{"id":32928,"date":"2016-05-09T15:15:55","date_gmt":"2016-05-09T20:15:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/?p=32928"},"modified":"2016-05-09T15:19:10","modified_gmt":"2016-05-09T20:19:10","slug":"an-australian-aboriginal-mass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2016\/05\/09\/an-australian-aboriginal-mass\/","title":{"rendered":"An Australian Aboriginal Mass"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor’s note: <\/em>This article originally appeared in the March\u00a02016 issue of <\/em>Worship<\/a>. Reprinted with the permission of the author and <\/em>Liturgical Press.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

by Carmel Pilcher<\/em><\/p>\n

At a lecture in 2014 marking the fiftieth anniversary of Sacrosanctum Concilium <\/em>Bishop Paul Bird named his paper \u201cLiving Liturgy: The Vision of\u00a0Vatican II.\u201d(1) Bird spoke of the council fathers\u2019 intention that the liturgical reform \u201cpromote a more vigorous Christian life, \u201d in other words that it be \u201cliving liturgy.\u201d(2) After reminding his audience that the liturgical reform of the council was in fact conservative in nature, Bird revisited the principles and in particular the directives that resulted in the revised Missal of Paul VI. But the implementation of this reform was never to be simple. Bird remarked that Paul VI himself hinted there would be challenges in balancing values along the way. By way of example Bird focused on the change in policy both with regard to the way liturgical texts are prepared and those responsible for their revision.\u00a0He counselled: \u201cI would suggest that in the translation of texts, as in other areas of liturgy, we do well to regularly check our approach against the vision of liturgy proposed by the Second Vatican Council.\u201d(3)<\/p>\n

Bird then addressed what he termed a related issue: that of adapting the\u00a0liturgy to the various cultures of peoples. He offered an example from his own experience while visiting the church of Samoa. This related to the inclusion of a familiar domestic funeral ritual into the introductory rites of the Mass.<\/p>\n

He described this in detail:<\/p>\n

This ceremony had been adapted for use as a penitential rite at the start of Mass. At the start of the Mass the priest would come in procession to the sanctuary, but before going to the altar he would sit on the floor with his head covered with a fine mat. This seemed to me to . . . resonate strongly with Samoan people who had grown up with the ceremony of the fine mat as a symbol of sorrow for any offence and a desire for true repentance. After the priest had sat on the ground with the mat over his head for a short time, someone would come and take the mat from his head. Only then would the priest get up and go to the altar. The priest was seen as a representative of the community. So when the mat was lifted from his head, it was a symbol of God\u2019s forgiveness of the whole community. Then, in union with the priest, the whole community could spiritually stand up and move forward and be welcomed to God\u2019s house and the great family of God\u2019s people. (4)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Bird commented that this appeared to be a rare example of the practice of cultural liturgical adaptation throughout the world.<\/p>\n

Returning his focus to Australia, Bird remarked that while in the past worshipers felt at home with the predominantly European nature of the Catholic liturgy, this was no longer the case for worshiping communities with a diverse multicultural face from all continents in the world. He singled out indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with a heritage very different from the Western tradition for a renewed focus on liturgical inculturation.(5) Bird believes that to be \u201cliving liturgy\u201d the church\u2019s worship needs to both draw on the \u201crich tradition of liturgical prayer\u201d and at the same time \u201cbe open to the various cultures around the world today.\u201d(6)<\/p>\n

This paper will explore one attempt by the Australian Church soon after Vatican II to take seriously the council\u2019s mandate to adapt the liturgy to the needs of its indigenous peoples. The Australian Aboriginal Mass is a unique example that surprisingly has never been studied in any serious way in the\u00a0past.(7) For that reason and the fact that it continues to be a catalyst for any efforts at liturgical inculturation by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholics, it deserves our consideration.<\/p>\n

We begin with a description of the ceremony. Before offering a brief analysis of the Mass, we will place it within the context of the time. Finally, we will suggest its ongoing significance not just for Australian Catholics but potentially for all indigenous Catholics throughout the world.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

AN AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL MASS (8)<\/p>\n

The celebration of the Australian Aboriginal Mass took place on the afternoon of Saturday, February 24, 1973, with an assembly of more than twenty thousand Catholics from all parts of Australia and visitors, including bishops from many parts of the world. It was part of the program of liturgical events during the fortieth International Eucharistic Congress held in Melbourne.<\/p>\n

Aboriginals from remote Catholic communities provided the singers and dancers. These were prominently positioned behind the altar and facing the assembly.(9) A song accompanied the short procession of servers\u2014four of whom were indigenous\u2014who were followed by the MC, the deacon, and the presider, Cardinal Sheehan, the papal legate.(10) The hymn was sung in English so that all could join with the Aboriginal children\u2019s choir.(11)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Participants<\/a>
Participants return to their places in the choir after the sign of peace.\u00a0The presider, center, is Archbishop Sheehan, the papal legate;\u00a0to his right is Archbishop Dennis Hart, now archbishop of Melbourne and president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. Photo: \u00a9 MDHC Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. Used with permission.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Mass followed the structure of the Roman Rite\u2014a brief Introductory Rite, Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist, and a short Concluding Rite. While the structure was familiar, various elements of ritual and text were markedly different. We begin with a description of the ritual components, including music, dance, and art that brought unique components of Aboriginal ceremonies to the liturgy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

