“If, longer after we are gone, an alien race dug up the remains of our civilization and took a look at the Catholic Churches, they would conclude that another religion took dominance in the 1960’s.”
-Paraphrased from a wise commentator
Contrary to popular thought, Vatican II in itself did not bring the massive upheaval in the Church, it was simply the match that lit up the oilfield. If one looks at the documents, there are paragraphs devoted to updating the liturgy and softer language in regards to religious freedom, but nothing even close to the shockwaves that would resonate over the entire life of the Church.
The current architecture can be laid to a large extend on the 1978 document entitled Environment and Art in Catholic Worship. Here one gets the grasp of why the architecture was changed from the long corridor to the altar, enshrined with statues, stained glass windows, and a magnificent altar with a minimalistic half circle, designed to focus on fellow communicants taking part in the sacrifice.
The Mass was changed from Latin, individual prayers, chant by the choir to singing folk-like songs, shaking hands in the middle of Mass, and the Priest facing the people.
At first glance, this would seem to bring fellow Church goers closer together. After all, if the Mass has been turned from a solemn individual affair to a community practice, in liturgy and architecture, it would seem that this would enhance community and Catholic identity.
Anyone with any sort of cognitive ability can see it did not.
Why?
Community does not happen in and of itself. The community is always focused on some intrinsic goal. By weakening the sense of the sacred in favor of focusing on fellow communicants, it gave the sense of people standing around for no reason.
Paradoxically, the more difficult something is, the more likely people will embrace it. By removing Latin, getting rid of much of the high wording, and watering down the solemnity, it made Mass easy. People don’t respect what is easy.
Congregants want strong leaders. The Priest used to have a clearly separated position from the congregants. Very few could enter the sanctuary, there were no extraordinary ministers of communion, and he practically ignored you the whole mass. This gives a sense of awe to the position of the Priest. People are programmed to want authority, and do not see authority in those who desperately want to be their buddy.
A Community needs uniqueness, and a Church that looks like an auditorium does nothing to give a sense of the transcendent, nothing that gives them a different identity that walking through the mall.
In trying to create community, they destroyed community. When a man just wants a friend, he will not find one. He finds friends by commonality of passion. Community does not create passion. Passion creates community.
So where do we go from here?
Start by understanding that many in Church leadership are hucksters, no more believing in the fundamentals of the faith that your average atheist, but see The Church as a Our enemies have weak Bishops, a leftist Pope, and a gutted Liturgy to crush Catholic Community in favor of an overly inclusive and therefore empty group of people that can’t even be said to be as strong a congregation any more than Football fans cheering on their home team.
We need to hit back, hard.
