A jaunt through a few of the things posted today at Fishwrap (aka The National Schismatic Reporter) gives you a sense of their … “spirituality”. They’re spiritual over there.
For example, we learn from a Franciscan, Michael Crosby, more about “conscious evolution”.
Evolutionary consciousness points to a Trinitarian cosmic order
[…]
Although I am a male religious, I must admit that I too have focused (a lot but not intensely) on “conscious evolution.” The more I’ve investigated its premises, the more I find it helpful, especially as I engage the many questions about faith that science raises. It also has helped me as I seek credibility (and believability) as a Catholic religious and priest called to proclaim our faith in a world rapidly being defined by new insights arising from physics, neuroscience and cosmology.
When I tell other religious and priests that my exploration of these ideas have made me more conscious of how the Trinity and Christ constitute the source and summit of everything in creation, I sometimes find their first reaction is skepticism or fear. However, when they truly examine the idea for themselves, their resistance turns to enthusiastic acceptance. One example might show what I mean. It involves a group of women religious, a U.S. province of an international congregation whose leadership belongs to LCWR.
[…]
There’s some stuff about sharing in there, too, if you can make it that far.
And what to make of this?
Dominican brother sees prayer dances as an avenue to other faiths
[…]
A significant part of Kilikevice’s ministry has been bringing the Aramaic language to people through dance. He draws upon the Aramaic Jesus work of Neil Douglas-Klotz, a Chicago-born journalist-turned spiritual teacher and co-founder of the International Network for the Dances of Universal Peace, a venue for peacemaking through the arts.
On the Shem Center’s website, Kilikevice explains that the peace dances are a form of prayer “that creates community, while inviting participants to experience with breath, voice and body the spiritual wisdom found in ancient sacred phrases and their meanings.”
Kilikevice has been dancing in these circles since 1968. He discovered them during a retreat in San Jose, Calif., when someone suggested they go Sufi dancing. Not having a clue what it entailed, he went and ended up loving it. He told NCR he later learned that chant and dance can “awaken a powerful, experiential response that takes people beyond what a verbal recitation does.”
[…]
A significant part of Kilikevice’s ministry has been bringing the Aramaic language to people through dance. He draws upon the Aramaic Jesus work of Neil Douglas-Klotz, a Chicago-born journalist-turned spiritual teacher and co-founder of the International Network for the Dances of Universal Peace, a venue for peacemaking through the arts.
On the Shem Center’s website, Kilikevice explains that the peace dances are a form of prayer “that creates community, while inviting participants to experience with breath, voice and body the spiritual wisdom found in ancient sacred phrases and their meanings.”
Kilikevice has been dancing in these circles since 1968. He discovered them during a retreat in San Jose, Calif., when someone suggested they go Sufi dancing. Not having a clue what it entailed, he went and ended up loving it. He told NCR he later learned that chant and dance can “awaken a powerful, experiential response that takes people beyond what a verbal recitation does.”
[…]
Two years later, when the student conferences were expanded into Dominican colleges, Kilikevice became a regular presenter there, too. In 2011 he received the Sister Pat Brady award, with Brady crediting him for encouraging the Dominican order to realize “dance and music as a medium of peace and harmony.
[…]
Holy cow! The coveted Sr. Pat Brady Award! One can only aspire.
A jaunt through Fishwrap is … interesting.
And don’t forget… former-Father Greg Reynolds is still excommunicated.
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And this is coming from a Franciscan and a Dominican…
Sounds like they’re covering everything except Catholicism.
Shem Center? Shemp Center probably better.
“The more I’ve investigated its premises, the more I find it helpful, especially as I engage the many questions about faith that science raises. It also has helped me as I seek credibility (and believability) as a Catholic religious and priest called to proclaim our faith in a world rapidly being defined by new insights arising from physics, neuroscience and cosmology.”
I have no need for this nonsense and I do science. Science raises no questions about faith that are not answerable without assuming nonsense. If he wants to find a way to connect the dots between science and religion that does not damage the Faith, I suggest he give Ed Feser’s book, The Last Superstition, a read.
The Chicken
Why does the dance guy have to be a Dominican?
I was a witness to a “prayer dance” yesterday in a visiting church. It was a church I formerly belonged to that has really gone off the rails. The Priest doesn’t even use a Sacramentary. He uses his own typed up notebook of paraphrased minutia. To be quite honest, my wife and I were questioning the validity of the sacrament, because we think the words of consecration were off a bit.
In any case, the excuse for using liturgical dance (small 8-10 year old girls acting as “the wind” during the first reading) was because Pope Francis did it. The reasoning being, of course, if Pope Francis can do it, so can we. They also site Francis’ homily at Casa Santa Marta (1/2014) where he mentioned Michal and how she was condemned to sterility for her objection to David’s dancing before the ark of the covenant.
All my wife could do to keep from crying was to grasp her Rosary and pray for reparations. I simply averted my eyes, and apologized to Our Lord profusely for being present at such an event.
