U2charist/ U2 Eucharist?

[curtins]

The director of Campus ministry at my catholic high school wants to take the Spiritual Life team to a "U2charist/ U2 Eucharist" which from what I've been told is Mass with U2 music? Wikipedia says its an anglican thing, made no mention of catholics..... any ideas? anyone ever herd of it??

[Noel's angel]

I just looked it up there now. Disgraceful.
Somehow I don't think Jesus is giving the thumbs up for this one. I'd speak strongly to your director about the dangers and horror of this.

How do these people get jobs in ministry if they think things like this are a 'great idea'??? Pray for them

Edited October 15, 2007 by Noel's angel

[Noel's angel]

"It makes you, like, warm inside," says Bridgette Roberts, 15, who is a Roman Catholic and attended a recent U2 Eucharist at All Saints' Episcopal Church in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. "Usually at church, you love Jesus and everything. But this way you can express how you feel."

Oh dear...

[cappie]

[b]Dublin Church Adapts U2Charist [/b] Wednesday, 4 April 2007

A church in Dublin's city centre recently led a ‘U2charist’, an adapted Holy Communion service that uses Irish rock band U2’s best-selling songs in place of hymns.

Hit songs like “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For” and “One” were sung by around 150 people at the Anglican St George and St Thomas's Church.

"We're reaching out to the youth," said organiser Greg Fromholz. "There's a deep Christian message in U2's music."

The U2charist was originally created by Sarah Dylan Breuer in Baltimore, USA, in April 2004. It has since spread around the world, with services held in Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

The U2charist often features a political message centred around Bono's campaign to eradicate extreme poverty and Aids.

Dublin's Sunday service lasted an hour and a half, with the church with concert-style lighting, video screens and dry ice.

But US-born Mr Fromholz insisted the Irish version was not as "fanatical" as similar services on the other side of the Atlantic.

"I think at times they have pushed it a bit too far, using images of the band," he said.

"We're not doing that at all, we're just using the songs as a soundtrack to searching."

U2's music has often had a spiritual message. The song Until The End Of The World from the band's Achtung Baby album, for example, describes a conversation between Jesus Christ and Judas Iscariot.

According to Fromholz, U2 were an obvious choice to help draw young followers back to Ireland's church congregations.

"They are always searching, always on the look out, always looking for something beyond themselves," he said.

"I think all of us are looking for that intimacy. They are writing songs that accentuate that and they're very easy to sing along to."

[url="http://www.christiantoday.com/article/dublin.church.adapts.u2charist/10227.htm"]http://www.christiantoday.com/article/dubl...arist/10227.htm[/url]

[b]U2Charist to Hit England for the First Time[/b] January 29, 2007, 9:11

The groundbreaking ‘U2Charist’, an adapted Holy Communion service that uses rock band U2’s best-selling songs in place of hymns, will be presided by a Church of England bishop for the first time in May.

A live band will belt out U2 classics such as “Mysterious Ways” and “Beautiful Day” as worshippers sing along with the lyrics, which will appear on screens.

Bono's high-profile anti-poverty campaigns with singer Bob Geldof and the spiritual content embedded in his music have led to U2 lead singer Bono being elevated to the status of Christian icon.

Bishop of Grantham, the Rt Rev Timothy Ellis, who is organising the U2Charist in St Swithin's Church in Lincoln, said in a Telegraph report: "Bono and Bob Geldof are very human, but they have demonstrated that they believe there is sanctity to life that has to be protected.”

"If that makes them saints, then I would go along with that."

Bishop Ellis said that the eve-of-Pentecost service in the city centre church would be a traditional one, but stripped down to basics.

"We are hoping the service will be a fresh way to look at worship,
less formal, and less rigid," he said.

"People will be able to express themselves in any way they wish.

"This is not designed to replace traditional services but to enhance the worship provision of the Church.

"We need to try new expressions. If we don't try to update and refresh our thinking we will die."

Seating will be moved so that the 500-strong congregation can dance or wave their arms. Bishop Ellis, who will be chief celebrant, said he had yet to decide whether to swap vestments for jeans.

The Lincoln U2Charist is adapted from an American phenomenon that has swept across the US and even reached Hong Kong. It will be recorded by the BBC for a programme to be broadcast later in the year, and Bishop Ellis hopes it will be replicated across Britain.

