2008 LA Religious Education Conference

Yes, it's tough to be Catholic in L.A. The frightening thing is that the attendees are people who are "educating" our children in parish schools. On the bright side, they did use incense! Pray for us all in Mahony-land. Three years to go until his mandatory retirement, and counting....

If your traveling on US.2 through Iron Mountain Mi. stop at the Holy Cross Carmelite Monastery, all are welcome to the 7:00 am Mass. Fr. Sean delivers outstanding homilies and the sisters provide drum free inspiring music.

What, no puppets?

But seriously, I thought my religious education was bad growing up in the 80's. If these are the educators, the youth of LA are doomed.

The shock and awe effect when Mahoney retires will be truly spectacular to watch

Is it just me or does the altar look like it came straight from Ikea?

How many days after Mahony offers his mandatory resignation to the Holy Father do you think it will be accepted?

I'm guessing 1-2.

Days? I'm hoping a matter of hours.

I especially like the illusion of green blinking lights on the Cardinal's beanie from 7:02 - 7:16 of the video.

If we can see this so can Pope Benedict XVI

*sad*

The worst part is, this is a national conference (bigger than the NCEA, so far as most teachers are concerned). So not only are the LA youth in trouble, but any Catholic school in America.

I teach religion at a Catholic School and one of my administrators suggested I go to LAREC.
Not a chance

I am trying so hard to be charitable, but...I just threw up a little.

I guess being a "changed disciple" can only carry over so far! For a little while life was encouraging for those of you who are in LA. I guess my saying remains, "Life here is not yet heaven, but at least it's not LA!"

I have to work at LA Congress every year as part of my job. It's the largest event of its kind in the world, drawing about 40,000+ people every year. They usually have a few token orthodox speakers, but the vast majority of the workshops are fluff (at best) and heretical (at worst). It always pains me to see the influence it has, though, since many of those attending are working in active parish ministry throughout the US and further afield. I wish I could say it's only those poor folks in LA who have to endure it, but believe me, we're all feelings its effects.

So when do we get "Liturgy on Ice" at our new arena?

One word for this...P A G A N !!!!!!!!!!!!

It looks like the "thurible" is a used wok they picked up in Chinatown.

This has become one of the most scandless events on the west coast. Not all the talks are recorded for review. I wonder why? Are they trying to hide something? Maybe too much evidence to prove how unfaithful these speakers are at this so called religious event.

More than one bishop has to submit for retirement in the same year as Crdnl Mahoney on this side of the states, also Bishop Brown of Orange & Neidenhour of San Fran! My prayer is God either convert them or remove them.

Jeez, and I get miffed when the servers at my parish wear flip flops. Next time I'll say a prayer of thanksgiving that they're not barefoot.

A little much for Lent, don't you think?

Send copy of video to the CDWDS and/or the Congregation for Catholic Education?

Not just incense, but Flabella as well (about 2 minutes in, and again at 5:55)).

But yes, vile.

This was useful. I am going to ban all of those songs from my parish. Thank God I live in a diocese that is sane and Catholic. Mahoney is fiddling while LA burns.

O.o

wth? this must end...

That was a protestant mockery of a Catholic service right?

They had enough time for 4 entrance hymns (so coyly segued)... but they couldn't muster up the actual Introit? I can't believe the musical talent of their multiple choirs couldn't handle it. They must have just never considered it.

As Michael Voris says, the Holy Spirit needs to take them out behind the woodshed.

A couple of the melodies were catchy. Toe tapping tunes and energetic dancers, etc. No place for them in a liturgy, of course.

Taken as a whole, it reminded me of a Wiggles concert.

Yikes. I'm praying that at least all of the participants were hoping to please God.

"That's entertainment!!"

"Not just incense, but Flabella as well (about 2 minutes in, and again at 5:55))."