This Dominican Brother is not anything new. If anything, I am starting to see a resurgence in efforts to push this pablum.
One last note- They even had 15 people reciting the Our Father during the first reading in different languages (more novelty), but guess what language wasn’t represented? If you guessed Latin, you would be correct.
In God’s ineffible wisdom, we mere mortals are term limited. None of us knows the date but every one of us knows the fact, no matter how many the number of these circles in which we’ve may have danced since 1968.
As a member of Br. Joe’s province, I will say that none of the men currently in formation take his project seriously nor does the province in any way financially support his work. He represents a bygone era of the province which, judging by the men in formation, desires nothing more than to be in unity of heart and mind with the Church.
“Dominican brother sees prayer dances as an avenue to other faiths”
Evidently, he’s right about this. Since he appears have already followed that avenue to some other faith.
Saint Dominic called, he would like his Order back. Perhaps Br. Joe can spend some quality time in prayer and penance for the souls in Purgatory as was Dominic’s frequent practice.
At the end of his great life St Thomas Aquinas said “All that I have written seems like straw to me”
Just a pity isn`t it that chant and dance were not in vogue in the Dominican Order when he was still alive ? It might have been so different.
This reminds me of a former “space cadet” Dominican Father Matthew Fox of “Cosmic Christ” fame. He was expelled by the Dominicans after Cdl Ratzinger got involved. He’s now an Episcopalian and in his 70’s.
On the other and . . .there is good news from FraterPatricius above.
Pat Brady? Wasn’t that Roy Rogers’ goofy sidekick?
At our 10:30AM Sunday “Eucharistic Banquet,” our parish has replaced the choir with a full-on rock band: Fender Strat thru a Marshall, Fender Bass, keyboards and drums, plus some achingly earnest high school singers that are rejects from either ‘Glee’ or ‘American Idol.’ “Eagles Wings” anyone????
Our pastor said this was keeping with the bishop wanting to shake up things in the spirit of Pope Francis’ ¡Vaya lío!…the church had gotten stuffy during the Pope Benedict years and now we’re REALLY going to see the true vision of Vatican II come to fruition!!!!
(I really, really wish I was kidding…..)
Fr Michael Crosby of Milwaukee, the author of a book called “Can Religious Life Be Prophetic?” was scheduled to give a talk on “Imagining the Emerging Church” last September at the place near Madison where the sisters left religious life, left the Church and formed a non-Catholic “ecumenical”/interreligious/ecofeminist/heavily “lgbt” sect with a priestless so-called “eucharist” on Sundays, Holy Wisdom Monastery.
This is almost as strange as finding a Catholic book in the Catholic section of the local bookstore.
Dead Hippies Walking
Apropos the first one, see the topics at this meeting: http://thecatholicbeat.sacredheartradio.com/2014/06/03/cincinnati-sisters-of-charity-host-north-american-sc-leaders-this-week/
“A significant part of Kilikevice’s ministry has been bringing the Aramaic language to people through dance. He draws upon the Aramaic Jesus work of Neil Douglas-Klotz, a Chicago-born journalist-turned spiritual teacher and co-founder of the International Network for the Dances of Universal Peace, a venue for peacemaking through the arts.”
How can you introduce a language through dancing? There is no language in dancing. We have had this (Dance for Universal Peace) go on here too, at the Jesuit college’s parish (not run by them, but workshops held there).
Gee this stuff is painful to even read, let alone experience. Here I am disappointed we aren’t more tradition minded and some of you are having to witness Church-A-Go-Go.
He was an adult in 1968. Enuf said.
“The more I’ve investigated its premises, the more I find it helpful, especially as I engage the many questions about faith that science raises.”
Nature abhors a vacuum. In the relative absence of sustained reflection — on the popular level, not simply the academic level — between theology and science, people will accept whatever nonsense is available. Such reflection is crucial, I think, for the New Evangelization.
Bumblebees communicate by dance. Didn’t know that about religious.
Dance can be a perfectly good form of communication, but one can communicate truth as well as falsehood through any form of communication.
The Chicken
Oh, heck, I had a long comment about Fr. Crosby’s notions, but, in charity, I will spare everyone. I, too, can learn to keep my mouth shut.
The Chicken
@TomG: “Shemp Center”?
Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk…
from http://www.domlife.org/2011Stories/hspreaching_conf_2011_award.html
And there’s more, from the ncronline article linked in Fr. Z’s article:
And there’s more in that article, about “Aramaic renderings of the Lord’s Prayer”:
Oh, what we’ve been missing out on all these years!
Makes one wonder what the “traditions and charisms of the Dominican Order” are?
Shall we dance???
:)
I’ve known Brother Joe K since 1988 or so. I’d say you have it right, Chicken.
Is focusing on conscious evolution, and being “more conscious” the same as greater faith? Who, or what is becoming more conscious? As the prayer in the garden was “Not as I will but as you will”, then conscious evolution seems to be turning this inside out. I’d rather have, as Paul said, the “Mind of Christ”. And “dancing for peace”; is this the Peace of Christ? We think not.