RITUAL ADAPATIONS<\/p>\n

An Oral Tradition<\/strong><\/p>\n

Following the Opening Prayer the proclamation of the Word was introduced by an elder from an island off the coast of the north of Australia: \u201cWe the Tiwi people of Bathurst Island NT we sing mime and dance the Last Supper. Our Lord showed his love for us at the Last Supper when he said \u2018Love one another as I have loved you.\u2019 We ask you to share with us this story.\u201d(12) The Islanders, whose bodies were adorned with paint and feathers for ceremony, gathered before the altar. Twelve men sat in a semicircle with a number of women behind them. One man on the edge of the circle had a spear. After he gave three hollow claps with his hands the singing began. The leader mimed giving bread to each of the twelve and they ate together. The elder spoke again: \u201cOur Lord gives us the Eucharist at the Last Supper. He gave us food to eat and wine to drink to make us strong.\u201d After \u201cdrinking\u201d in unison the group sang several songs that were accompanied by dancing. Finally, the leader danced with the spear in jubilation. The singing was solemn and prayerful and the dancing strong.\u00a0The Scripture proclamation continued for several minutes.(13) The assembly received this proclamation of the Word in respectful silence.<\/p>\n

At the end of the ritual Fr. Hilton Deakin said: \u201cThe Bathurst Islanders have just told the story of the Last Supper in the way that they know best.\u201d He continued: \u201cInstead of the Responsorial Psalm we will have a LIRRGA song from Port Keats. It is called a Jesus song and tells us very simply that God is good to people.\u201d(14) The traditional form of song was sung in local dialect and was accompanied by the sound of the didgeridoo and a guitar. At the conclusion of the song the presider prayed: \u201cFather in heaven, your Son, Jesus, has spoken to us. We will listen to his word.\u201d All responded with, \u201cThat word is good.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The beginning of the communion reflection dance. Photo: \u00a9 MDHC Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. Used with permission.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The gospel was proclaimed in the usual way from the book of the Scriptures and the homily and general intercessions followed.<\/p>\n

Ceremonial Dance and Song<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Liturgy of the Eucharist began with a procession of gifts according to a dance tradition of Port Keats. Preparing food is traditionally women\u2019s work in Aboriginal cultures so women\u2014dressed for ceremony\u2014danced the gifts to the altar: a traditional bag was later removed to reveal a host on a flat plate decorated with an Aboriginal motif and large conch shells. The dancing was accompanied by clap sticks, and the song was sung in a local Port Keats dialect.<\/p>\n

The sign of peace\u2014in the form of a handshake\u2014took an extended length of time, in fact, a similar period to that of the ceremonial dances.(15) The ritual began with: \u201cMay the Lord Jesus make you good in your hearts,\u201d to which all responded: \u201cLord Jesus, make us friends together.\u201d The presider then said\u00a0\u201cLet everybody see we are all friends.\u201d It would seem that the significance of this moment of reconciliation among Aboriginals and between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians was not lost on the assembly.(16)<\/p>\n

During the distribution of Communion the choir sang in their local Aboriginal languages. Immediately after Communion a ceremonial dance of thanksgiving was accompanied by singing. The notes in the Order of Service explain:<\/p>\n

The concept of \u201cthanks\u201d is foreign to the aboriginals. Their traditional substitute is contained in the idea and practice of RECIPROCITY. God the Father has given them his Son, and they express this in dance and song. They are obliged to give something back\u2014it will be themselves they give. And they express this also. And the idea of joy is strongly stressed. The tribes from Port Keats and Kununurra have a dance, THE DJANBA, to express this.(17)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Women had danced gifts to the altar. Men now danced with vigour and strength in exchange for the \u201cpresents\u201d of bread and wine. The assembly participated in this ritual by clapping rhythmically with the singers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

TEXTS<\/p>\n

The texts of the Mass were significantly modified from the Roman texts. All spoken texts were in the English language to ensure participation by the whole assembly, including indigenous Christians from both tribal and urban areas.(18)<\/p>\n

Recurring Theme: Father, You Are Good<\/strong><\/p>\n

The opening greeting reflected a simple theme that was repeated throughout the Mass: \u201cMay the Father in heaven make you good in your hearts,\u201d to which all responded: \u201cMay he make you good in your heart.\u201d(19) The petition \u201cyou will make us good\u201d or acclamation of praise \u201cFather, you are good\u201d were other expressions of this theme.(20)<\/p>\n

