Dissenting group issues new liturgical instruction

The dissenting group; We are Church, has released a new liturgical instruction titled: “Experimentus Makeitupus”.

The new instruction lists practises that are considered liturgical abuses by We are Church, and it dictates exactly what constitutes legitimate liturgical practise according to norms laid down by the We are Church liturgy committee.

Sister Beige-Cardy of We are Church said that she hopes “the new instruction will be a real step forward in clarifying exactly what constitutes good liturgy and what is unacceptable to We are Church”.

Experimentus Makeitupus names the following liturgical abuses as being most heinous and most urgently in need of corrective action:

1. The use of Latin - The more Latin the worse the abuse according to Experimentus Makeitupus. Sister Beige-Cardy said that “Latin during a liturgy is a real sign of a worshiping community in crisis”.

2. Male priests who consecrate without female concelebrants

3. Use of music that was written before 1970, or contains terms such as “Body and Blood of Christ”, “Redemption”, or “Father”.

4. Use of Creeds that clearly define an unchanging set of belief parameters

5. Use of gender specific words, unless they are female

6. The exclusive use of Christian Scripture

Sister Beige-Cardy sees these abuses as a real problem for worshiping communities and she believes that many problems are caused by the GIRM (General Instruction of the Roman Missal) that is used by the Catholic Church.

“We need to ditch the GIRM and start using the GRIME (General Rules I Myself Enjoy) instruction that We are Church issued some years ago” said Sister Beige-Cardy.

Experimentus Makeitupus also lists the following practises as necessary for a liturgy to be valid:

1. The presence of at least one rainbow coloured banner. If rainbow banners are not available then substitute fluorescent or primary coloured banners may be used but they must contain words such as "Justice", "Peace", or "Community".

2. At least one song by Mary Haugen must be sung.

3. The Homily must be delivered by a lay person, and it must focus primarily on feelings and emotions experienced by the Homilist.

4. The celebrant or Homilist must refer to at least one Catholic teaching that they dissent from. If this is not possible then they may refer to issues such as the war in Iraq, Greenpeace, or socialism, etc.

5. Feast days, such as Hans Kung’s birthday, must include a liturgical dance

6. The term “dig in” is a completely inappropriate formula to use when announcing the start of communion, the only valid formulas at this point of the liturgy are “The community bread is up, come and get it”, or “Feast at the table friends, and don’t forget to say thank you”.

7. When receiving the chalice at communion time, the recipient respond with; “cheers”, to signify their solidarity with the worshiping community

8. Kneeling is not a valid form of expression, unless the kneeler is expressing their devotion to mother earth.

Sister Beige-Cardy said that the new document would be sent to all We are Church members and that many Catholic parish liturgy committees had requested multiple copies of Experimentus Makeitupus.