2003 ROAMIN' CATHOLIC
December
November
October
September
July/August
June
May
April
March

Little Notes
Letters

Confessions
Talk About Movies
Follow Me




Contents © 2003
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

ROAMIN' CATHOLIC
April 2003

---

HOLY TRINITY, EL CAJON

Holy Trinity is an icon of Catholicity. A neo-classical basilica with a soaring bell tower, the building proclaims to all who pass by, "Here is the Catholic Church!" Dedicated in May 1959, it remains a dominant feature in the valley landscape, visible even from I-8.

I made my way there on Sunday, March 2, for the 9:00 a.m. Mass. This seemed to be an hour that families would favor -- neither too early or late -- for worshiping together.

The interior of the church looks like the throne room of heaven. The sanctuary is separated from the nave by an altar rail, one of the last in San Diego parishes. I have been told that the architect, foreseeing such changes in church design, dug the foundations of the altar rail so deep that it could not be easily removed.

A triumphal arch shelters the sanctuary. The high altar is backed by a marble reredos, enhancing the impression of the altar as throne. Enthroned upon the altar, our Lord in the tabernacle welcomes all and invites adoration. Set into the reredos is a crucifixion mosaic in which Jesus is alive and interceding. Crowning the high altar is a semi-baldachino serving as a canopy for the King, inscribed "Gloria in Excelsis Deo."

Flanking the sanctuary are votive altars marked "J" & "M." Above these, on pedestals, stand large traditional statues of Our Lady of Grace and our Lord with his Sacred Heart exposed.

Unknowingly, I had stumbled into the parish folk Mass. For this offering, the celebrant was Father Eddie Ruiz, associate pastor. Assisting him was a group of seven young singers in the 10-to-18 age range, well dressed in dark slacks or skirts, white shirts, and ties for the boys. A guitarist led them with an assortment of hot licks, driving rhythms, and arpeggios.

The atmosphere before Mass was boisterous. At one point, Father Brian Corcoran, the pastor, came out into the nave, not to admonish loud talkers, but to chat with them.

The processional song was upbeat, exhorting, "All that is hidden, will be made clear / all that is dark now will be revealed. / What you have heard in the dark, proclaim in the light. / What you hear whispered / proclaim from the housetops." To this bouncy tune the sanctuary party appeared. A young man led the way bearing a crucifix. Behind him came two altar girls, Deacon Lou Rocha with the Gospel book, and Father Eddie.

Following the greetings and penitential Kyrie, the Gloria was sung to a folk-rock tune with a strong beat. This Dionysian music urges your body to start dancing.

After the opening prayer, a woman in skirt and sweater read from Hosea. The guitarist led the psalm response in a tune designed to produce wistful feelings and swaying bodies. The youngest boy in the singing group read the psalm verses from the pulpit. A matronly woman in slacks and jacket took the second reading. She would also lead the prayers of the faithful. The guitarist rendered the Alleluia verse with vocal mannerisms of a pop singer. Finally Deacon Lou read the Gospel, Mark 2: 18-22.

The homily was significant in view of efforts to subject this church to a modernist renovation. I noted in the bulletin that a group called the Church Restoration Committee had met with the pastor in a session that was "exciting."

"In today's Gospel we hear Jesus talking about the newness He wants to bring into our lives with the images of new wine and new garments.... There is little point in putting a new patch on an old garment; it will only make matters worse. You have to get a whole new garment. But of course, some might settle for merely patching the old garment.

"You can't put new wine in old wineskins.... Old wineskins have become hard, unyielding, they won't expand. New skins have elasticity. They are able to expand and become larger. So Jesus talks to us about a new teaching, a new movement, and a new spirit that cannot be confined within the limits of something old.... The new spirit is a new element that cannot be put in an old container. It is something brand new."

The remainder of the Mass was a curious mix of elements. The Sanctus was a brooding piece accompanied by guitar arpeggios. As usual, Eucharistic Prayer II was said. Father Eddie reverently elevated the Host overhead in both hands for at least five seconds. The Amen was the chorus of a well-known hit from the 60s. At the Our Father, many, but not all, joined hands. During a superficially romantic Agnus Dei, a troop of ten Eucharistic ministers marched up to the altar: five women and five men. During the Communion, our folk group performed "I Am The Living Bread Come Down From Heaven." When the post-Communion prayer had been said and the blessing imparted, the Mass concluded with a rousing rendition of "Sing A Joyful Song To The Lord, Alleluia."

TOP