Evangelization Through Drama

For readers who don't know me, over the past several years and through the influence of a friend, I have developed an interest in the idea of evangelization by example, and the best examples are dramatic. Most of our real lives aren't apparently dramatic, or we're too modest to call attention to ourselves, so this leaves us with drama: thus evangelization through drama. On Gaudete Sunday and the following Monday, I went to see three plays; call it research.

Godspell

I remember the song Day by Day being played at Holy Mass when I was about 13 and living in the Browsnburg, Indiana. Compared to some of the music used today, it isn't too bad.  Back then I was too young to know how cool the liturgists thought it was that a top 40 hit could be played at Holy Mass. I was too young to know what a liturgist was. Someone told me the song  came from something called Godspell, but I never saw the play.  I corrected this omission from my education by seeing  Mustard Seed Theater's production.

New Translation of the Roman Missal

With introduction of the new translation of the Roman Missal, some Catholics (and non-Catholics) might question why it was necessary. The first question might be, “Translation from what?” Latin, of course. In the Roman Rite (sometimes we say the “Latin Rite”) our liturgy is composed in Latin and then translated into the common tongue of whatever country you happen to be in. It isn't like there's an English Mass and a German Mass and a Spanish Mass and a Japanese Mass and so on. There is the Roman Mass (or Missal), and then it is translated. Or not – is is perfectly fine to use the Roman Missal un-translated too. In St. Louis, Holy Mass in the Ordinary Form is celebrated in Latin at St. Mary of Victories Church downtown every Sunday at 9:30. The first English translation was implemented in 1969 and updated in 1985. As of Advent this year (2011) we again have another update of the English translation.

The Curé of Ars to Visit St. Louis December 10

Leonardo Defilippis will perform his one man show Vianney at 7:30 PM Saturday, Dec. 10^th, at the Carmelite Monastery Chapel, 9150 Clayton Road in Ladue, and at 7 PM Monday, December 12^th, at St. Angela Merici Church, 3860 N. Hwy. 67 in Florissant. Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted.

Cardinal Burke: "things are getting better"

In an interview with the Catholic News Agency, Archbishop Emeritus of St. Louis Raymond Cardinal Burke expressed his assessment of where the culture war is going

I think that sometimes the young people understand much better the bankruptcy of a totally secularized culture because they’ve grown up with it

and because of this better understanding, better outcomes might be seen.

Cardinal Burke goes on to warn of a coming persecution and points out that elections matter. Read the full interview here.