Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

“To celebrate the liturgy in the awareness of God’s presence, with that dignity and beauty which make a little of his splendor visible, is the commitment of every Christian trained in the faith.” ~Pope Benedict XVI

This is a moving quote, coming from a master liturgist. It speaks to the ineffability of the Sacred Mysteries. Pope Benedict gets it. And a growing number of the laity, particularly young Catholics, get it too.

The question is, based on the proliferation of liturgical abuses and aberrations in Milwaukee, how many priests in the archdiocese get it? A friend recently related how, at Easter Sunday Mass, the priest channeled his inner Sister Sledge and belted out “We are Family” from the sanctuary. Bad dancing ensued. Stunned and outraged, she said it felt like she didn’t even attend Mass on Easter.

Folks, there’s nothing dignified about this site, and the spectacle of a middle-aged man in a polyester chasuble, awkwardly swaying back and forth to a disco beat, now almost exclusively reserved for high school dances, is the farthest thing from beauty I can imagine.