Wednesday, April 16, 2008

In Peter’s Footsteps: Two Steps Back

I was planning to catch the Pope's parade from the White House to the Vatican Embassy. I got out there after 12:30, only to learn that the parade already went by 17th and Pennsylvania at noon. For once, an event on the White House south lawn moves along with German efficiency; that is to say, ahead of schedule.

Upon learning this, I was pretty bummed out. Here I am, in the heart of the Nation's capital, and I have to wait another twenty or thirty years for the next Pope to show up. Then I ran into this group of young people, with nothing better to do than follow the Pope wherever he goes, part of a Catholic lay movement called "The Neocatechumenal Way." They were on the sidewalk, moving in a circle to the sound of guitars, in sort of a Jewish-Israeli folk dance pattern. Well, if you're going to do "liturgical dance," this is far more appropriate than skinny girls in tights showing off for a passive audience.

Just remember, you're still not allowed to do this at Mass.

Anyway, the result is the first self-produced video clip for mwbh. Too bad the audio (among other things) got lost in the translation. I don't know what they sang, but it ended with "alleluia," or whatever. I know you all love a parade as much as I do. But when things don't work the way we like, we have to improvise, don't we?

Thanks, kids.
.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Glad to see you weren't completely put off by these guys. As i was saying on Rorate these are young people taking their faith life seriously and ready to follow the Church's teaching in full.

Bear in mind that this kind of dance which is indeed Hasidic inspired is only ever done after the Mass has finished. I.e. after the ite missa est and the presbyteral procession has made its way out.

PMF (I will get a google id now)