Richard- I'm a recent convert, so I had to Google
'Flabella'. On my first try, I got 'Tango shoes'.
On my second, I got this:
http://dominican-liturgy.blogspot.com/2008/04/dominican-use-of-flabella.html

To which were you referring? Or was it both? :-)

Please pray for us here in LA

2/27/11 Party at my house, for Mahony's retirement.

Divine intervention is our only hope here. Fortunately my parish is ran by the Carmelites so I have none of these problems shown in the video.

Was that the opening ceremony for the Olympics?

Goofy, eh? What is with the doe-eyed dancers/incense bearers? This isn't worship, it's addiction to emotionalism. There is only worship of the self in this liturgy. This kind of display is as unchristian as the barking and howling found in services like those of the Toronto "Blessing". Give me the Ordinary Form in utter simplicity with chant any day.

Who is this "Mahoney" guy who appears in all these videos? Shouldn't Cardinal Mahony tell him to clean up his act?

Oh, dear, where to begin...

First I must issue a disclaimer that this is heavily attended (and influenced) by my parish. (No, I do NOT attend.)I recognized many faces and voices, and the awful "All are Welcome" was written by a former music director here. So now you know what happens at the Easter Vigil...which was OK when I was received into the Church, but now that I know better, well...

My next reaction was "it's the beginning of "The Lion King", which I love, but then it turned into the "It's a Small World" Mass. Was I the only one that noticed that as far as the eye could tell, there was not even ONE male altar server?

Joe, can I RSVP for the Farewell Roger Party now??

I agree with all, this was disturbing.

I do have a serious question, which will be hard to answer because if we're conservative, we tend to be in a conservative parish.

How much strength is there still left in this secularized, Protestant, modern view of the Church? Yes, there's Sr. Joan Chittester, and NCR, the Kennedy's and John Kerry. I know there's a lot out of them out there. But does anyone have an idea of how their numbers are going? I suspect that the "new" Church may be a mile wide and an inch deep. How could something so banal get true devotion. But how strong are these people? Anyone know?

All- come to Wichita. There is a ban on Liturgi-tards and Incense-woks. Great cost of living, low crime, fresh air, starry night skies, and 46 seminarians for a small corner of Kansas. All are welcome here! (Couldn't resist!) Also, Bsp Olmstead passed through here on his way to relieve Mahoney in 2011.

I almost vomited on my keyboard.

I pray that I may never voluntarily set foot in California. And I thank God that my only relatives out west are in Denver. The last time I was out there, I happened to catch the Mass of thanksgiving as said by their newly consecrated auxiliary bishop--I knew I was in for a treat when Ecce Sacerdos Magnus was the entrance hymn.

Someone beat me to the punch on "no puppets?", but still, where were the puppets.

We had new age priestesses, bongo drums, liturgical dance, creative uses of woks as incense burners, flocks of deacons, priests, and bishops that look like they have never cracked the spine on a copy of the G.I.R.M., a butcher block altar, and way too much inappropriate music.

That only scratches the surface. I wonder what they do in the Vatican when they see these things?

My heart and prayers go out to the Faithful who must suffer with these indignities and abuses.

Rgds

Well put. This is the sort of crap that provides that "ah-ha" moment when lay Catholics are exposed to conpiracy theorist lit/video/radio.

What in the name of Ba'al was that all about? There was quite the pagan fete going on till those bishop-y guys suddenly showed up.

Cardinal Mahony is in perfect communion with the Pope of Rome, who surely has been made aware of these atrocities over the past several decades.

Whatever he's written to the contrary, Pope Benedict's actions (or lack thereof) clearly show that he, the Pope, approves of these abominations, or at least believes that they are one out of many options, including "orthodoxy," which good Catholics may avail themselves of.

Please, don't cite me copious documents of the Vatican that are never read by the rank-and-file. The Pope's actions speak louder than his words.

The Pagans are coming, at the end the woman serverette holding the bowl of incense above her head, could have come out of a 50's movie on pagan Rome

So, it wasn't high Cathedral, extraordinary rite. That's what it seems is the gripe here.

