What brings this to mind is an emailer who says that Archbishop Timothy Dolan of Milwaukee had a recorded message played during Masses this week (in place of the homily) to kick off the annual fundraising appeal for the archdiocese. The message was full of folksy camaraderie and such and ended with this statement: "Okay, I'll shut up now and let you get back to the Mass ..." Does that sound like an appropriate way to speak of celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass?
It wasn't in place of the homily, it was the homily. (Well, okay, at St. Al's it was a second homily.) His "folksy camaraderie" isn't to everyone's taste, but that doesn't make it inappropriate. I have a book of sermons by St. Alphonsus himself, and while he isn't folksy, he isn't ceremonious, either. Archbishop Dolan saying he's letting us let us "get back to the Mass" strikes me as no more inappropriate than saying we're "going to Mass."
Update: Diogenes at Off the Record presents an excerpt from Bishop Gumbleton's homily for this Sunday. My pastor in his homily likewise said the word was "anger" not "pity".
The Archbishop is nothing if not folksy. Cheesehead instead of miter comes to mind.
ReplyDeleteFortunately, OUR sermon was about the period of Septuagesima, which began Sunday.
How are YOU preparing for Lent?
It has been said about the cheesehead, "let's get off Dolan for a while; that may have been the last humorous moment he had in Milwaukee."
ReplyDeleteWe were spared this recorded homily at St Anthony's in Milwaukee as well.
ReplyDeletePraise be to God!