I know at least 2 priests that would have called the whole thing off when those first 200 families left.

I wonder if any of the 200 who left later became part of the 1,000.

Yes he beleives that some of the 200 did come back. The parish keeps a rather detailed census so I am sure its the case.

It's paralleled in the Bread of Life Discourse. Jesus reveals the truth about himself and people walk away because the road is hard. The Bible doesn't tell us how many of those who left Him that day eventually returned.

There is a basically cynical mind-set on display here (and elsewhere from time to time on our forum). It is tiring and callously offensive, and patently (c)rude. It doesn't matter one whit where these people came from, whether they are from other parishes or are converts, whether they are returning, all the above, or whether anything at all else. They have chosen 'the better part', and moving furniture around has nothing to do with it, thank you.

The glorious aspect of this is that a large number of people are attracted to what is going on liturgically and spiritually in this parish, and that is cause for a Te Deum. Tales such as this should bring forth naught but great rejoicing by us, for it is evident that the spiritual, cultural, and aesthetical needs of a large number of people (not to mention the Lord's due) are being met here - and aren't being met elsewhere. Heaven knows that there is no dirth of places that are technically Catholic which couldn't care less about these people and their needs. And, heaven knows that they do their share of siphoning off the grinches who don't like the sort of flower that is blossoming in this bed.

DEO GRATIAS!

(Meanwhile, Walsingham has almost doubled its membership in the very last few years.
Let them who have ears..... )

...posted this to say...

Magnificent!
What integrity and faith!
That makes it even better.

Keep an eye out for alligators, Kevin. : )

and displaced Yankees! ;-) Their bite is worse and they are soooo ill tempered.

You will have to share that one, Julie.

That's must be the hospitality for which the South is, um, well known.

Let me just say it had to do, in retrospect, with the natives perhaps drinking too much corn whiskey, and one son not realizing until too late (after a vicious slap across the face in a room full of people) that otherwise charming Southern girls consider the name "Yahweh" to be a swear word. If nothing else, it was a chance to admire my son's graceful response to a really shocking assault and to wonder at the indifference of all the onlookers.

That wasn't the only bizarre behavior we observed below the Mason-Dixon line, but that made us all vow to stay in Yankee country for a long time to come.

Julie,

I call incidents like this much more the fruit of the self-appointed protocol police. I would, therefore, be hard-pressed to tar and feather all Southern folk with the same brush.

On the other hand, it should be noted that the fact that one is quickly on first-name basis with everyone (unless one insists otherwise or is of an age to be treated as a visiting dignitary) does not indicate inclusion.

What a puzzling story: there are enough Southern hymns that call God "Jehovah" to provide for constant slapping, if that's one's idea of a good time.

Julie,

I'm not a Southerner, so I don't take personal offence at your characterization, and I'm sorry if my casting the issue the way I did suggested otherwise. I did live in the "buckle of the Bible belt" for 13 years. My fonder memories of Southerners, however, are from my high school, where two teachers (one in Literature and one in History) presented the South in a good light by example.

What I find interesting, is that most Protestants I have known have no idea "Yahweh" is even God's name. They think his name is, "God." But even the Church says we are not to use that name in conversation, prayer, or song.

CONGREGATIO DE CULTU DIVINO ET DISCIPLINA SACRAMENTORUM
Prot. no. 213/08/L Rome
Rome, June 29, 2008
Copy here.

SANS's lyrics were revised in 2008. The revised first verse:

Shout with gladness! Dance in joy!
O come before the Lord.
And play for God on glad tambourines,
and let your trumpet sound.

Notice: "God" replaces "Him".

God loves God's people, God loves God's people so much that God sent God's Son, Jesus the Redeemer Person, to redeem them so that they might become God's heirs, God's chosen people, so that they might live with God in God's kingdom heavenly place for ever.

Yes, Chris! These are the same people who shrieked 'we don't talk that way' when the new translation came out.

[Corrected according to Chris' penetrating observation just below...]

so that they might live with God in God's kingdom heavenly place for ever.

But just make sure it's not in "...some heaven light years away."

She was an otherwise nice Irish Catholic girl, and we were having an otherwise very good time singing silly songs with a piano and flute and mandolin until the Y-word came up.

Speaking of the I-word, have you seen the video of President Kennedy's Requiem Mass which has been in circulation?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6frnUl7X0A

I think it's safe to say that liturgical reform and renewal were much in need if that is what the ancient rite had been reduced to by '63. It is called 'Low Mass of a Bishop' with music. At the Confiteor, for example, one can hear the Cardinal reciting the words, and a tenor simultaneously singing an operatic Ave Maria with organ.

Those who think all things liturgical were wonderful before Vatican II were obviously not there.

Or were fortunate enough to go to a parish without liturgical abuse, but I digress. I suppose since it was a Mass for a president, they tried to make it as friendly as possible, but I have a feeling Pres. Kennedy would have liked a proper Requiem Mass instead of a half-hearted but more welcoming one. Probably Scalia as well, for that matter, but at least he got less abuse than the presidential Requiem.

Kevin,
It's very encouraging to hear of your situation. I'm down in Miami, FL, at the Cathedral, and the road of growth and renewal will be long for us, but we are making progress. Our rector gradually instituted some of the reforms your pastor did. We sing the introit and communio in English, the dialogues, we use good music, incense is always used, a growing percentage of our students participate at Sunday mass, the Latin Ordinary is used during Advent and Lent. But an impressive change our rector made was the restoration of the chapel altar to its original location against the wall of the chapel. This way all weekday and vigil masses are celebrated ad orientem. The reactions of visitors from other parishes to this style of liturgy are not always complimentary, but our rector has read much of the same material that we who contribute to this forum have, and he firmly defends true sacred music and ars celebrandi. The development I describe has been primarily for our English masses. Our Spanish and Kreyol masses are still just scratching the surface, musically speaking, but at least they know the Jubilate Deo mass and the reading Acclamations in Latin. Anyway, I must praise and thank God because our Archbishop has been supportive of true sacred music and especially Gregorian chant. I have worked with a few bishops and this is not always the case.
If you are ever down in Miami feel free to stop by.
Gustavo

Let us not forget that in Ireland under English rule, being Catholic was illegal for centuries. Their cultural tradition has probably handed down that Low Mass with no frills was the safest way to have Mass, or risk imprisonment or execution.

Clerget,

while it was illegal to be Catholic, Tallis and Byrd wrote such sublime music.