Worship Times

It’s not called Domus Dei anymore. Built of Living Stones is now the official document on art and architecture approved by the U.S. Catholic bishops during their Washington meeting in mid-November. Here is quotation from its preface: “This document has been approved by the bishops of the Latin Church of the United States and issued by the authority of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops on November 16, 2000. Built of Living Stones contains many of the provisions of universal law governing liturgical art and architecture and offers pastoral suggestions based upon the experience of the last thirty-five years. The document presents guidelines that can serve as the basis for diocesan bishops to issue further guidelines and directives for their dioceses. Where the document quotes or reiterates norms from liturgical books and the Code of Canon Law, those prescriptions are binding on local communities and dioceses.” A full text can be accessed at www.nccbuscc .org/liturgy/livingstonesind .htm.

A saint
by any other name

I heard of an outraged DRE who objected when a teen chose St. Bobo as his confirmation name. Be sure your adolescents don’t hear of St. Sexburgha. The Abbey Church of The Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Sexburgha on the Isle of Sheppey in England would prefer its name not attract unwanted attention on the internet. “We are the only church dedicated to Sexburgha and we are proud of it, but we did not want her name to cause problems," says Canon Gilbert Spencer. Why? Porn searchers might hit the site looking for something a bit more racy. 

One more acronym

Food for thought for the finance committee: Anglican officials suggest ATMs for their churches in England. One reason is to make the parish church a community center as other public buildings in the countryside close. Anybody in North America tried this yet? What about automatic withdrawal for your Sunday offering? Are collection baskets soon to be a thing of the past?

Song-bashing

M. Francis Mannion writes in an otherwise thoughtful editorial in Antiphon: “The newer songs are typically about practical and pragmatic human needs (good in themselves), but they do not very often invoke the larger and wider vision of heaven. Today the music of worship regularly seems feeble, focused on the small spaces of the psyche, self-absorbed, and narrow-minded.” So I pulled out my parish’s new annual missal to informally survey the 2001 additions. Twelve new selections include two psalm settings and three texts based on other Scripture passages. Two metric hymns included a fine text by a world-renowned hymn writer and a contemporary Marian piece. Text adaptations include the Pentecost Sequence, the Pange Lingua, and various Irish prayers (for a single communion song).

Big helping of the Bible and traditional Catholic stuff, I thought. It seems almost traditional to bash both contemporary music and disposable hymnals in some quarters these days, but the criticism doesn’t always hold up. Check out Msgr. Mannion’s essay “A New Phase of Liturgical Reform” online at www.catholicity.com /cathedral/scl/antiphon.html.

The words in the book

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Bridgton, Maine, has a new pastor. That would not normally make national news, but the Rev. David Snyder is believed to be the first Lutheran in the United States to pastor an all-Episcopal congregation; since this past summer’s interdenominational accord. Previous sharing of clergy between the two traditions has been limited to mixed congregations; otherwise “imported” ministers have been asked to switch their religious allegiance to that of their people.

What have been the biggest adjustments so far? Lutheran ministers are usually known as “pastors,” Episcopalians as “priests.” Parishioners call Snyder “Father Dave.” Snyder related: “I said, ‘Well, I have four children, I’m a father, so I’d feel very comfortable if you call me father.”

St. Peter’s seems very comfortable swimming in an ecumenical stream. They don’t have a church building, so they worship at the town’s Methodist church. Snyder’s ministry celebration was held at a Catholic Church.

A fine point of liturgy was also discussed. Lutherans have been known to improvise a bit more than Episcopalians, but Snyder has been well briefed on this. He recalled some recent advice: “Someone came up to me, very gently, and said, ‘As Episcopalians, we like to use the words in the book.’ ”

In spite of dungeon,
fire and sword

A PBS documentary included a feature on John Fer, an Air Force veteran who endured six years in a POW camp during the Vietnam War. Fer, a member of Beatitudes of Our Lord Parish in La Mirada, Calif., described Sunday morning liturgy with three cellmates (including recent presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain). “We put together a homily, we would put together some Scripture reading, and our choir, which was led by Quincy Collins — they were very quiet because the North Vietnamese guards didn’t like any noise that could be considered a disturbance — sang hymns.”
 ML

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