Experimental worship encourages doing rather than watching

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ATT_VerticalLogoThe Easter Vigil is a service that comes out of the sacramental traditions of the church, what is usually termed catholic in the Western church. This year’s Vigil, as celebrated by The Worship Society of St. Polycarp, lasted about an hour before worshipers processed into the banqueting hall for the celebration of the First Eucharist of Easter. If you examine the service as outlined in part two of this series on “Easter thinking,” you should be struck by something different from the norm: Some 27 individuals took a leadership role in the prayers, blessings, the Exsultet, songs, chanting, introductions to the scripture, scripture and the telling of sacred stories, and so on. This included a presiding bishop, two priests, and two deacons, each of whom presided over the parts of the service traditionally designated for their leadership. In addition, there were censors and acolytes, and everyone held candles against the darkness.

Obviously, participation was considered key, engaging far more people directly in the conduct and action of the worship than has become normative. There are profound theological, as well as cultural, reasons for this increased level of participation. Continue reading

Spotlight on the Religious Left

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By Martin E. Marty

Martin E. Marty

Martin E. Marty

Almost always Sightings takes off from the sighting of a particular recent news event. This week, for fun and games, we’ll make an exception and address a generic theme: the religious left.

Several weeks ago we commented on Jim Wallis, the leader of Sojourners (a progressive, Christian social justice organization), who is often cited as being a long-time advocate of causes marked “Left.” He sees himself as a bridge-builder across religious camps separated by the divides and poles that disrupt discourse and creative action in “secular” and “sacred” America. Among responses to that Sojourners column, some asked why Sightings did not more frequently treat the Left, the subject of so much criticism by the easily-identified Right.

Some Internet word-checking suggests that through the years we have pointed to and analyzed the Right four times for every three notices of the Left. In the public media, the Right, the Religious Right, and the Christian Right draw far more attention than does the Left. Why?

First, because the Religious Right is more noticeable than the Religious Left. The Westboro Baptist Church, that independent Baptist church in Topeka, Kansas, whose tiny but noisy membership disrupts military funerals, knows how to snag media coverage, as more liberal or moderate causes and movements do not. Continue reading

Catholic Whistleblowers aim to stop sex abuse coverup

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A newly-formed group of priests and nuns calling themselves the Catholic Whistleblowers contend that the Roman Catholic Church is still protecting sexual predators, in spite of decades-old zero tolerance policies.

Laurie Goodstein at the New York Times has written a piece announcing the launch of the group, which began to form nine months ago, out of the public eye and without oversight or knowledge of their superiors. According to Goodstein, the steering group consists mostly of priests and nuns who have blown the whistle in the past, plus three canon lawyers who have handled abuse cases for the church. Four of the twelve members are themselves survivors of child sex abuse.

The Catholic Whistleblowers intend to provide support for whistleblowers in the church, as well as for victims of all ages. Most of all, they hope to reduce sexual abuse within the church by instituting better policies, protecting whistleblowers, and prosecuting the guilty parties.

For a fuller explanation of the group, as well as insights from individual members of the steering committee, see the New York Times article.

 

One School’s Catholic Teaching

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By Frank Bruni, New York Times

COLUMBUS, Ohio — No one at the Catholic high school that fired Carla Hale in March claimed that she was anything less than a terrific physical education teacher and coach, devoted to the kids and adored by many of them.No one accused her of bringing her personal life into the gym or onto the fields. By nature she’s private. And she loved her job too much to risk it that way.

But she lost it nonetheless, and the how is as flabbergasting as the why is infuriating.

Read the full story at the New York Times.