Nothing like celebrating a Catholic Saint with paganism

This is a Catholic celebration in honor of Saint Kateri's feast day.

And what's a good old Catholic feast day without Native American smudging? 

Quote: "Guests and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament gathered July 15 at the National Shrine of St. Katharine Drexel in Bensalem to celebrate the feast of St. Kateri Tekakwitha and Native American cultures.
The event on the shrine grounds was attended by members of the Southeastern Cherokee Confederacy and the St. Kateri Circle led by Chief Buffy Red Feather Brown. The day included prayers, hymns, craft-making and a presentation on St. Kateri’s life."

Not to worry, its all Bishop approved. 

INCULTURATION,WORSHIP, AND SACRAMENTS

Liturgy and inculturation are major topics of conversation

at all levels in ministry to Native American

Catholics. No attempt was made in this survey to

assess the degree of inculturation that is envisaged

or attempted, but the survey asked, “Do the Native

people in your arch/diocese use their religious symbols

and rituals in their communal prayer life?”

Fifty-one dioceses (just under 30 percent of the

total) replied “Yes” to this question and described

the symbols and how they are used. A number of

dioceses stressed that these symbols and rituals are

used only on special occasions; others indicated that

they are incorporated into the ongoing worship of

the community. Among the most common symbols/rituals

are the following:

• Smudging (blessing, purifying) with cedar, sage,

sweetgrass, and tobacco

• Eagle feather used in blessings

• Dance and drums used for liturgies

• Indian music in liturgy (one diocese noted that

Br. Martin Fenerty, FSC, has composed five

Masses based on Native American melodies)

• Indian naming ceremony in conjunction

with Baptism

• Native attire used in local and diocesan

celebrations

• Four-directional prayer

• Sweat lodge

• Statues, relics of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha

• Medicine wheel

• Native crucifix and cross

• Sacred vessels, decorations, and vestments

with Native designs

• Sacred pipe

The incorporation of Native symbols and rituals in

communal worship is much more common in

parishes/ministries serving Native Americans on

reservations or in rural communities than in urban

settings. Some of those ministering to Native

Americans noted that the diversity of tribes, and thus

symbols, in urban areas makes it difficult to find symbols

relevant to all the groups to whom they minister.[clipped]

Even Archbishop Chaput has prayed in sweat lodges and gone on vision quests. 😕 

I don't get it and I'm part Native American, so is my ex-husband so my kids get it from both sides of the family. I've been to Pow-wow's, many of them over the years (prior to becoming Catholic) and Native American celebrations. It is part of my family's heritage, that doesn't change the fact that scared pipes, medicine wheels, smudging, sweat lodges (used to talk to entities) etc., are all part of Native American paganism. 

How can you be Catholic while still clinging to pagan "scared" objects and practices like the medicine wheel? 

What's a medicine wheel you might be wondering? 

Quote: "We believe that the Medicine Wheel creates a vortex of healing energy that comes out of the ground and spirals out into the surrounding area, thus benefiting all living things. It is mirrored by another Wheel in the Spirit World.  Heaven and Earth are joined together by a tube of energy that flows between the two Wheels and to stand in The Wheel is to be part of that joining. The more we do ceremony in the Wheel, the stronger its energy and connection become. It is a beacon of Light shining out to illuminate the darkness and radiate healing and understanding into our community and to all the Earth."  

How about that sacred pipe?

Quote: "The pipe ceremony is a sacred ritual for connecting physical and spiritual worlds. "The pipe is a link between the earth and the sky," explains White Deer of Autumn. "Nothing is more sacred. The pipe is our prayers in physical form. Smoke becomes our words; it goes out, touches everything, and becomes a part of all there is. The fire in the pipe is the same fire in the sun, which is the source of life." The reason why tobacco is used to connect the worlds is that the plant's roots go deep into the earth, and its smoke rises high into the heavens."

Does any of that sound compatible with Catholicism to you? 

It's paganism!

Quit straddling the fence. Either you're Catholic or you're not. Give up the pagan sacred items and embrace Catholicism. 



In Christ, 


Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner 


Sources: 

http://catholicphilly.com/2017/07/photo-features/celebrating-native-american-life-on-st-kateris-feast/

https://cruxnow.com/faith/2014/09/03/blending-rites-and-rituals/

http://wwwmigrate.usccb.org/issues-and-action/cultural-diversity/native-american/resources/upload/NA-Catholics-Millennium.pdf 

http://mesacreativearts.com/html/medicinewheel.html

http://www.native-americans-online.com/native-american-pipe-ceremony.html

Is It Pagan?

Al writes: JESUS NEVER UTTERED THE PAGAN WORD "SACRAMENT." SO WHY IS YOUR "CHURCH" DOING IT? IS IT PAGAN?

My response: Perhaps not in scripture, but every word Christ uttered is not recorded so we don't really know that now do we? As far as scripture goes, Jesus never said "Trinity" either but Christians believe in it. The word "sacrament" isn't any more of a 'pagan word' than the days of the week are. It comes from the Latin word "sacrare" meaning 'to consecrate'. The seven Sacraments (Baptism, Eucharist, Marriage, Holy Orders, Extreme Unction, Penance, Confirmation) in the Catholic Church are not pagan. Sacraments are rites instituted by Jesus Christ. They can't be changed by anyone, not even a Pope. Many Protestant denominations have sacraments, though usually only 2 (Communion, Baptism). Some Protestant denominations prefer to use the term "ordinance" rather than "sacrament". I see nothing "pagan" in either terms, and certainly not in the Christians participating in these sacraments.