To the prayer at the dedication of the gifts: \u201cBrothers and sisters, may the Father in heaven take these two presents from us,\u201d the response was: \u201cYes. May the Father in heaven take these two presents. We will praise him and be good.\u201d21 The prayer continued: \u201cMay the Father in heaven take these two presents from us,\u201d and in response: \u201cWe will praise him and be good.\u201d<\/p>\n

The penitential rite was based on the third form of the Roman Missal:<\/p>\n

Father above, we have done wrong.<\/p>\n

Father, we have forgotten your word.<\/p>\n

Father, sometimes we do not look after one another.(22)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The final response, addressed to Mary, was an exception to the normal Roman liturgical tradition: \u201cMary Mother, say a good word to the Father for us.\u201d Reflecting Aboriginal culture, the mother mediated between the father, God, and the penitent children who had \u201cdone wrong.\u201d(23) For the Roman Missal\u2019s \u201cLord have mercy\u201d was substituted the simpler \u201cWe are sorry.\u201d(24)<\/p>\n

The Proper Prayers were especially composed for the Mass to reflect the Congress\u2019s theme: \u201clove for God and one another.\u201d(25) The Opening Prayer is an example:<\/p>\n

Let us pray,<\/p>\n

God our Father,<\/p>\n

your only proper Son<\/p>\n

has told us about your love for all men.<\/p>\n

May we learn about your love,<\/p>\n

and love one another.<\/p>\n

We make this prayer through your only proper Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,<\/p>\n

who lives with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,<\/p>\n

for ever and ever.<\/p>\n

Amen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The prayer followed the prayer pattern and formula of the Roman Missal. The phrase \u201cyour only proper Son\u201d appeared as an unusual addition.(26) This term was repeated several times throughout the Mass.(27)<\/p>\n

The text of the Lord\u2019s Prayer was taken from the Roman Missal. A distinctively melodic chant was attached to the prayer and the simple words summed up their intention. \u201cYou are our Father. You live in heaven. We talk to you. Father, you are good.\u201d This antiphon was sung before and after the recitation of the Lord\u2019s Prayer.(28)<\/p>\n

The final blessing: \u201cMay almighty God make you good in your hearts, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,\u201d continued the theme of goodness. The dismissal followed: \u201cBrothers and sisters, that is the finish. You can go now.\u201d To which all replied, \u201cAmen.\u201d The brevity and directness of this statement is indicative of the flavour of all the texts that were used throughout the Mass.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER<\/p>\n

The eucharistic prayer was patterned on the eucharistic prayer from the Roman Missal but again the texts were significantly modified.(29) The preface began with the salutation that was repeated throughout the Mass:<\/p>\n

Cel: May the Father in heaven make you good in your hearts.<\/p>\n

All: May he make you good in your heart.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cLift up your hearts\u201d became \u201cMay he make you good in your hearts.\u201d The next invitation and response was:<\/p>\n

Cel: Listen to the word of the Lord Jesus.<\/p>\n

All: We will listen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

All were invited to \u201clisten to the word of the Lord Jesus\u201d in the eucharistic prayer that followed. This additional insertion into the preface appeared clearer when immediately after the institution narrative the assembly said:<\/p>\n

The bread has become the body of the Lord.<\/p>\n

The wine has become the blood of the Lord.<\/p>\n

We cannot see this.<\/p>\n

By the word of the Lord Jesus, we believe it.(30)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The eucharistic prayers in the Roman Missal are dialogical in character. The eucharistic prayer capitalised on this structural format by including extra acclamations for the assembly.(31) \u201cFather, you are good\u201d was repeated eight times during the preface. \u201cWe remember. It is good\u201d was repeated three times after the words of institution and the memorial acclamation. \u201cFather, you are good\u201d was inserted before the doxology. The simple Sanctus <\/em>fitted neatly with the theme:<\/p>\n

Father, you are good.<\/p>\n

We are happy about that man Jesus, Your only proper Son.<\/p>\n

Come, Lord Jesus, come and be with us.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The common notion of goodness was affirmed in hearts and minds in words spoken by the presider and the regular spoken responses of the assembly.(32) The whole of the eucharistic prayer carried this simple message of praise for the good God who made the earth bountiful and for the \u201cproper\u201d Son, Jesus, who gave himself as \u201cpresent\u201d in bread and wine.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

CONTEXT FOR THE AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL MASS<\/p>\n

In the seventies, Australia, along with many countries in the Western world, was a society in the midst of ferment and change.(33) The Catholic Church\u2019s liturgy was also in a period ad experimentum <\/em>in the wake of the promulgation of Sacrosanctum Concilium <\/em>less than a decade before.(34) That the organisers at the time should give significant prominence to the unique needs of its first peoples was noteworthy.(35) That the Conference of Australian Bishops should sanction a Mass with Aboriginal people as its focus remains unprecedented in the history of Australia.(36)<\/p>\n