Did you see Gumbleton’s homily for Pentecost in Fishwrap?
He came into their midst and forgave them. He came to perform reconciliation. That is the first task we have as individuals and as a community, to forgive one another, to make reconciliation happen. That can, of course, be very challenging. It’s hard to forgive if we’ve been hurt deeply, or something terrible has happened to us, perpetrated by another.
And he didn’t mention the Sacrament of Penance, parallel with the homily given at our little church by our new young Filipino priest. Is it acceptable to talk forgiveness only among each other? How is that supposed to square with the other part of that directive: “Whose sins you shall retain, they are retained” ?
Coming across a phrase like “Liturgical Dance” is like hitting a brick wall. Hard to get past that and keep an open mind unless the intent is to “know thy enemy.” I try to be a peaceful man but there are some situations where violence might be justified. Far be it for me to assume that I can punch out a heretic like St. Nicholas did, but perhaps I can be allowed one poke in the eyes at the Shemp Center. (No wonder it was named after a stooge.) In the Spirit of their stogy ecumenicalism I would introduce myself as being from the Institute of Moe.
What does the first guy mean by ” the Trinity AND Christ” ??!
Re: Br. Dancing About Grammatical Architecture, apparently he’s either singing or meditating on words while dancing. Of course there’s nothing wrong in that by itself, but you need to keep from doing it in church or in a heretical or syncretic way.
The Aramaic thing is apparently some very farfetched punning translations published back when it was fashionable to be cosmic and groovy. People start talking about karma in the Our Father instead of the temporal results of sin or the need to forgive one’s neighbor. And you know they’ve not trying to take on the rigorous Hindu view of transgression, either, but trying to wiggle past any restriction on morals or even conduct.
Apparently the book didn’t come out until 1990, so the “Aramaic translations” are from neo-hippiedom. The guy Douglas-Klotz is a Sufi according to himself, and runs dance workshops promoting syncretism as peace, which might make sense as long as you avoid living in the real Muslim Sufi world.
So basically, not your reliable source for scholarship or Christian prayer.
If you want to learn more about the Our Father, there’s lots of patristic commentary, and there’s a very good talk that’s part of the salvationhistory.com audio course about Matthew.
Dominican brother sees prayer dances as an avenue to other faiths; and warns faithful because he knows our faith can be taken for granted and we can be misled?
No?
All I can say is . . . the craziest gaggle of Episcopalians, the Mother House for Madness even in that denomination, is a certain parish in San Francisco. Their pride and joy is their fresco of 100 “Dancing Saints” which extends all around the interior. It includes some actual saints, but mostly not (Margaret Mead? Cesar Chavez? Hypatia? Bacchus?) prancing about in a sort of kick line.
This is where this sort of nonsense leads. These guys should just cut to the chase and become Episcopalian, already. Or, more charitably, realize the error of their ways, repent, and return.
Legisperitus says:
Pat Brady? Wasn’t that Roy Rogers’ goofy sidekick?
With a faithful Jeep called Nellybelle. But I wonder whether he would seem goofy compared to what has been happening in the Church for the past 40 years.
robtbrown, Good point.
Or goof point.
Those interested in Dominicans and alternative prayer language from questionable translations, see also the US Dominican sisters’ feminist-language alternative to the Liturgy of the Hours, Dominican Praise. Similarly, it uses translations directly from Hebrew and Greek into de-gendered English (even where the Hebrew or Greek obviously refers, for instance, to Father). This is what they pray instead of the LOTH.
There are also good Dominicans that do not do things like this for instance the Eastern and Western Province friars, and the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist of Ann Arbor and the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia of Nashville, among others.
Michael Crosby? How about DAVID Crosby?
Dancing Dominican? First word: Matthew. Second word: Fox.
When the Church is sore bereft…pass the Gonja to the left…
I mean no malice towards either of these men, but my parish won’t let me do an interpretive dance on why I’d like to stick a pencil in my eye because Sunday Mass has become a barbecue.
I’ll get over it. I can dance at home to the Tremeloes.
“Come on guys ,Sufi’s up!”
I am the Vocation Director of the Central Province, so I ask for charity and truth in judgement of our Province in regards to the 27 incredibly faithful and orthodox men that are in formation as well as those joining us every year. Br. Joe is a kind, sincere and generous brother, but his ministry does not reflect the present and future of the Central Province and our friars.
If you have any questions about vocations to the Province of St. Albert the Great, please do not hesitate to contact me at vocations@opcentral.org.
In Christ and St. Dominic,
Fr. Andy McAlpin, O.P. – Vocation Director, Province of St. Albert the Great
While out walking, my children and I have come upon scantly clad individuals contorting their bodies in the name of their yoga routine. When I see things like this (and whirling dervishes), I can’t help but think it gleefully inspired by the demonic who are thoroughly enjoying fallen man making a mockery of the image of God…
As far as I have ever seen, the Central Province Dominican men in formation are very good and there is promise for the future.