Saint Louis Catholic: Video of St. Alphonsus Liguori "Rock" Church Palm Sunday Mass

06 April 2009

Video of St. Alphonsus Liguori "Rock" Church Palm Sunday Mass

This video comes from Channel 5, KSDK. Click the link, and the video play button is at the top right.

16 comments:

Michael said...: Hard to believe that's a Roman Catholic Church! It really shows the lack of authority our bishops are able to exercise, that even in an archdiocese where Absp. Burke was, this junk was allowed to continue.; 06 April, 2009 15:47
Anonymous said...: Words fail me.; 06 April, 2009 17:04
Mitch said...: I' glad the church got restored after the fire, now step II comes: restoration of the liturgy and quickly please!!!; 06 April, 2009 17:59
Wm said...: MINDLESS1; 06 April, 2009 18:12
Anonymous said...: Why can't you people go to the Oratory and leave the rest of us alone? We're not bothering you so stay out of our face.; 06 April, 2009 18:41
StGuyFawkes said...: Folks, lighten up! Do you really think this is as bad as a "Polka Mass"?

Black Catholics come from the same musical and preaching traditions as their Protesttant kin and this kind of liturgy can't be just blandly dismissed.

I've been to St. Brigit and Theresa's down the street about a million times and it is MUCH MORE RESTRAINED and REVERANT than the average Novus Ordo Mass in any white parish.

So cut these guys a break. I'll tell you the music is better, more deeply religious and clearly more identifiable as religious music than ANYTHING you can find in the "GATHER" hymnal which is full of the Leonard Cohen-like musings of the (barf-barf) St. Louis Jesuits. (Most of whom aren't even Jesuits anymore or even Catholic.)

Cut the brothers and sisters some slack. They aren't the ones that introduced the liturgical nightmare of cheap music and smarmy gestures of bonhomie. These black catholics are coming out of an entirely different tradition. They've got Mahalia Jackson working for them. All the average white parish has is Marty Haugen.

Not that Black R.C.s don't have a right to the Tridentine. I'm sure they would love it. Black Catholics tend to be very conservative. Those folks dress up to go to church. You don't see any of those guys in polo shirts or pant's suits. And yes the Ladies DO wear hats on their heads, if not mantillas. So let's give some respect......They have a lot of things right that most novus ordo parishes have wrong even if it's not in Latin.; 06 April, 2009 21:07
Anonymous said...: Reparation is in order. Fortunately, when it comes to ORDER, we are blessed with St. Francis de Sales.

PMKD; 06 April, 2009 21:59
MP said...: Do they have mass there with the eucharist? It looks like they are just having a prayer service type of music festival.; 06 April, 2009 22:07
Anonymous said...: Well, hmmmm, ah - I gather from the footage this parish is in an African-American area. In Kansas City we have St Monica's, which used to be St Joseph's. It was renamed after a number of closings of parishes in the inner city. St Monica's is much like this, except with a new building designed to look like an African hut of some sort. They have a fantastic gospel choir.

It is Vatican II, so - yeah the liturgy isn't Traditional by any means. I would be very excited to be back in my home Church after such a horrible fire. It was more than Palm Sunday to those people. Was the church rededicated?

When we had our dedication Mass of Old St Patrick's Oratory - the smiles and taking in the beauty were everywhere. We just are "traddies". The liturgy is more reverent and respectful of the Holy Presence.

Vatican II happened and well - it isn't going to go away. It allowed and encouraged peoples to place their cultural traditions/customs into the liturgy. Whether that has been abused...that is another long discussion. As well as other abuses of Vatican II.

I am very happy for these people to have not lost the Church building. The closing of a Parish leaves a huge hole in any neighborhood. And many hearts. Been there, done that.

Martha in KC; 06 April, 2009 23:00
thetimman said...: St. Guy, you're definitely right about the way they are dressed. I have seen few churches where the members are so consistently dressed in their "Sunday best".

I hope the anon at 18:41 will note that I made no comment, positive or negative, about this video depicting a local Catholic news story. There is good and bad here, like in every parish.

It makes me weep to see that beautiful high altar wasted, and I don't think the priests are conducting themselves with the dignity of their office. As far as the "production" of the music and ad-lib nature of the prayers, I can't speak to it as I have never attended. But all these points could be made about many parishes.

I think there is more to this, however, than just to say, "It's not for me." The Mass is not the private property of any person, priest or lay. And thus a conundrum. If St. Alphonsus, why not the women-led liturgy? Why not the charismatic Mass? Hence, it is very interesting, and probably worth exploring, but it is a mine field of potential to hurt feelings and engender misunderstanding.; 06 April, 2009 23:12
sacerdos in germania said...: "In the 142 year old structure, there were no longer any tell-tale signs of...Catholicism".

Ah yes, the wonderful springtime of Vatican II strikes again...:(; 07 April, 2009 03:08
Matt Altepeter said...: My Grandmother grew up in north St. Louis, and attended the Parish of St. Alphonsus Rock before she and grandpa moved out into the county in the 50's. She was baptised there, went to parochial school there, was married there, the whole nine yards.

My mother lives with her, and I was visiting the night the story ran. Grandma started weeping (not crying, *weeping*) when she saw what was going on at the Church. Horrible, truly horrible.; 07 April, 2009 17:33
Snup said...: I went to a Mass at the Rock about 2 weeks before the fire. I have to say, I really prefer this to the charismatic Mass that I went to a month. I just couldn't get over that people came to Mass 20+ minutes late.
I don't really have a problem with the Mass at the Rock, it is just so different culturally from my background.

Let the Church say Amen.; 07 April, 2009 18:47
Anonymous said...: We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen.; 09 April, 2009 15:18
JeanS said...: It was Palm Sunday. Some of the video depicts the blessing of the palm prior to processing into the church. Let us love one another, pray for one another and get on with it.; 10 April, 2009 09:35
timmy said...: Sorry folks, this type of service has been going here for years, this is not new. I love the Rock Services, I embrace them.
Spend Christmas Eve at the Rock church sometime.

Get over yourselves and let the Rock worship the Lord. It is not your place to be outraged, it is not your place to be negative. Do you really think this service is being hidden from the Archbishop (s)?
The Mass has attendance every Sunday and fulfills the needs of its parishioners. Check out the young Catholics that attend. That is what counts. Stay at St Francis, love and worship the Lord and leave the Rock alone. It is doing fine without you.

Get over yourselves, honest.; 18 April, 2011 02:03