It is important to note from the outset that the genesis of the Australian Aboriginal Mass was not the eucharistic congress as such. It might have been the catalyst, but the adapted elements of the Mass, including the texts, were already part of the worshiping life in remote indigenous communities. Nothing was created especially for the Aboriginal congress Eucharist. The singers and dancers led the prayer of the assembly in the same way they did in their worshiping communities at home. The text of the congress Aboriginal Mass was\u00a0based on an English translation of the Mass in Garadyari <\/em>language, celebrated in La Grange Mission, Western Australia.(37)<\/p>\n

Together with local Aboriginal leaders in remote communities of Australia, missionaries had taken seriously the mandate of Sacrosanctum Concilium <\/em>to adapt the liturgy to the needs of local worshipers (SC 37\u201340). They had heeded the call of Comme<\/em> le pr\u00e9voit<\/em>:<\/p>\n

The purpose of liturgical translations is to proclaim the message of salvation to believers and to express the prayer of the Church to the Lord. . . . To achieve this end, it is not sufficient that a liturgical translation merely reproduce the expressions and ideas of the original text. Rather it must faithfully communicate to a given people, and in their own language, that which the Church by means of this given text originally intended to communicate to another people in another time.(38)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A further motivation was the visit to Sydney in 1970 by Paul VI, who told the Australian Aboriginal people: \u201cWe know that you have a life style proper to your own ethnic genius or culture\u2014a culture which the church respects and which it does not in any way ask you to renounce.\u201d(39)<\/p>\n

For his part, anthropologist Hilton Deakin, the chief architect and coordinator of the Aboriginal Mass, listened carefully to Aboriginal Catholics.(40) They told him they experienced the Roman Rite as completely foreign and too cold and intellectual for them.(41) It offered them no sense of deep belonging.(42) Deakin observed that the theological concepts of \u201cthanksgiving,\u201d \u201clove,\u201d or \u201cmercy\u201d were not part of the lived experience of Aboriginals and therefore were incomprehensible to them. Deakin concluded that this was because \u201cthe western and Hebraic cultural forms in the Eucharist with which we are familiar have always proved a difficulty in other cultural surroundings.\u201d(43) By way of explanation for those at the Mass Deakin noted in the Mass program that, even with familiar concepts, \u201cthe trained mental processes are such that there must be an immediately realisable connection between the mental abstract and the concrete reality.\u201d(44)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

AN AMBITIOUS PROJECT<\/p>\n

The Australian Aboriginal Mass was an attempt by Deakin and others to bring together both the reformed Roman Rite and aspects of Aboriginal ceremonies from various tribal nations. The liturgical ministers were dressed for traditional ceremony, as were the Aboriginal dancers, singers, and musicians: one in Roman vestments painted with the special emblems and designs of the Port Keats area in Northern Australia, and the others adorned with paint and feathers of their tribal areas. Aboriginal ceremonies use special objects, as does\u00a0the Roman Rite.(45) The altar, vestments, and vessels for carrying bread and wine were decorated with Aboriginal motifs.46 The chalice was in the shape of a Coolamon,(47) and, while crafted in Melbourne, it featured Aboriginal motifs from Broome, West Australia.(48)<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The presentation of the Last Supper during the Liturgy of the Word. Photo: \u00a9 MDHC Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. Used with permission.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The shape of the ritual and the adapted texts followed the structure and prayer forms of the Roman Rite. The Scripture message was proclaimed through song, dance, and mime of traditional Aboriginal ceremonies as well as the written text of the lectionary, honouring both the oral ceremony tradition of an ancient culture and the Western tradition of the book. All in the assembly had a copy of the entire liturgy printed in the Order of Service. At various times during the Mass a spoken commentary supplemented the text with its various written explanations. The entrance and concluding songs were commonly known hymns in English that all in the assembly could sing. Regular responses throughout the liturgy aided participation. The Mass texts were in English while the ceremonial ritual of the various tribes was accompanied by\u00a0song in their language. The use of repetition and the simplicity of texts ensured that all in the assembly could fully participate. The Australian Aboriginal liturgy was one response to the conciliar invitation for a more \u201cradical adaptation\u201d of the Roman Rite while arguably attempting to maintain its \u201csubstantial unity.\u201d(49) In the words of the organisers:<\/p>\n

It is sought . . . to present the Eucharistic Mysteries to the aborigines in such a way that they may culturally and psychologically identify with the action through their own cultural and psychological patterns, that is the Eucharist not only comes to them, but they can come to the Eucharist.(50)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

CRITIQUE<\/p>\n

Some would argue that while the Australian Aboriginal Mass was unique and its components part of the lived experience of various worshiping communities, it was also largely artificial. The remote Aboriginal communities who brought their own dance and song to the Mass were far from their home countries.<\/p>\n