I saw the interpretive dance, and noticed it was before the liturgy begins. So, what's the problem? It's as though some won't be happy until we have the men on one side, the women on the other, with veils on their heads, and Sisters using the clickers to get everyone to lock-step into sitting, standing or kneeling together.

I do agree that additional effort could have been made in using the Introite verse as part of the gathering and could yet have been done so, even after the processional music.

The music chosen also was representative of the assembly at worship, as part of the Body of Christ in Worship. Just because it isn't chant, doesn't make it less worthy of the Liturgy. After all, the purpose of the Gathering Song is to bring the assembly together in one heart and mind, which if the music is in Latin, more than a fair percentage of the assembly would be wandering in confusion, saying that's nice music, but it doesn't give me anything to focus my mind and heart on. If anything, it would tell the average attendee to the liturgy that it was for the Religious (and Musical) elitist, and doesn't have anything to do with the reality that the average person has to deal with. Yes, it may give the "average" church-goer a goal, but it also tells the same guy that to have singable (and yes, enjoyable) music is not worthy of God. The fact of the matter is that music is worthy of God, when done with the best of ability and proper intent.

Further, the commentary above seems to discount the music of other parts of the world as less than worthy for use. What euro-centric drivel, to complain that the music of other languages and cultures, speaking of the Praise and Worship of God as "inappropriate music"

It seems that many of the comments are looking for an easy put down, rather that building up the Kingdom of God, and that smacks to me of the Pharisee complaining about the speck in the other's eye while ignoring the plank of wood in their own.

Phil Patricks:
"Just because it isn't chant, doesn't make it less worthy of the Liturgy. "

Read Sacrosanctum Concilium. The Church, apparently, disagrees with you.

wow...

Mahony: The Musicale...

or was it a mass?

oh well...

Oh... My....

I'm speechless!!

I presume you are referring to Sacrosanctum Concilium, Chapter VI, Article 116, which reads "The Church recognizes Gregorian chant as being specially suited to the Roman liturgy. Therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services.
Other kinds of sacred music, especially polyphony, are by no means excluded from liturgical celebrations, so long as they accord with the spirit of the liturgical actions as laid down in Article 30."
and
Article 30:
"30. To promote active participation, the people should be encouraged to take part by means of acclamations, responses, psalms, antiphons, hymns, as well as by actions, gestures and bodily attitudes. And at the proper time a reverent silence should be observed."

What Dave apparently forgot is the second part of Article 116, as other kinds of Sacred Music. The music used was, and is, sacred music. Just because it doesn't fit some narrow-minded, eurocentric view of what constitutes sacred music, doesn't mean that it should be excluded.

Balderdash!

If God can bless rocks that form cornerstones of churches, of oils meant to heal, and so on, what is to say that God would exclude "All Are Welcome" just because it isn't Gregorian Chant?

Further in Sacrosanctum Concilium, Chapter III Article 37:
"Even in the ligurty the Church does not wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not involve the faith or the good of the whole community. Rather does she respect and foster the qualities and talents of the various races and nations. Anything in these people's way of life which does not indissolubly bound up with superstition and error she studies with sympathy, and, if possible, preserves intact. She sometimes even admits such things into the liturgy itself, provided they harmonize with its true and authentic spirit."

I do believe that Cardinal Mahoney is aware of these articles and having known protests in the past would strive to make sure that the liturgies, especially where he is the presider, would conform to the necessary regulations and guidelines to make a proper liturgical celebration.

Therefore, to respond to jaycab: not only was it a mass, but it was a Mass.

"I do believe that Cardinal Mahoney is aware of these articles and having known protests in the past would strive to make sure that the liturgies, especially where he is the presider, would conform to the necessary regulations and guidelines to make a proper liturgical celebration."

You're kidding, lol! Glass flagons, kool-aid pitchers, the works...