They work with parishes to help ordinary people present the extraordinary traditions of the Catholic faith
By Jay Sorgi
for the Register
The goal of shepherding God’s flock of believers at Mass to a higher sense of awe, worship and love of Jesus in word and sacrament stands as an active, nearly 2,000-year quest within the Catholic faith.
Bishop James Conley leads an eight-member team of Diocese of Lincoln leaders in continually striving for each parish in the diocese to do exactly that – to grow in liturgical discipleship, so as to expand each Catholic’s actively sacred encounter of Christ within the Mass.
The diocese’s Liturgical Commission works closely with parishes, turning the heart that everyday Catholics bring to offering their talents in Mass, refining and empowering them with the wisdom and treasure chest gained from the Church’s two millennia of liturgical tradition.
“We really want liturgy to be something that engages the heart to draw people closer to God,” said Sister Mary Cecilia, C.K., commission chair. “That’s what we want, and it’s the ordinary people who are going to make that happen.”
That puts the goal of conveying greater truth, beauty and liturgical encounter of the risen Lord within the Mass in the hands of the priest, staff and volunteers at the parish.
“The liturgy is inherently an encounter with the Divine, and that is what makes it beautiful. That is what makes it true,” said Father Christopher Eckrich, the diocesan master of ceremonies, priestly secretary to Bishop Conley and a fellow commission member.
He said that even as people can understandably have varying opinions about the liturgy because of their individual relationships with God, the liturgy itself is the public act of worship for the Church.
“Bishop Conley has been able to and is working with us to be able to help the people of God in southern Nebraska find God most perfectly and encounter him most beautifully in the sacred liturgy,” he said, “so that they can resonate with their heart and they can have that experience of the divine that they long for.”
Sister Mary Cecilia adds that church documents like Vatican II’s Sacrosoctum Concilium call bishops to create consultative bodies that help guide parishes to greater celebration of the liturgy.
“Our role is really to listen to what Bishop Conley wants, his vision and what the Church teaches about the liturgy, and bring that to the people in the diocese in a variety of ways,” she said.
“We’ve had workshops in the past. We’ve worked individually with different pastors, whatever is needed. That’s basically our role… to serve the diocese and the bishop, and bring that together.”
(Story continues below)
SNR photos | Natalie Bender
As times change, cultures interweave and the ways people sense God’s presence evolve over time, the commission sees its work as an opportunity to inject the timeless treasures of the Church, and works with parishes to help find the right tone and balance in doing so, particularly in liturgical music.
Both Father Eckrich and Sister Mary Cecilia said the commission helps parishes focus, for example, on choosing hymns that have sound doctrine in a way that doesn’t aim to “take away your favorite hymns.”
“There’s a whole beautiful tradition of the Church, even things that are composed now,” said Sister Mary Cecilia. “It’s not just things that are composed five centuries ago, but there’s a beautiful sound, (and) it’s a timeless sound. That’s what we’re trying to foster and to help them understand.”
She said that means encountering, educating and empowering parish staff and volunteers, making sure their approach is appropriate for the magnitude of the ceremony of the liturgy.
Commission members realize some churches may have large choirs, while others have one or two cantors and only a few skilled musicians, so they take that into account in how they collaborate in true relationship with parishes.
“The liturgy is a reflection of Christ. Christ is very gentle, and He’s very tender, and He doesn’t sort of dictate that you must do this now, even if you don’t have the resources,” Father Eckrich said.
He said the liturgical commission helps present the ideal, asking, “‘How does that correspond with your experience? What do we need to do in order to help elevate your liturgy to that perfection?’ Instead of dictating that you have to do this, even if you don’t have the resources, there’s a gentleness in the approach of implementing some of these things.”
The commission also helps the personal formation of those involved in the Mass, helping them understand the humility involved in pointing to Christ as their goal in all they do, and seeing that humility as a conduit to those in the pews engaging more effectively in the experience of the liturgy.
“The cantor places that gift at the service of the Church instead of at their own service,” Sister Mary Cecilia said. “The people in the congregation will pick up on that, and then they’ll want to share their gifts also. That relationship has to happen between musician and the congregation, and that has to be one that draws them closer to Christ.”
The commission suggests lofty goals for the liturgy, but they deeply believe in an approach that recognizes both the strong suits and limits of every parish, and helps them understand that what they have is enough to refine and grow their offering of that Mass to bring higher worship from everyone in the pews on Sunday and beyond.
“It’s about giving that greater gift, giving what you have to offer,” said Father Eckrich. “The two coins for the widow, the loaves and a couple fish, whatever it is that Jesus just asked, ‘Give Me what you have, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