The stage set up to look like an Aboriginal meeting place was in fact a manufactured amphitheater in a park surrounded by a large urban city. Although the elements of the Mass were \u201chome grown\u201d and resulted from a collaboration between Aboriginal leaders and missionaries, they were collected and orchestrated by non-Aboriginal clergy.<\/p>\n

It could further be argued that the inclusion of dance and song from individual communities appeared more of a spectacle that restricted rather than fostered participation in the liturgy. Of necessity, the major language of the Mass was English, but for some non-Aboriginals the Mass texts were perceived to be simplistic and demeaning to the Aboriginal Catholics they sought to include. While none of these criticisms has been recorded, some local scholars today continue to express them. Those speak with the benefit of hindsight, and perhaps do not reflect the experience of those who participated in the Mass at the time.(51)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ONGOING SIGNIFICANCE<\/p>\n

Were this Mass simply an Australian celebration it might be memorable but of little interest beyond this nation. However, the Australian Aboriginal Mass took place during an International Eucharistic Congress and so received much worldwide exposure. Visitors came to Australia for the congress from many parts of the world. Included among the bishops was the Archbishop of Cracow, Karol Wojtyla\u2014later Pope John Paul II. Because it was an official part of the Eucharistic Congress the Aboriginal Mass required Roman approval. While most liturgies were ratified quickly, some months passed before the Congregation for Divine Worship sent their response.(52) The Aboriginal Mass was finally\u00a0approved\u2014albeit only for this event\u2014with only four minor modifications.(53) The local church officials were instructed that the formula of the consecration of the bread and wine must be from the Ordo Missae<\/em>; the usual Lord\u2019s Prayer should be included along with the sung refrain;(54) the bread must be broken during the communion rite in the \u201cnormal way\u201d; and the word \u201cheaven\u201d was not to be substituted with another term.(55) That the Roman officials required so few changes was a further indicator that the Aboriginal liturgy was faithful to the spirit of liturgical adaptation invited by Sacrosanctum Concilium<\/em>.(56)<\/p>\n

More than forty years later the Australian Aboriginal Mass continues to be a landmark moment in an ongoing development of liturgical inculturation among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholics.57 Small remote Aboriginal communities bring cultural elements into their regular worship. Urban communities of Aboriginal Catholics who come from diverse cultures include song, musical instruments, and art in worship. \u201cAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday\u201d is an annual celebration in the Australian liturgical calendar where all Australian Catholics are invited to honour and celebrate\u00a0the first peoples of this land.(58) Could a radical inculturation modelled on the Australian Aboriginal Mass of 1973 provide the celebrations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholics with a more effective way to fully participate in the church\u2019s \u201cliving liturgy\u201d?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Carmel Pilcher,\u00a0<\/span>a Sister of St. Joseph, is a liturgy consultant who has\u00a0taught in many dioceses of Australia and is currently also assisting the church in\u00a0Fiji. Carmel is a former director of liturgy in the Archdiocese of Sydney and her\u00a0doctoral thesis focused on the prophetic character of the Eucharist. Carmel\u00a0was responsible for the papal liturgies for the beatification of Mary MacKillop\u00a0in 1995, and this ignited an interest in liturgical inculturation under the\u00a0guidance\u00a0of the then\u2013papal master of ceremonies, Archbishop Piero Marini.<\/em><\/p>\n

NOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n

1 \u201cLiving Liturgy: The Vision of Vatican II,\u201d Knox Lecture, 21 May 2014, Melbourne. Australasian Catholic Record <\/em>91 (2014): 334\u201349. Paul Bird, CSsR, is an Australian bishop of the Diocese of Ballarat and a member of the Bishops\u2019 Commission for Liturgy. For more than two decades prior to that he served as a member of the National Liturgical Commission.<\/p>\n

2 Ibid., 340.<\/p>\n

3 Bird cites SC 36, in ibid., fn. 29.<\/p>\n

4\u00a0 Ibid., 347.<\/p>\n

5 Bird agreed with other liturgists who believe that elements of Aboriginal ritual could be used in Christian liturgy in Australia. See Carmel Pilcher, David Orr, and Elizabeth Harrington, eds., Vatican II: Reforming Liturgy <\/em>(Adelaide: ATF, 2013).<\/p>\n

6 Bird, \u201cLiving Liturgy: The Vision of Vatican II,\u201d 348.<\/p>\n

7 See Questions Liturgiques<\/em>\/Studies in Liturgy 96 (2015): 129\u201348.<\/p>\n

8 The name given by the organizers of the Eucharistic Congress. The text of the liturgy is found in Liturgies and Programmes<\/em>, 103\u201314. More recently a complete professional visual and audio of the ceremony was discovered in the archives of the Australian Broadcasting Commission titled Divine Service Aboriginal Liturgy 40th International Eucharistic Congress<\/em>.<\/p>\n

