations about Golf as a demigod, anyway.
Laura's quite right, of course. It can't possibly fulfill the Sunday obligation to attend Mass. If fanatical golfers want both to attend Mass and to play on Sunday morning, they have the Saturday vigil to accommodate them.
What a joke this is. Not one person listening to this pray service on the green is thinking about God. All they're thinking is, "Hey, Once this over with I can concentrate on my golf swing" Who came up with this? Sheesh.....
For golfers who "are not able to get to Church"? Why can't Sunday morning golfers attend the 5:00 PM Saturday evening Mass? That's what I do if I have a tee time on Sunday morning.
Also, the 5:00 PM Mass actually fufills Catholics' Mass obligation, unlike a Sabbath Day "service" which has only prayers, Scripture, and "reflection" (what the heck is that?).
This is likely to have the deleterious effect of making these slacker-golfers think they've fulfilled their religious obligations when they haven't. Consequently, the effect is more bad than good in that it will serve to anesthetize their already-weak consciences.
Surely there are enough weekend Masses that golfers could attend, if they really wanted to.
A prayer service on the golf course is not a substitute for Mass. A little priority clarification, maybe?
I gotta agree, Jeff and bloggers. The Monsignor's clear implication for Catholics is that "this'll do youse", which is clearly WRONG. Were I an overly suspicious and mean-minded person, I'd suspect his choice of words here to be deliberate... Hey! I AM an overly suspicious and mean-minded person! Well, golly gee! Who'd a thunk?!
I hate golf anyway... It's "flog" reversed, which I wanna do to some people... I don't mind mini-putt, but golf itself? UGH! Why DO professional golfers were clothing mainly worn by pimps and hustlers? I knew concern when the first photo of our now retired Bishop was of him on a golf-course playing a round (in mufti, of course). To think that we didn't realise then juts how appalling his successor would be...!!!
Anyway, I digress. But this is bad, and it's WRONG. Go to Mass people; M A S S ...
Um...isn't it vaguely possible that the good Monsignor is doing the prayer service for the benefit of our separated brethren? Yeah, we can go on Saturday night or Sunday night. Lots of Protestant churches don't have services except on Sunday morning, and lots of sports events with teams do feature prayer services in the morning for Protestant players. As long as Catholics know what's going on (and I think the words "sunrise service" are non-Catholic enough to give a clue), I see no problem and a great deal of charity here.
I thought of that, Maureen; but given how absolutely important this issue is, and how wishy-washy modern clergy can be, I doubt it. If this were the case, the Monsignor should have added that this service did NOT fulfill the Mass obligation for Catholics, and that Catholics present should therefore still go to Mass at some stage. He in fact used language that implied exactly the opposite, hence my comments.
Would Protestants accept an "ecumenical service" from Catholics? I don't know. Should Catholics do so from Protestants? NO. Is such a service valid in Canon Law? NO. (shrug) I don't mean to be nasty, Maureen, it's just the way it is; and the Monsignor had a clear duty of care to God, the Church, Catholics, and all the others present, to mention it.
God Bless...
Certainly it's possible that the service is intended for Protestants, but in that case there's no reason why a Catholic monsignor should be conducting it.
Wouldn't these guys be better off playing golf at 7 and making it to the 11:30 Mass?