Mmmm.....well, I had an Indian last Sunday so maybe I'll go for the Chinese. No, silly, I am not talking about take away meals....it's the Mass! You know, the one where back in the 70s there was all that fuss about how you must have Mass in the vernacular and how Latin must be kicked into touch? Got it?
I really am sorry to raise this again especially as I posted on it recently but I have received reports that indicate that more and more overseas priests are being appointed to parishes left right and centre and that they bring with them, their own language (and culture) Masses.
I am not a xenophobe, honest, it's just that nothing gets a Bishop in a tizz quicker than asking for an Extraordinary Form of Mass to be provided. "A what?" he roars "Doncha know that it's anti women and unchristian and, anyway, there's no call for it?"
Funny the way people always say "there's no call for it" just when you are asking them for it!
"B-b-but Bishop" one stammers, "you have parishes with Mass in the Malabar Rite, in Putonghua, Tagalog, Polish, Spanish, Swedish and Yiddish (well, maybe not the last one) why can't we have it in a universal language like, err, like Latin?"
"Listen you elitist racist scum just you forget about all that fancy Latiney nonsense and forget about having it in English too, or Welsh for that matter. With the lack of vocations and the way Rome treats us Bishops you are very lucky to have a Mass at all!"
"Sorry Bishop, what about Erse?"
Now an innate and rare sense of fairness compels me to tell you that Kate at
Australia Incognita disagrees with me. She has a case to state and you may read it on her excellent blog. But I am adamant in my stance.
The world is surely set on its head when we no longer even have an English Mass to attend.
Oh, and by the way, from now on this blog will be available in Serbo-Croat, Ket and Shqip. Howda?
I really am sorry to raise this again especially as I posted on it recently but I have received reports that indicate that more and more overseas priests are being appointed to parishes left right and centre and that they bring with them, their own language (and culture) Masses.
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| Indian curry, Yes! - Indian Mass - No thanks! |
I am not a xenophobe, honest, it's just that nothing gets a Bishop in a tizz quicker than asking for an Extraordinary Form of Mass to be provided. "A what?" he roars "Doncha know that it's anti women and unchristian and, anyway, there's no call for it?"
Funny the way people always say "there's no call for it" just when you are asking them for it!
"B-b-but Bishop" one stammers, "you have parishes with Mass in the Malabar Rite, in Putonghua, Tagalog, Polish, Spanish, Swedish and Yiddish (well, maybe not the last one) why can't we have it in a universal language like, err, like Latin?"
"Listen you elitist racist scum just you forget about all that fancy Latiney nonsense and forget about having it in English too, or Welsh for that matter. With the lack of vocations and the way Rome treats us Bishops you are very lucky to have a Mass at all!"
"Sorry Bishop, what about Erse?"
Now an innate and rare sense of fairness compels me to tell you that Kate at
Australia Incognita disagrees with me. She has a case to state and you may read it on her excellent blog. But I am adamant in my stance.
The world is surely set on its head when we no longer even have an English Mass to attend.
Oh, and by the way, from now on this blog will be available in Serbo-Croat, Ket and Shqip. Howda?
May I say again how much I appreciate your sense of humor, especially your photo captions? You manage to make your point and the humor never hurts.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless you
Joyce
grrr to him for not being open to latin- but now I am hungry for some Indian food YUM
ReplyDeleteIn London these masses in different vernaculars are quite popular. I don't see anything wrong with them. They do not replace English or Latin masses, so there is no compulsion to attend one. Incidentally, I've never seen an Indian priest wear a "dhoti", neither in UK or India.
ReplyDeleteJI...forgive me but you appear to be from the Indian sub continent originally. That may be why you are comfortable with such Masses and I think that totally understandable and reasonable.
ReplyDeleteBut imagine an English priest going to run a parish in Chennai and only saying the Mass in English. Would that be acceptable?
Here, in some parts of Wales foregn language Masses are replacing (on an increasing number of occasions) Mass in the vernacluar and I have seen a priest in a dhoti.
God bless.
JI, sorry again, I see now you are from Kerala so my case is even more poignant. Those attending a Syro Malabar rite Mass (for example) would, I suspect, be a little aggrieved if it was in English?
ReplyDeleteRichard
Richard, where I come from many masses are said in English nowadays as well as in the local language. I'm surprised to learn foreign language masses are completely replacing 'normal' masses. In London, where I live, there are masses in all sorts of foreign languages (Polish, Arabic, Malayalam, etc), but they are at certain times and in certain places. I can therefore understand why you feel aggrieved if the only mass you can attend is in a foreign vernacular. Normally foreign priests who come here have a reasonable command of English, so I can’t see why they can’t do English masses.
ReplyDeletePray for more vocations in Britain.
Regards,
JI.
R & J: isn't it all so meaningless: let's ALL go back to Latin. Imagine travelling the world and understanding the Mass everywhere. What a joy. The Church would be Catholic: Universal. Serbs and Croats, Poles and Germans, Irish and Scottish, American and Mexican, even Welsh and English. ;-) Why are we fragmenting on the altar of 'universal brotherhood'?
ReplyDeleteI attended Latin Masses in France, Italy and Spain and followed each one with no problems.
Deo gratias.