9 Divine Service Aboriginal Liturgy.<\/em><\/p>\n

10 All bishops and priests in choir dress were seated in the assembly behind the Aboriginal dignitaries and only came to the altar to serve Communion.<\/p>\n

11 \u201cAll the Earth proclaim the Lord\u201d by Lucien Deiss. Deliberate efforts were made to enable all in the vast assembly to participate Several times throughout the Mass commentator Fr. Hilton Deakin offered explanatory commentary. In addition, all participants had access to the entire text of the Mass, including the notation and lyrics of the songs. See Liturgies and Programmes<\/em>, 101\u201314.<\/p>\n

12 The entire \u201cfirst reading\u201d was proclaimed without a written text. Unless otherwise indicated, the description of the Mass is taken from Divine Service Aboriginal Liturgy.<\/em><\/p>\n

13 Aboriginal peoples come from an ancient continuous oral tradition of thousands of At the Congress Mass the Aboriginal people were invited to proclaim the Scripture message honouring their traditional way.<\/p>\n

14 \u201cThe LIRRGA songs . . . are composed for various purposes, e.g. to tell of an event, or to express an inner feeling. .\u00a0 .\u00a0 . [T]he one used here .\u00a0 .\u00a0 . in the Murinyangarr dialect.\u00a0 .\u00a0 . is a song of praise in Christ.\u201d Liturgies and Programmes<\/em>, 106.<\/p>\n

15 Aboriginals moved from the stage to greet those in the front rows of the assembly.<\/p>\n

16 Aboriginal Australians have a tragic history of violence, murder, oppression, and the removal of children from families at the hands of the European colonisers that con- tinued well into the twentieth century. \u201cA handshake at this Mass could be offered as a unity gesture among all aborigines, and of the unity founded on Christ between aborigines and whites.\u201d Liturgies and Programmes<\/em>, 113.<\/p>\n

17 Ibid.<\/p>\n

18 At the time there were many hundreds of Aboriginal groups across the vast continent of Australia and each had its own language. Bishop O\u2019Loughlin noted more than\u00a0 seventy languages in his own diocese of Northern Letter dated 29 November 1971 to Father Brian Walsh. Hilton Deakin states that \u201cthere is a complexity of dialects amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities, and the absence of a\u00a0 common linguistic substratum.\u201d Michael Costigan, News Release <\/em>4, January 1973.\u00a0Accessed from the Melbourne Diocesan Historical Commission, Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (hereafter\u00a0 MDHC).<\/p>\n

19 \u201cTo be \u2018good in one\u2019s heart\u2019 is synonymous with a state of well-being, e. peace.\u201d\u00a0Liturgies and Programmes<\/em>, 105.<\/p>\n

20 Examples include the \u201coffering\u201d of bread and wine; during the preface and the eucha- ristic prayer, the Communion rite, and the final blessing. Liturgies and Programmes<\/em>, 109\u201314.<\/p>\n

21 The term \u201cgifts\u201d from the Roman Rite was substituted with \u201cpresents.\u201d A \u201cgift\u201d that might be given freely was replaced with the more culturally understood \u201cpresent\u201d that could be exchanged.<\/p>\n

22 See Hilton Deakin: \u201cA Tentative Text for the Aboriginal Liturgy to Be Held at the Myer Music Bowl\u2014February 1973 during the Congress Week.\u201d Accessed MDHC.<\/p>\n

23 This notion reflected the strong sense of family in Aboriginal cultures and the high value placed on such relationships.<\/p>\n

24 Aboriginal people might not understand \u201cmercy\u201d but they did know what it meant to be \u201cgood.\u201d The response recognized the failure of humanity to be \u201cgood.\u201d During\u00a0this period of ad experimentum<\/em>, penitential invocations were often written by those preparing the liturgy and were characteristically penitential in nature.<\/p>\n

25 See \u201cA Tentative Text for the Aboriginal Liturgy to Be Held at the Myer Music Bowl\u2014 February 1973 during the Congress \u201d Accessed MDHC.<\/p>\n

26 \u201cProper\u201d continues to this day to be used in Aboriginal conversation to define and give emphasis to anyone or anything that is real or genuine. We are daughters and sons of God through baptism, but Jesus is God\u2019s \u00a0only \u201cproper\u201d Son.<\/p>\n

27 Examples include the dedication over the gifts, the preface of the eucharistic prayer and the prayer after Communion that reads, \u201ceating the living bread, the body of your only proper Son.\u201d See Liturgies and Programmes<\/em>, 108\u201312.<\/p>\n

28 \u201cKM [Fr. Kevin McKelson] had provided Fr Willis of Kununurra with a translation into English of the Our Father in Karajarri (also Garadyari) from LaGrange. He modified the text and it was sung in English at the Congress Mass using as a basis the Tiwi Tune of\u00a0Daniel Puatjami from Bathurst Island.\u201d Kevin McKelson, Introduction to an Aboriginal Mass: The Missa Indigena<\/em>, unpublished manuscript, 35. Accessed from archives, Diocese of Broome, Western Australia.<\/p>\n

