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Thursday, May 1, 2008

When in Rome, do as the Romans...

So for many people, today was the feast of Ascension Thursday... but when I called the Basilica here in D.C. to ask for their Mass schedule I got transfered to several very confused people. I was asked questions like, "Why would there be a different Mass schedule on Thursday?" Apparently (According to Fr. George... who I called in bewilderment) most of the Dioceses have decided to celebrate the Ascension on the nearest Sunday. There are a few (Allentown, Philadelphia, Boston, etc.) who have decided that they will continue to celebrate Ascension Thursday on Thursday. Who celebrates a Thursday on a Sunday anyway? How does this make sense?! I will be back in Philadelphia for the weekend... somewhere in between I will have missed celebrating the Ascension.

Can someone please explain what these people are thinking?!

3 comments:

Aimee said...

I know - it's stupid!! They moved it because they said that it is an inconvenience for people to get to mass during the week. What!?!?!

I'm so glad Allentown kept it old school :)

Anonymous said...

Yeah, it seems that many of the bishops in the US are trying to be our friends instead of being our leaders. They move holy days for our convenience. They allow inappropriate music, dancing and various liturgical abuses to continue during masses in attempt to appeal to more people and draw in the younger crowd.

Sorry, I could keep on rambling. I recently learned that many things related to liturgical music that I grew up with and have sung even in the past 5 years or less were inappropriate and go against the GIRM. It was a heart-breaking and very disappointing moment - to realize that after 12 years of Catholic school and a lifetime as a practicing Catholic I have only a small clue as to what is truly proper when it comes to liturgical planning.

Kath-o-lil said...

Ascension Thursday was on Thursday here in Bethlehem, but I missed mass. Sometimes, even the proper liturgical planning doesn't work. Your intentions were good and what's in your heart matters. Glenn's dad passed away on Ascension Thursday and I sure hope he got caught up in the Lord's tail wind.