Good and Bad Sectarianism

 Sociologists have developed the notion of sect and sectarianism to describe religious groups and their behaviors.  A sect is a religious group that develops out of an existing religious group by emphasizing certain beliefs and practices as being more important that the parent group. They typically set themselves up in contrast from the existing group and from the broader society. This contrast is the dynamic that attracts and keeps members.

Pharisees in the time of Jesus were a sect. They had a set of beliefs and practices that set themselves apart from fellow Jews and non- Jews. 

Christianity also began as a Jewish sect; Jesus and his followers had a different set of beliefs and practices from the Pharisees. In a sense Jesus and the Pharisees were competing sects. However, the death and resurrection brought into Christianity a new revelation that became enshrined in the New Testament. Some sociologists use the were cult for all situations in which a new revelation is involved, e.g. the Mormons originated as a cult based on the Book of Mormon. 

Most sectarian movements developed out Christianity as heresies, i.e. certain Christian leaders developed ideas which their leaders saw not as new revelation but as the correct interpretation of Christianity in contradistinction to orthodox mainstream Christianity which denounced them as heresies, false opinions. Protestantism has been a constant source of sectarian movements, each one denouncing existing Protestant churches and their cultures. American has experienced many such revivals. Fundamentalism is one of the most recent. Most of these movements developed around ideas rather than practices. These (bad) forms of sectarianism denounce the people who do not belong to their sect. 

Within Christianity, especially western Catholicism, there has evolved a whole series of movements known as religious life which are also sectarian. They set up Chrisitan lifestyles that also have a high contrast both to their fellow Catholics and to the world at large. While viewing their lifestyle as being superior to that of the average Catholic, they do not criticize their fellow Catholics because they do not practice poverty, chastity, obedience, pray the Divine Office, etc. Religious have been the great engines of attracting people into more committed forms of Catholicism and engaging them in lives that face the challenges of their time and cultures.

Jesuit Author Captures Catholic Fundamentalism in Boston Heresy Case

A deeper sociological understanding of sects and sectarianism would have made for a better book or a better review article.

Feeney's form of sectarianism was obviously Protestant, and heretical, because he claimed his theology was the correct form in contrast to that of the official church, therefore he was excommunicated. 

A sectarianism formed around Latin in the Mass could avoid becoming heretical. There is nothing wrong with Latin in the Mass. The new form of Mass can be completely celebrated in Latin. The problem becomes when people insist on using the Old Latin Missal rather than the New Latin Missal. There is nothing particularly sacrosanct about the 1962 Missal. In fact it contains the addition of Saint Joseph to the Canon of the Mass as authorized by John XXIII!  

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with past liturgical editions. I think that any past editions that have a solid base of scholarship, e.g. musical notation, should be able to be used with the authorization of a bishop provided there is a choral group or other community that is promoting their use.  I have many recordings of such groups.  

If I were the pastor of a parish like my own and had a group of people who wanted a Latin Mass, I would say fine we are going to use the New Latin Mass. Get a group together to learn Gregorian chant, I am not going to ask any of the existing group of musicians to do this for you.  Start with Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei. You are welcome to sing Latin Hymns, English Chants, or Latin chants at the Entrance, Offertory, Communion, and Recession. We will be keeping the readings in English.  We will be doing the Mass on Saturday mornings, and I will encourage people to come to it to learn about our Latin heritage.  Saturday morning will not fulfill the weekend obligation, but it is a good time to get people to church. We can also use a lot of ease votive Masses (our Lady, etc.) to get things going. Once the attendance exceeds the least attended weekend Mass, I will change the time to Sunday afternoon. We could easy develop a Latin Mass spirituality within our parishes that provides a better from of Catholicism for some people without denouncing what the rest of the parish and Church are doing.

Sectarian spirituality in Catholicism is great. All the religious orders have spiritualities which call their members to ideals and practices that exceed those of the average Catholic. My life is loaded with the spirituality of the desert solitaries, that of Benedictines, and Jesuits. My practice of the Divine Office is far beyond that of the average Catholic. When he addressed Congress, Francis set up Thomas Merton and Dorthy Day as models. Their spiritualities surely exceeded those of most Catholics as well as our culture.

For my whole life I have been bored by the many dull mediocre Masses in our parishes along with all the dull religious education. I am not surprised at all that so many young people escape from it as soon as possible. However, Catholicism has much to offer beyond what is present in our parishes.