29 For a thorough theological and liturgical examination and assessment of the Congress Eucharistic Prayer, see Patrick Michael O\u2019Regan, The Contribution of the Australian Aboriginal Eucharistic Prayer to the Understanding of the Eucharist<\/em>, Institut Catholique de Paris Universitas Catholica Parisiensis, M\u00e9moire de Maitrise en Th\u00e9ologie, unpublished manuscript, July 2002.<\/p>\n

30 Aboriginal cultures are grounded in symbols and signs that are material and concrete.\u00a0In their minds the bread continued to look like bread and the wine still looked like wine. Outwardly they appeared the same, and no one could observe any physical difference, but faith invited the assembly to believe that bread and wine had become the Body and Blood of Christ. So how did these elements become\u00a0 \u00a0transformed?\u00a0The change occurred through the power of Christ\u2019s word spoken by the priest. The assembly might fail to \u201chear\u201d this word and so believe, so they needed to be reminded to listen.<\/p>\n

31 The children\u2019s eucharistic prayers follow a similar format and although were not intro- duced by the Congregation for Divine Worship until 1974, drafts of the texts might have been available. O\u2019Regan commends this format but questions why acclamations could not have been added to all sections and in particular to the second half of the eucharistic prayer. The Contribution of the Australian Aboriginal Eucharistic Prayer to the Understanding of the Eucharist<\/em>, 104\u20135.<\/p>\n

32 O\u2019Regan is of the opinion that the redactors focused too much on the word \u201cgood\u201d and a richer vocabulary was needed. The Contribution of the Australian Aboriginal Eucharistic Prayer to the Understanding of the Eucharist<\/em>, 82.<\/p>\n

33 Significant for this discussion is the fact that although Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had occupied the continent for many thousands of years, they were only included in the Constitution of Australia as citizens after a national referendum that took place in 1967.<\/p>\n

34 For a discussion on this period of the liturgical reform, see Annibale \u00a0Bugnini,\u00a0The Reform of the Liturgy 1948\u20131975<\/em>, trans. Matthew J. O\u2019Connell (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1990), 257\u201377.<\/p>\n

35 The then-archbishop of Melbourne, Cardinal-elect James Knox described Aboriginal people as \u201cthe church\u2019s greatest social imperative\u201d and always intended that Aboriginal people would be prominent at the fortieth eucharistic congress. He authorized Hilton Deakin to undertake doctoral studies in anthropology. The idea for a Mass evolved from ongoing discussions between the two. Sourced from handwritten notes and anecdotal conversations with (now\u2013Bishop Emeritus) Hilton \u00a0Deakin.\u00a0Accessed MDHC.<\/p>\n

36 Archbishop Thomas Cahill, secretary of the Australian Episcopal Conference wrote: \u201cThe Institute of Pastoral Liturgy has studied the text [proposed for the Aboriginal Mass] and I have now forwarded it to the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship.\u00a0I shall be in Rome shortly and I shall do what I can to have the Mass text approved.\u201d Correspondence to Bishop John Jobst, Bishop of Broome, Western Australia, October\u00a0 4, 1972. Accessed from the archives, Diocese of Broome, Western Australia.<\/p>\n

37 Archbishop Cahill returned this text, complete with explanatory notes prepared by\u00a0Fr. Kevin McKelson, Pallottine missionary, and Aboriginals from La Grange community, Western Australia, to Bishop Jobst (cf. fn. 27). The final text of the Congress Mass was based on this translation.<\/p>\n

38 Comme Le Pr\u00e9voit: On the Translation of Liturgical Texts for Celebrations with a Congregation Consilium for Constitution on Liturgy <\/em> Issued January 25, 1969. https:\/\/www.ewtn.com\/library\/CURIA\/CONSLEPR.HTM.<\/a><\/p>\n

39 The full text of the papal address can be found in \u201cAd Continentis Australiani Aborigines,\u201d in Acta Apostolicae Sedis <\/em>63 (1971): Referred to by Hilton Deakin in \u201cA Tentative Text for the Aboriginal Liturgy to Be Held at the Myer Music Bowl\u2014 February 1973 during the Congress Week,\u201d a document that appears to be a draft of the rationale written to accompany the proposed text of the Aboriginal liturgy sent to the Congregation for Divine Worship for approval. Retrieved from the private papers of the late Rev. Dr. William Jordan, a priest of the Archdiocese of Melbourne who assisted with liturgical music during the congress.<\/p>\n

40 Indigenous Australians have a rich heritage of ceremony unsurpassed in the world. They have passed on their heritage continuously for up to 60,000 years through ritual and symbol, story and ceremony.<\/p>\n

