Cardinal says no more clowning at Mass

Cathcon translation of Gottesdienste möglichst nicht in Platt: Kardinal ermahnt die Jecken Services no longer possible in Low German. Cardinal warns the fools!
BY HANS ONKELBACH

The Archdiocese regards it as necessary to abide by the rulebook. Although cheerfulness is part of Faith, the Mass should not become a Carnival. And Low German can only be used for some parts of Masses.

When Joachim Decker, pastor of the united parish of Eller Lierenfeld, on the Sunday (January 19) after next celebrates the Mass, then he will use Low German . Together with the Carnival Association, Hötter Jonges and the amateur group Veedelszoch Eller , this humour loving man has organized worship for many years and operates as far as he is able within the tight rules that are the framework of what the Catholic church allows.

And he is very closely monitored in Cologne, in the near vicinity of Cardinal Joachim Meisner. At any rate, the Archdiocese have given guidelines to the pastors. The title of the many-paged document is "Liturgy and life. Guidelines for Masses in dialect and Masses following local customs." It is based on rules that have been established for many years and, as such, in the summer of 1979, while Cardinal Höffner was still in office, published in the Official Journal. It says that cheerfulness is intrinsic to faith, but folk customs are not welcome in the church, although Low German can be used for preaching, but liturgical texts, certain prayers and the words of consecration are not permitted in dialect. Diocesan spokesman Stephen Schmidt said that in one of the recent meetings of an advisory panel of the Cardinal the subject arose and there was seen a need to again remind the priests of the rules. This started some unrest in Duesseldorf, because not only during Carnival, but over the whole year Masses or church services take place using Low German.

Pastor Decker from Eller knows these rules and accepts them, but does not find a cheerful Helau in the church to be inappropriate. Particularly since, according to Decker, the word Helau has the same origin as the Alleluia. For him, as he says, even "good Catholic songs," can be sung in Low German.

Pastor Paul Ludwig Spies (St. Anthony and St. Peter, Bilk) has a close bond to the Carnival: He takes part himself and makes jokes in the spirit of Carnival . Clever as he is, he avoids any conflict with Cologne and calls his devotion next Sunday (16Uhr, St. Anthony, Fuerstenplatz) a "liturgy of the word."

(Cathcon comment- he already lost his job once

but seems to have been reinstated.)

Low German will be used during the service and for the sermon. The Prince’s Carnival Guards come in their uniforms, and the Children Prince and Princess in their finery. If the colorful costumes were to be called fancy dress, it would incidentally contradict the Cardinal’s ruling - and would therefore be prohibited.

One of the speakers on Sunday, is the Head of the Carnival, the Chief of Fools, Engelbert Oxenfort.

He has long experience of Masses in Low German: for 29 years he has organized them together with Rolf Steinhaeuser.
City Dean at St. Lambertus in the Old City. Twice a year: in Lent a rather contemplative Mass, and in the summer in the context of other cultural events

Cardinal Meisner in discussion with Carnival Cardinal Lehmann.