Bishop Ellis said that he did not expect Bono to attend the U2Charist in person, though he was hoping he might send a message. The £10,000 cost of equipment will be partly funded by the Diocese of Lincoln, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, will also be kept informed.

The idea was devised by the Rev Paige Blair, an American Episcopal priest in York Harbor, Maine, who held the first service in 2005. Since then, she has advised about 150 churches on U2 Eucharists in 15 states and seven countries.

"Bach and Handel were the popular music of their day, and they had trouble getting played in church," she has said.

"The Methodist hymn writers once wrote contemporary music. Are we worshipping Bono? Absolutely not. No more so than we worship Martin Luther when we sing A Mighty Fortress Is Our God."

[Noel's angel]

If Anglicans want to do it, that's up to them but no way should Catholics even THINK about trying this, especially not Catholics in a position of authority. We've got the Real Presence of Christ, we don't need Bono.

[Mateo el Feo]

Poor Church of England, trying to be "relevant" to the youth...good luck with that.

[curtins]

Ok I'm going to talk to her about it........ plus the fact that this seems to be an Anglican thing......... hopefully shes not planning on taking us to an Anglican service


What if someone ever suggested attending a TLM they have those somewhere within about an hours drive of here too- OH NO thats too [i]alienating[/i]

Edited October 15, 2007 by curtins

[Noel's angel]

Of course you could never suggest that! It's not warm and fuzzy enough...

[dUSt]

I'm gonna start a YouTubeCharist.

All music will come from that week's top 5 YouTube videos and the homily will be replaced with a weekly YouTube video submission winner.

[curtins]

ROFL

[Norseman82]

[quote name='dUSt' post='1403165' date='Oct 15 2007, 06:48 PM']homily will be replaced with a weekly YouTube video submission winner.[/quote]

Like that foaming-at-the-mouth street preacher in the other thread?

[Dreamweaver]

Oh, that's pretty sad. Off topic, but an Irish priest who used to be the rector at my cathedral once lived across the street from Bono's aunt in Dublin.

[jeffpugh]

Well, this whole "updating" in the Anglican church is because there are few young people left. Mostly older people.

On a side note, I see this sort of "Modernizing" in some Catholic circles, mainly young people having geetarr masses with popular protestant P&W stuff in order to "reach out" to young people. Dunno how it works, cause it's not exactly popular. It's only music that's played in protestant circles, and doesn't appeal to the average young person. I'd rather see how they take an authentic church with chant in a mass, but everyone says the kids will fall asleep. Oh dear, i'll save this for the music thread.

[curtins]

emailed my director :

Mrs:

In good conscience, I must protest the proposed trip to the "U2-charist" service on Sunday. While I myself would not attend, I also feel it my duty to speak out on behalf of those members of spiritual life who would attend. In short, this sort of thing could be very detrimental to the faith of many members. It would cause great confusion. It took my asking to clarify that this was not in fact a Catholic mass, merely an Episcopal service. This begs the question, why do we need to attend an Anglican service to worship God when we have the fullness of worship in the sacrifice of the Mass, we have Christ himself- totally- Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity? What is lacking? I would say that attending because of the U2 musical element, defeats the purpose of worshiping God. It no longer is about God, but about a "concert" for our enjoyment. Mass is not about the music, it is about Christ present on the alter. Which brings me to another point- Episcopal "eucharist" is merely bread. Their "priests" have no authority to consecrate the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ- again, more confusion for spiritual life members who may not be aware of that.

There is certainly nothing wrong with attending services of other denominations in order to observe and understand how other Christians conduct their worship, but it should be explicitly stated that while observing is fine, participating in such services, especially receiving "communion" or attempting to count such a service as fulfilling one's Sunday obligation for Mass, is gravely dangerous to one's soul and, as previously stated, can cause great confusion.

May I suggest instead attending a Tridentine Latin Mass

Thank you

[hope4thenew]

curtins

i'm interested in knowing if u've received a reply from the director?

my wife saw a flyer advertising this u2 "service" in her office this morning...she was a little disturbed...

(she gets upset when the word 'Eucharist' is used with the band U2)