41 John Perrett, coordinator of the Aboriginal art exhibition at the congress, recorded that Aboriginals in Darwin had reported these sentiments to Deakin. Source: hand- written notes titled \u201cAboriginal Arts Exhibition.\u201d Accessed\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0MDHC.<\/p>\n

42 Hilton Deakin, \u201cA Tentative Text for the Aboriginal Liturgy to Be Held at the Myer Music Bowl\u2014February 1973 during the Congress Week.\u201d Accessed MDHC.<\/p>\n

43 Michael Costigan, News Release <\/em>4, January 1973, Eucharistic Congress Deakin believed that before Australian Aboriginal people could identify with the Roman Rite, the church\u2019s liturgy would need to \u201cbreak into new anthropological forms.\u201d Source, handwritten notes, Hilton Deakin. Both accessed from MDHC.<\/p>\n

44 Liturgies and Programmes<\/em>, 104.<\/p>\n

45 For a detailed description, see Ernest A. Worms and Helmut Petri, Australian Aboriginal Religions<\/em>, Nelen Yubu Missiological Series No. 5 (Kensington NSW: Nelen Yubu Missiological Unit, 1998).<\/p>\n

46 So much of Aboriginal life has a meaning and is interrelated. \u201cAboriginal art is art for a purpose as distinct from art for its own sake. Thus not only is the outlook and development of the community discernible through an analysis of the art, but with Aboriginal art the community is directly involved in the development, the making and the use of\u00a0\u00a0 the works themselves that was part of the Eucharistic Congress and included the elements used at an aboriginal Mass.\u201d John Perrett, handwritten notes. Accessed from MDHC.<\/p>\n

47 A traditional utilitarian vessel used for carrying anything needed in daily life.<\/p>\n

48 For a contemporary description of the elements used in an Aboriginal Mass, see http:\/\/www.misacor.org.au\/emagazine\/current-news\/303-40-years-ago#sthash.88zohASj.dpuf.<\/a><\/p>\n

49 See Sacrosanctum Concilium 37\u201340. It is not the purpose of this paper to critique it against subsequent documents concerning liturgical inculturation, especially Varietates Legitimae (1994) and Liturgiam Authenticam (2001). See Mark R. Francis, CSV, \u201cAnother Look at the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy and the Substantial Unity of the Roman Rite,\u201d Worship 88, no. 3 (2014): 239\u201354.<\/p>\n

50 From \u201cA Tentative Text for the Aboriginal Liturgy to Be Held at the Myer Music Bowl\u2014 February 1973 during the Congress Week.\u201d Accessed MDHC.<\/p>\n

51 The DVD of the Mass was presented to several hundred Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholics who gathered for a meeting in Darwin, Northern Territory, in July 2015. All expressed surprise and appreciation at what the Church had sanctioned at the time. Several who had been at the Mass shared their memories of pride and excitement at being Aboriginal and part of such a historic liturgy in the life of the Australian church.<\/p>\n

52 Correspondence to Archbishop Knox indicates the majority of the liturgies were ap- proved on August 29. An explanation for the later approval of the proposed Aboriginal (and the liturgy for children) was due to consultation needed with other competent Vatican consistories. Sacra Congregatio Pro Culto Divino, 1 November 1972, signed Arturo Card. Tabera, prefect, and A. Bugnini, secretary to Archbishop Knox, sent on November 1, 1972. Prot N. 1477\/72. Accessed from MDHC. It may well have been hastened by the personal visit of the secretary of the Australian Episcopal Conference to Rome as indicated in correspondence between T.\u00a0 Cahill and Bishop Jobst (October 4, 1972), see fn. 35.<\/p>\n

53 Listed in the order received from Sacra Congregatio Pro Culto Divino, Prot N. 1477\/72.<\/p>\n

54 The organisers had asked that the chant replace the Lord\u2019s Prayer. Instead, the Roman authorities suggested that the chant be used as an antiphon that could even be sung between phrases of the official prayer. Letter addressed to Archbishop Knox from the Sacred Congregation for Worship, Prot N. 1477\/72. Accessed MDHC.<\/p>\n

55 A request was made to the Worship Office that the concept of \u201cheaven\u201d was too difficult for the Aboriginal to understand and that other terms might be substituted. However, as the Congregation pointed out, the submitted text used the term twenty- two times, so \u201cfor the sake of consistency it would be best to use heaven throughout.\u201d Accessed MDHC.<\/p>\n

56 This was affirmed by a favourable report on the congress liturgies, including the Aboriginal Mass, found in Annibale Bugnini, The Reform of the Liturgy, 920\u201322.<\/p>\n

57 This will be developed in a forthcoming paper.<\/p>\n

58 For a discussion on the liturgical resources surrounding National and Torres Strait Islander Sunday, see John Francis Fitz-Herbert and Carmel Pilcher, \u201cTowards Inculturation: An Australian Indigenous Contribution,\u201d in Pilcher et al., Vatican II, 61\u201379.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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