I have received word of the passing of Deacon Thomas Roszkowski of the Archdiocese of Washington.
Here is a link to his bio and funeral information.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,
and let Your perpetual light shine upon him.
May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.
Amen.
The liturgical abuse at St. Teresa continues. Usually, you find one or two but this is the fourth and so we now have liturgical dance taking place during Mass.
The Vatican’s Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship stated in 1994:
Among some peoples, singing is instinctively accompanied by hand-clapping, rhythmic swaying, and dance movements on the part of the participants. Such forms of external expression can have a place in the liturgical actions of these peoples on condition that they are always the expression of true communal prayer of adoration, praise, offering and supplication, and not simply a performance. (Instruction on Inculturation and the Roman Liturgy, 42; italics added)
However, what took place at St. Teresa's on March 10th was a performance. here are some screen shots...and if you watch the video, it takes place at the one hour and fifty-one minute mark.
A few years ago, my pastor informed us that there were to be no blessings given at Communion. This was a mandate from, I believe the USCCB but I know that if I am wrong, I will be correct.
At St. Teresa, it seems that at Communion anyone can give a blessing anyone wanting. Case in point: Sr. Dr. Oralisa Martin was invited up by Msgr. East during Communion to bless anyone who wanted a blessing.
You can see it in the video at about 1:39:30 mark. However, here are some screen captures from the video.
BTW, this sort of blessing took place on March 17th and March 24th, which you can see in the videos posted on YouTube.
In my parish, and probably almost all of the parishes in the Archdiocese, I have been told that the only ones who can give a sermon/homily is an ordained Catholic priest and/or deacon. No lay person. No religious. No one else. I know in my parish, this is strictly enforced.
If you want one of the parish ministries to get up and say a couple of words about themselves, well, that is done after Communion at the time of the parish announcements. No ands, ifs, or buts.
Well it seems that at St. Teresa, someone other than a priest or deacon can give the homily/sermon. And, this has also been done on March 17th. You can see it on their YouTube Channel. Here is the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC0-ZcAj2_k
So, who is this person? Her name is Sr. Dr. Oralisa Martin and runs Oracle Religious Assn in DC, which was established in 1993 according to their website.
Sr. Dr. Martin, based on my reading of her bio, is a religious but I have no idea which order she was a associated with but it was located in LA.
It says that she has moved to "private" vows. You can read all private vows here. So, is she using
the term "Sr." in the religious order sense, or is she using it in the
generic sense, as when the priest says "Sisters and Brothers"? Msgr. East calls her "sister," but again, is she still a member of an order or has she renounced her vows. I am very unclear about it.
In addition, it should be noted that Msgr. East serves as the chaplain of Oracle Religious Association's evangelization and catechetical ministries.
More tomorrow.
A reader has informed me that there has been liturgical abuse happening at one (and there are probably others) DC parish: St. Teresa of Avila.
St. Teresa of Avila is located at 1401 V St., SE Washington, DC. The pastor is Msgr. East.
Looking at the website, it looks like most other parishes. There are Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, there are various ministries to help those in need of food, the men's group, etc. But there is also Liturgical Dance, which always raises my eyebrows.
Looking at their bulletin for March 17th, they have lots of activities - either direct, jointly or simply advertising what others are doing. Some lean to the more "progressive" side.
St. Teresa takes the Gospel and instead of reading it, as it should be, acts it out -- as if it was a play you might see in an elementary school.
Also, the Gospel is read by a lay person and not a priest or deacon, given the fact that there are both on the altar.
Unless, the person doing the Gospel is a deacon, which then shows a disregard for the norms of how a deacon should be clothed on the altar.
Here are some screenshots from their YouTube video:
But, the best is yet to come on liturgical abuse...
And to see the full video, please go here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC0-ZcAj2_k
The Gospel starts about 24 minutes in.
Well, as you can see, they are not quite halfway to the goal of 12 million.
As a reminder, here is what took place on a couple of previous appeals:
The financial goal for the 2021 Annual Appeal was $11.9 million. The amount raised was $10.3 million from just over 20,000.
The 2020 Annual Appeal brought in $10.4 million from over 33,000 donors.
Will they be able to reach their goal?
Will the pool from which they receive donations drop or increase?
Only time will tell, but once again, I have refused to donate.
