"He instinctively can find the shining greatness of our American culture and does a good job of highlighting it (although he also does have those rare lapses when he writes about hockey, but that is something caused by impurities in the Eastern waters or something)." Erik Keilholtz
Under the patronage of St. Tammany
Mark C. N. Sullivan is an editor at a Massachusetts university. He is married and the father of three children. Email
Tuesday, August 26, 2003 Q: Why does God allow liturgists? A: So that in times when the Church is not being persecuted, the devout still will have the privilege of suffering for their Faith.
Raising their hands at "The Lord's Prayer." Losing the handshake and embracing the person in the next seat at the sign of peace. In an extra act of reverence, bowing before receiving the Communion host.
And undoing a lifetime of tradition by not kneeling in prayer after Communion.
Instead, in a sign of the communal nature of the sacrament, worshippers will stand and sing until each person has received Communion.
American Catholics are about to experience major changes in the Communion rite as dioceses begin implementing updated General Instruction of the Roman Missal.
Bishop Anthony M. Pilla plans for the changes to be implemented in all of the diocese's 234 parishes by Nov. 30, the first Sunday of Advent.
The Rev. J-Glenn Murray, director of the diocesan Office for Pastoral Liturgy, said the changes will unsettle many Catholics, but the diocese hopes the uniform guidelines will help people in the pews have a richer experience of the sacrament.
"I think the current rite stresses presence and holiness in a very powerful manner," Murray said. "I think it's a vast improvement."
It is worth noting that Fr. Murray considers St. Sabina's in Chicago an example of good practice in worship.
Bill White and Domenico Bettinelli say they aren't hugging anybody at Mass, thank you very much (though the Abercrombie & Fitch example raised by Bill White does make for an intriguing mental picture).
Meantime, for those Ohioans about to be forced to love their neighbor and then some at Mass, here are lists of Byzantine and Romanian Catholic parishes in Ohio and of Orthodox churches in Greater Cleveland.
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