There are chant workshops. There are organ workshops. There are subcommittees devoted to special tasks. There are good books being published and distributed in an effort to re-catechize the baby boomers and somehow put that generation through a kind of liturgical detox program. It's all such hard work.
And yet, in the end, there is the problem of flying fish puppets.
Or maybe it is the "flying red octopus god on a pole," as one youtube commentator believes. Regardless, the fish/octopus is the thing for which this NPM liturgy (National Association of Pastoral Musicians annual convention) will be remembered.
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One wonders how these decisions come to be made. You are in the planning meeting and one person suddenly says:
"Listen, here's a great idea. Let's get a 30-foot pole and put a fish kite on it and wave it around the National Shrine as the lead of the procession. It will seem to be flying over the heads of everyone, except that of course there will be a guy in the front with the …More