Who can out-puppet the other?

i'm not going to be sleeping for weeks, ahhhh, the horror, the horror.

Gadzooks! I only made it to the "Lord of the Dance" section before having to stop. What was with all those animal costumes/puppets -- did you notice the stag and the minotaur -- powerful pagan symbols both. Are they expecting Aslan to show up instead of Jesus? And why oh why do the puppets & masks seemingly HAVE to be ugly? I do not understand why this is so -- is it a lack of skill on the part of the "artist?" Or is it something else? I don't object in any way to the attempt at multi-cultural features, but it doesn't have to be ugly to be multi-cultural, so why .... ?

The stills are too awful...I'm in no way prepared to watch a video...

This big creepy puppet thing is spreading...like a fungus!

The stills were all I could take -- I really don't think that a puppet Jesus being an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist could be at all okay. But other than that, I don't see a problem with this AS A PASSION PLAY APART FROM MASS. If the parish wanted to do a dramatic "creative" play, more power to them. But not at MASS.

As far as the "ugliness" goes -- the bottom of the stills post had photos and an entry explaining that a professional puppet company helped with the production. That seems to be their visual style. The "night" puppet was kind of cool, IMHO. (As a high school student I was a puppeteer for a summer with a little troupe, so that's my professional opinion.) But again, NOT AT MASS.

People seem to be rather touchingly eager to do their own "thing" at mass. I think it it's a legitimate but misdirected desire. This sort of thing needs to be done before mass, after mass, earlier in the day, the week before Holy Week - SOMETHING that makes it their own thing and not mass. The parishioners here seem to really enjoy it; they could expand it (as it is, they have to stop their show for the actual MASS) and put it on for the whole community as a fundraiser, or even an annual event with a dinner or choir performance. People who wanted to could go, people who hate that sort of thing could stay home.

I don't think that was a minotaur, they just seemed to be using a lot of animal costumes. I saw a raccoon, I think. Wonder how it got to Jerusalem?

i am still nauseated from the opinions of ms.scalia via the deacons bench blog and now i really have to vomit...thanks.

I really must start reading my Gospels more attentively. I never noticed the passage where Jesus said "I am the Lord of the dance." You learn something new every day. :)

First, Nick Cage's version and now this! How many times do I have to tell them to quit remaking The Wicker Man because they'll never be able to top the original?

Don't judge these people. What's wrong with human ingenuity and creativity in the Mass. After all, isn't liturgy the work of the people?...

Haha, no, seriously.

Outright pagan. Reminded me of THE WICKER MAN.

Oops. Sorry, Eegahlnc. Didn't see your WICKER MAN reference.

What is it with lefties and huge creepy puppets? I've seen them at street protests too.

Never knew that Marty and Sid Krofft were dissenting Catholics.....and who led the choir? The Banana Splits?

I don't see a problem with this AS A PASSION PLAY APART FROM MASS.

Already done, a little production know as "The Lion King." I'm fairly certain these good folk have heard of it.

I lost it at "The Lord of the Dance." Seriously. If I dream of Jesus in Michael Flatley's costume tonight, I'm *not* going to be a happy camper. That *might* top my husband's dream in which Jesus bit him (don't ask - he was like 5 years old at the time...)

+

Some of the puppets are beautiful and interesting and would be great -at carnival! Seriously, this kind of stuff happens in Europe, Asia, and South America in the streets all the time: Why can't they just have a parade in the streets like good Catholics.

JUST NOT IN THE CHURCH AT MASS!

in personna puppets???? following??? baal??? can you say freakish?

They look upset because...
"You wanna tell the Macy's people their Jesus balloon popped?"
"Maybe we can sew it up?"
"I warned you two not to get anything from Smiling Billy Bob's Angels, Bait, and Shotgun Emporium! But did you listen? Noooooooo....."

I showed the pix to my husband and immediately he thought it looked like a Monty Python sketch:

"Look! Its a pantomime Jesus! And it looks like he's -- yes, he is fighting a pantomime horse!:

... does make one wonder if a "play book" (no pun intended) has just been released ... ya know the latest fad in liturgy dress up ... it appears they are all being guided by the same script writer and cast director ...

"Oops. Sorry, Eegahlnc. Didn't see your WICKER MAN reference."

Actually, Thomas, this just reinforces the point. If two people, totally independent of each other, look at your mass and see The Wicker Man... you've got serious problems with your liturgy.

I am not going to sleep tonight, I feel bad for all of the small children at the parish.

The video is no longer available. Maybe that's a good thing.

St. Joan of Ark Is NOT a Catholic Church. I don't view it as one. It is nothing more than a gathering of Secular Humanists and Pagans.

They sang something called “Christ Has No Body Now But Ours”. Interesting - I googled this and discovered that many people attribute it to St. Teresa of Avila! This is astounding to me - because I am certain that St. Theresa would never have said such an insane thing about Christ who certainly has a body. The Father of Lies is having a wonderful time with us all....

Sorry and it's okay that she did. Millions of hits on a search, here's one: http://www.viarosa.com/VR/StTeresa/Avila.html

Think about it a little: Christ has no body on earth now but ours, to act in charity and in love. "No hands, no feet on earth but yours."

Nothing theologically wrong with it.

John Michael Talbot has a pretty musical setting for it. http://www.johnmichaeltalbot.com/Albums/index.asp?id=76

"Christ has no body but (y)ours" - There are hundreds of places where this little poem is attributed to St. Teresa. It does not appear in any of her major works as far as I can tell. Most of St. Teresa's discussion of bodies has to do with how we can subdue and mortify them. Where did it come from? Christ has a body. Really. It is not your body. Did that Talbot fellow really write this?

looks like you may need to update the video link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz_hzHW_bRg

E-gads. When I first saw the puppets, I figured someone put on a play (and I honestly couldn't understand the commotion about them). BUT A MASS?!

Can you imagine if someone attempted this in the equivalent of a Muslim ceremony?

At what point does stuff like this spring up for people? I mean, what seed of something makes this begin as an idea? I don't understand.

Oh.my.word....talk about uuuuugly.....

Please, Archbishop Nienstedt, do SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!

St. Joan of Arc, use your heavenly sword and SLAP THE SIDES OF THE HEADS of the people responsible!

Oops. Look like the video disappeared altogether from the St Joan Gallery of videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz_hzHW_bRg

On St. Joan of Arc's feast day, no less!

The rest of the video gallery is here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/stjoanonline