"Why Do They Have Whale Music at the Mass?"

This week's America magazine has an article by Father Michael G. Ryan, since 1988 pastor of St. James Cathedral in Seattle. Fr. Ryan is troubled by the new liturgical translations coming out of Rome:

"It has become painfully clear that the liturgy, the prayer of the people, is being used as a tool—some would even say as a weapon—to advance specific agendas."

Yeah, that's been painfully clear for about 46 years.

Father suggests: "...what if we were to trust our best instincts and defend our people from this ill-conceived disruption of their prayer life?" and directs people to a website where they can recommend the translations be put on hold.

I'm not sure who Father means by "we" but speaking of "ill-conceived disruptions," I will say St. James Cathedral has the distinction of being the church with absolutely the worst Mass I have ever attended. In 2008, I was in Seattle, donating a kidney to my cousin, who has diabetes. The hospital was only two blocks away from St. James. Two days before the operation was Pentecost. The Mass was a theatrical production that I won't even go into, except to say that the choirmaster had composed some special music "in the spirit of Pentecost." My cousin's daughter, in her twenties and anything but a traditionalist, leaned over and asked me "Why do they have whale music at the Mass?"

I went the next Sunday, too, during my recuperation. It didn't seem as bad, but of course by then I was on opiates.

h/t Good Jesuit, Bad Jesuit

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney