Tales From The Crypt

[let_go_let_God]

This article is taken from the Wall Street Journal. Take a peak and tell what you think. I thought that this was interesting since it was my priest who handed me the article

[url="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703778304575590400692244456.html?mod=googlenews_wsj"]Tales from the Crypt[/url]

By STACY MEICHTRY And NATHANIA ZEVI

ROME—The crypt of the Basilica di San Carlo al Corso near St. Peter's Square has boasted tombs of cardinals for centuries. Today it is taking on a livelier vibe.

The Catholic church in Rome is trying to win back young people with a nightclub in the crypt of the Basilica di San Carlo al Corso, complete with a beer and wine bar.

Rev. Maurizio Mirilli, head of youth ministry in Rome's Catholic Church, has converted a section of the crypt into a nightclub with a live-music stage and a bar stocked with beer, Prosecco and other wine. Father Mirilli has christened the new watering hole GP2, short for "Giovanni Paolo II," as the late Polish pope was known in Italian.
A Club in a Crypt

For Rome's young and restless, GP2 is the prime destination for mingling, dancing or having "a drink with a bishop," Father Mirilli said Saturday night. He he leaned against the club's mirrored bar and nursed a glass of pineapple juice as a phalanx of young men with gelled hair bobbed their heads to the Black Eyed Peas. Scrawled across the bar was a biblical passage from the Gospel of St. John, quoting Jesus Christ: "Give me a drink." (Actually, he was referring to water).

"There should be more places like this," said Annalisa Gennaro, a 21-year-old theology student, as she and a friend made their way into the club. "It's about time the church woke up."

Father Mirilli sees the club as a bridge to carry young Italians back into the Catholic fold. Like most dioceses across Europe, the Vicariate of Rome—as the city's local church is formally known—is looking for new blood. As it is, the pews at Basilica di San Carlo al Corso and other Roman churches have increasingly become the domain of the elderly as fewer young people turn up for Mass.

The Vicariate doesn't keep statistics on practicing members of its flock. A recent nationwide poll by the Italian think tank Instituto IARD, however, found that only 15% of Italian Catholics between the ages of 18 and 29 consider themselves "practicing Catholics," compared with 18% in 2004.

Father Mirilli joined the priesthood at the age of 29, when the late Pope John Paul II was gearing up for the church's Jubilee celebration in Rome. Among the highlights of the Jubilee was the Vatican's World Youth Day, which brought two million young Catholics from around the world to Rome in droves—an event that became known as the "Catholic Woodstock."

In the years that followed, the priest took over the Vicariate's youth ministry and began hunting for ways to revive the Jubilee's youthful spirit. The crypt of Basilica di San Carlo al Corso, located along the city's main shopping strip, had long been a popular daytime hangout for young Catholics. Father Mirilli decided to raise a few thousand euros to remodel the crypt's vaulted interior into a nighttime hangout.

Two years ago, the priest found financial backing from ACLI, a lay group of Italian Catholics. "Christian young people need to find a way to own the night again," says Gianluigi De Palo, an ACLI organizer who frequents GP2. "Being Christian doesn't necessarily mean sad, serious or old."

Father Mirilli also got the nod from his boss, Bishop Ernest Mandara, who oversees the churches in Rome's historical center and reports to Pope Benedict XVI. So far, there have been no complaints from on high, Father Mirilli says. "This place wouldn't exist if [the pope] weren't OK with it."

Many of GP2's features are typical of the Roman bar scene. Speakers pump pop music and disco anthems. Bartenders in black T-shirts serve up drinks from 7 p.m. until midnight, Sundays included.

Not all the rules of running a successful club apply, however. There is no cover charge to get past the club's dimly lit entrance. And there's no two-drink minimum. In fact, clients are expected to observe a two-drink maximum, and GP2 doesn't serve hard spirits, like vodka and gin.

"We don't keep a list of what every customer orders, but we want people to drink, not to get drunk," Father Mirilli says.

A big crucifix hangs on one wall, and footage of John Paul II is projected onto another. The music pulsing through GP2 should be of "Christian inspiration," the priest says, though the club is "sometimes" willing to bend its guidelines to popular demand.

On Saturday, a group of young women thrust their hands and hips to the beat of a dance classic, "YMCA" by the Village People. "There's nothing wrong with listening to a bit of secular music…right?" the priest grinned.

And then there's the club confessional. At the back of the club, a narrow tunnel opens onto an underground chapel where a marble sarcophagus encases the remains of Federico Borromeo, the 17th-century cardinal immortalized by Alessandro Manzoni's novel "The Betrothed." There, Father Mirilli recalled how he recently took a late-night confession from a clubber.

"It was beautiful. Here's a kid that never goes to church, and he's here discussing the Gospel with me," the priest said, adding that he now plans to open a small counseling center adjacent to the bar.

Although word of GP2 has begun to spread around town, the club is facing cutthroat competition—mainly from a dark, leather-upholstered club next door. One of the city's posh clubs, it regularly throbs with techno beats and scantily clad customers who overflow onto the sidewalk. GP2 can hold more than 100 people, but turnout recently has been far lower. Father Mirilli is working hard to increase the numbers.

The priest is "keeping a lid" on prices, charging €2.50 (about $3.50) for a beer—about a third of what his rivals charge. Crimson fliers have been distributed throughout the city's churches emblazoned with the club's catch phrase: "Come and you will see!" The priest says he is also working his contacts to get Italian celebrities to show up and talk about their faith with clubbers.

David Mahawili, a 31-year-old luggage handler, has become a regular at GP2. He says most other clubs attract people who are "trying to act like someone they're not." His friend Flaviano Tacchone, a 29-year-old optometrist, agrees. GP2 is the spot to "get to know" a girl, he says, rather than "pick her up."













God bless-
LGLG

[Sternhauser]

[quote name='let_go_let_God' timestamp='1290106672' post='2187872']
This article is taken from the Wall Street Journal. Take a peak and tell what you think. I thought that this was interesting since it was my priest who handed me the article

[url="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703778304575590400692244456.html?mod=googlenews_wsj"]Tales from the Crypt[/url]

[/quote]

Maybe the WSJ isn't doing a good job of describing the location. A "crypt" can simply be a basement in a church. On seeing the photos, it looks as though they're not very near the interred corpses, so it's probably not sacrilegious, as it first sounded.

~Sternhauser

Edited November 20, 2010 by Sternhauser

[CatherineM]

I hope people put an open bar on my closed casket at my wake. Once I'm in the grave though, I don't know.

[dominicansoul]

sounds like a cool place...i would definitely check it out if I were in Rome

[Ed Normile]

Man I am getting old, this just seems wrong to me on so many levels. Cheap booze to attract the kiddies to God, maybe get a late night drunken confession to boot. Theres nothing wrong with listening to a little secular music... right. the Priest grinned. Gee father we look to you for guidance, especially the youth, what could be wrong with young women dancing and grinding their hips to YMCA while drunk in an atmosphere with a Crucifix displayed on the wall along with pictures of JPII and a priest in attendance, we know the kiddies enjoy this behavior, rumor has it they enjoy casual hook up sex too, why not add a few beds, of course with a crucifix and a priest nearby, place them near the confessional and they could repent after the sex and all will be fine. Its about time the church woke up.

ed

[Dara]

[font="Verdana"]Friends don't let friends confess drunk.

I'm with Ed, it feels wrong for a number of reasons. Most of all it just feels incredibly disrespectful. [/font]

[Sarah147]

[Micah]

I had to read 2/3's of the article before I was convinced this isn't some sort of horrible joke. I wish I hadn't read this. This is just so disrespectful. The tombs of our spiritual fathers are being desecrated by our own Church. This is the first time since coming home that my faith in our Church is actually and seriously shaken.

[sixpence]

[quote name='Ed Normile' timestamp='1290967162' post='2189680']
Man I am getting old, this just seems wrong to me on so many levels. Cheap booze to attract the kiddies to God, maybe get a late night drunken confession to boot. Theres nothing wrong with listening to a little secular music... right. the Priest grinned. Gee father we look to you for guidance, especially the youth, what could be wrong with young women dancing and grinding their hips to YMCA while drunk in an atmosphere with a Crucifix displayed on the wall along with pictures of JPII and a priest in attendance, we know the kiddies enjoy this behavior, rumor has it they enjoy casual hook up sex too, why not add a few beds, of course with a crucifix and a priest nearby, place them near the confessional and they could repent after the sex and all will be fine. Its about time the church woke up.

ed
[/quote]



ah yes... the YMCA... that's totally a dirty song people grind to...

[Socrates]

[quote name='sixpence' timestamp='1292031742' post='2192061']
ah yes... the YMCA... that's totally a dirty song people grind to...
[/quote]
Actually, yes. It's about homosexuals cruising gyms for boys.

Though 99.9% of people are blissfully unaware of the tune's subject matter. It was a standard at dances even in the very conservative Catholic college I attended.

[Paddington]

[quote name='Socrates' timestamp='1292106951' post='2192201']
Actually, yes. It's about homosexuals cruising gyms for boys.
[/quote]

:sadwalk:

[Sarah147]

[img]http://serve.mysmiley.net/confused/confused0053.gif[/img]

[Sternhauser]

[quote name='Paddington' timestamp='1292110486' post='2192213']
:sadwalk:
[/quote]

Just read the lyrics by the straight guy who wrote it. Packed with innuendo. But not really.

~Sternhauser

[dominicansoul]

[quote name='Socrates' timestamp='1292106951' post='2192201']
Actually, yes. It's about homosexuals cruising gyms for boys.

Though 99.9% of people are blissfully unaware of the tune's subject matter. It was a standard at dances even in the very conservative Catholic college I attended.
[/quote]

you know, not everybody has homosexuality on their minds when they hear that song...

there are a lot of things out there that I have to be told by others "OH...THAT'S BAAAAAAD!" ....for example, take the "hook em' horn" sign that the University of Texas has...somebody had to go and tell me, "That's the Debel's sign!!! DON'T DO IT, DON'T MAKE THAT SIGN...IT'S THE DEBEL...THE DEBEL!!!"

I was like, "chill, man, its LONGHORNS...you know...LONGHORNS???"

...Not everybody takes something and makes it out to be some evil symbol, or evil conspiracy or something....heck, i hate the YMCA song, but it's not like everybody who enjoys it is pro-homosexual or something...people just enjoy it and dance to it, cos to them it's fun....


as far as this club, I won't be judging this Priest, 'cos I've never seen this club, and I've never been there...it may not be as bad as people make it out to be....

[MithLuin]

The YMCA of the song isn't a gym, silly - it's essentially a community center where a poor young man could get resources he needs - it talks about getting cleaned up, getting a meal, and finding a place to stay. [url=http://www.lyricsondemand.com/onehitwonders/ymcalyrics.html]lyrics here[/url] Yes, there is the repeated reference to hanging out with all of the boys....but I see no reason to take that as anything other than finding friendship and community. You'd have to have a comment from the Village People to support your interpretation of these very innocuous lyrics. Victor Willis, the man who wrote the song, insists that it doesn't mean that and is himself heterosexual. Certainly, the many people who sing and enjoy the song throughout the world (it was a #1 hit worldwide) have nothing to do with the gay subculture.

Nowadays the YMCA is just a gym, but in the beginning, it was the Young Men's Christian Association, so it had a different mission. And yes, in gay subculture, the YMCA [i]was[/i] a place to go to meet young gay men, and they use the song that way. But why should anyone let that subculture co-opt perfectly good songs? There's always Nick Alexander's spoof [url=http://new.music.yahoo.com/nick-alexander/tracks/r-c-i-a--182952417]RCIA[/url] Anyway, I don't like the song YMCA, and have always found it silly. But people dance to it [i]without touching each other[/i] or acting suggestively, so I really can't see how playing it should be immediately equated with the club scene and grinding.

Also, the reference to drunkenness seems to have ignored a few details from the article. No hard liquor is served - it's beer and wine only. The culture there is that patrons will have one or two drinks, not more. (The 'two drink limit') The atmosphere seems to foster getting to know people and having conversations. It's a social for young adults in a church basement where music is played and yes, alcohol is served. Considering how much people here complain about confession only being available for about one hour on Saturday afternoons in most American churches, I'm a little surprised that this priest is being criticized for offering the sacraments.


Certainly, this [i]could[/i] be abused and result in something scandalous, but presumably there are plenty of other clubs in Rome for that. People aren't likely coming here for the freaky stuff. If someone were trying to bring a bar into the church itself, that would be very messed up. But then again, I think Catholic Underground is a good idea - it's adoration with confession and Liturgy of the Hours, followed by a coffee house in the church basement. I've been to ones in Philly, DC and Baltimore (the original was started by the CFRs in NYC), and I think that's an awesome idea! So I don't think it's all [i]that[/i] weird to open a bar/club for Catholics in a church crypt, but then, my coworkers and I frequent a bar called 'Ale Mary's' with very Catholic decor.

[img]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2392/2237111004_bff9c84a99.jpg[/img]