LITURGICAL ABUSE AT ITS FINEST

I wast invited by some friends to join them at the Philippine Centre for St. Pio of Pietrelcina a fortnight ago.

Judging from its location, it is under the Diocese of Pasig. Here are some images of the Chapel I found online.

We spent almost the whole day in the area, going back for Mass in the afternoon.  It was here that I saw horrible liturgical anomalies.

1. The Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion joined the entrance procession. For a lengthy discussion on what EMHC's are supposed to do and not to do, go here.

2. They KNELT during the singing of the Our Father.  I kept an open mind about this, until I learned that the 'founder', a certain Ramon Rodriguez, was 'commanded to kneel during the Our Father in a vision'. Wow. So an unapproved private revelation can usurp the Liturgy Books.

3. The EMHC's got the ciborium directly from the tabernacle.

4. After the Mass, there was an 'anointing with holy oil'.  I am not inventing the term, you can see it on their website.  Guess who did the anointing? The EMHCs! Not only did these men usurp the role of the priest, they anoint people with what they claim as holy oil. Now which oil can that be? The church only has three; the oil of catechumens, oil of the sick, and chrism. 

I told my friends I will never set foot in that 'chapel' again unless of a grave reason.

I do not want to judge Mr. Ramon.  He is just as old, or even older, than I am.  But the moment he said, in his conversion narration, that Padre Pio, pagalingin mo lang ako, sasambahin kita, he lost me.

Pasig Diocese should look into this soon.