Feast of the patron saint or a simple party?

Enrico Finotti

The patronal feast no longer has anything religious about it. In church there is nothing different from a common Sunday. A lot of people come, but only for the stands, competitions, games and concerts… Some of us would like to revive the religious aspect, but we are told that the times are no longer for that type of proposal…

A goodwill group

It is necessary to assess where a certain ‘pastoral’ is leading with regard to our patronal feasts or other votive feasts of the Christian tradition. The concept of ‘dialogue’ and ‘openness to the world’ has injected into the now widespread ecclesial mentality an inferiority complex with respect to the secularized ways in which people live. It seems there should no longer be any limit to “inculturation”. On the dock, there are no longer worldly customs and licenses, but the traditions of the faith, understood by now ideologically completely inadequate to the modern world and therefore subject to a total revision, if not even extinction. This nefarious operation is not carried out by strangers to the life of the Church or by its declared enemies, but is assumed from within our ecclesial communities and is proposed and organized by the pastors themselves, who see the most up-to-date form of pastoral care, if not the only one and irreversible. The Church no longer intends to educate the world and propose a life of faith in her integrity and truth, but rather the Church herself simply opens her doors to the world with all her liberal claims and customs. Above all, one is infatuated with sociological success at any cost and is willing to take leave of Christ himself in order not to miss the train of the ephemeral race as is the opinion and customs of today’s society, materialist and relativist.

In this problematic context, it is not uncommon, indeed it seems an increasingly growing phenomenon, that patronal or votive feasts – but also great liturgical solemnities are not exempt – are fed to the world, passing from the religious and spiritual accent to the sociological one. and material. In this way, the sacred feast gives way to the ‘carnival’. It is evident that the rite fades compared to the “spectacle”, the austere silence in the face of deafening noise, the prayer absorbed in the face of curious distraction, the ascetic commitment in the face of binge eating, the spiritual instruction in the face of games, pleasure over duty, the tumult of entertainment in the face of the sobriety of the sacraments, etc. But to believe that such worldly means accomplish the pastoral purpose of a religious feast is a terrible illusion, which ends up depriving souls of the “holy days” instituted for their spiritual regeneration and of the means necessary for growth in holiness of life. These manifestations, within the limits of their legitimacy, can be proposed in suitable days, environments and places, without disturbing and emptying the celebration of the mysteries of our faith. Society and civil associations already abound in such proposals with means, operators and skills far more solid and abundant than those of our Christian communities.

And here is how the secularization process of a religious feast generally takes place:

1. It begins ‘candidly’ by placing cultural, artistic and various entertainment events alongside religious rites. Immediately the liturgy of the feast undergoes a significant reduction: the interior tension of the priests and the faithful on the mysteries celebrated is no longer total, but a certain distraction spreads, which disturbs the former serene attention and dedication, concentrated on the mystery; the rites become shorter and their solemnity less accentuated; some of the liturgical operators are missing (choristers, readers, sacristans, altar servers, etc.) because they are engaged in the extra-liturgical activities of the ‘festival’; two contending poles are born between them: the liturgical celebration with attached ascetic-sacramental commitment and the popular feast. The same way of proceeding is also applied to any rites in preparation for the feast (e.g., triduum, novenas, etc.). Cultural and folkloristic events are combined with liturgical rites, seasoned with a motivation of solidarity and social charity. The result is a ‘three days’ or holiday week, where the traditional liturgical and sacramental preparation totally gives way to the ‘popular’ feast.

2. The second stage is consequent. The profane program has surpassed the religious one, both in the interest of the people and in the intensity of the activities. The people are now mainly attracted by the ‘secular’ organizational apparatus and religious celebrations are reduced to the bone, both in rituals and in participation. There is a tendency to bring the religious part back to a single appointment (eg Mass and procession) and while the profane events extend into public spaces and assert themselves in their official nature, the religious procession shrinks into short, marginal and almost furtive itineraries to not disturb the whole of the ‘party’. Operators abandon the liturgical service en masse because they are now too overburdened by the many ‘stands’ of the profane feast. Especially for many of them and many other faithful, there is no participation in the same Mass and the spiritual duty, in such days, of a reception worthy of the Holy Sacraments is now forgotten. The success and success of a ‘party’ understood in this way is evaluated solely on a sociological and economic level: the large influx of people and the high income.

3. This leads to the third stage. In the name of “dialogue” and “inclusiveness” we associate with other realities to collaborate together beyond ideological convictions. The ‘leaders’ of the ‘party’ then deem it appropriate to create a distinct, strictly ‘secular’ association in order to also draw on contributions from the public body. A Statute is written and lists of collaborators are formed, which are generally those on whom the management of the party now depends in every respect. The parish thus, for lack of entrepreneurs and funds, so to speak, gives everything to other management. Of the ancient patronal feast only the title remains, but all references to religious rites have disappeared from the program. Sometimes the timetables still remain, but in miniature in a negligible corner for those who wish: a variant among many others. At this point, even the lavish economic income of the early days passes to others and the parish remains the ‘emeritus founder’ of the feast that is finally so popular.

And ironically it is said that it had to go just like that because it was not right to ‘impose’ our faith and our traditions on others, but it was better to have a party for everyone, where everyone could have fun and be together in fraternity, without ideological fences and moral ‘judgments’.

Unfortunately, they do not sufficiently realize that once we have removed the courageous announcement of our faith that frees, we have remained trapped in the slavery of the dictatorship of relativism, which oppresses.

We ask ourselves: Are these the fruits of the much-acclaimed ‘new pastoral care’? Isn’t it worthwhile to do a serious reflection?