MAY 4, 2019

BELGAUM BISHOP DEREK FERNANDES

CONCELEBRATES MASS IN NON-LITURGICAL SAFFRON ROBES

Belgaum diocese Bishop Derek Fernandes in saffron robes at Jesuit
Fr. Menino Gonsalves’ syncretised temple-church in Deshanur, North Karnataka, Diocese of Belgaum

Belgaum diocese Bishop Derek Fernandes concelebrates Mass in saffron robes. This is a grave violation of the rubrics of the liturgy. Leading from the front, he encourages his priests to do the same.

This event takes place in a syncretised temple-church in which the “tabernacle” is a Siva lingam.

BISHOP DEREK FERNANDES SAYS “MASS” AT JESUIT PRIEST’S TEMPLE-CHURCH 6 SEPTEMBER 2019 19 pages

http://ephesians-511.net/recent/docs/BISHOP_DEREK_FERNANDES_SAYS_MASS_AT_JESUIT_PRIESTS_TEMPLE-CHURCH.doc

At least three of the priests in the pictures are wearing Hindu saffron-coloured (or “kavi“) robes. The other four priests (in cassocks) have saffron shawls draped over their shoulders.

Such Hindu dress, or wearing of the saffron shawl over the cassock, is a grave liturgical abuse:

FR. BRYAN LOBO SJ AND FR. NEELAM LOPES SJ AND THEIR SAFFRON SHAWL-SQUATTING MASSES

MAY PRIESTS WEAR A SHAWL WHILE CELEBRATING HOLY MASS 44 pages

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/MAY_PRIESTS_WEAR_A_SHAWL_WHILE_CELEBRATING_HOLY_MASS.doc

PRIESTS WEARING SHAWLS OVER CIVILIAN CLOTHES TO CELEBRATE LITURGY IS PROHIBITED: CCBI 7

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/PRIESTS_WEARING_SHAWLS_OVER_CIVILIAN_CLOTHES_TO_CELEBRATE_LITURGY_IS_PROHIBITED.doc

THE TWELVE POINTS OF ADAPTATION AND THE INDIAN RITE MASS ARE ABROGATED 7 pages

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/THE_TWELVE_POINTS_OF_ADAPTATION_AND_THE_INDIAN_RITE_MASS_ARE_ABROGATED.doc

In September 2016, the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) abrogated the “Indian rite” squatting shawl “Mass” and banned the wearing of the shawl by priests in their 84-page “Directives for the Celebration of the Liturgy”.

Jesuit Fr. Bryan Lobo is the
Director of the
Department of Theology of Religions, part of the faculty of Missiology at the Gregorian University Rome. He wore the saffron shawl over civilian clothes to say Mass.

The “shawl-squatting Mass”* is the Indian rite of the “Mass”** of the heretical Catholic Ashrams movement*** and encourages a number of aberrations apart from those “approved” (read as “fraudulently obtained from”****) by the Vatican. It has spawned some variations such as the “shawl” Mass in which priests do not squat but are not vested according to the liturgical requirements*****.

*THE SQUATTING INDIAN RITE MASS 18 pages

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/THE_SQUATTING_INDIAN_RITE_MASS.doc

**NBCLC-HARBINGER OF THE INDIAN RITE MASS AND LITURGICAL ABUSE 37 pages

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/NBCLC-HARBINGER_OF_THE_INDIAN_RITE_MASS_AND_LITURGICAL_ABUSE.doc

***CATHOLIC ASHRAMS 96 pages + several related files

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/CATHOLIC_ASHRAMS.doc,

****THE TWELVE POINTS OF ADAPTATION FOR THE INDIAN RITE MASS-WAS A FRAUD PERPETRATED ON INDIAN CATHOLICS? 27 pages

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/THE_TWELVE_POINTS_OF_ADAPTATION_FOR_THE_INDIAN_RITE_MASS-WAS_A_FRAUD_PERPETRATED_ON_INDIAN_CATHOLICS.doc

*****PRIESTS VESTMENTS AND THEIR MEANINGS 20 pages

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/PRIESTS_VESTMENTS_AND_THEIR_MEANINGS.doc

I researched into what the shawl (called a ponnadai in Tamil and chaddar in Hindi) and the colour saffron signify in Indian culture and Hinduism.

Saffron, also called “ochre“, is not a Catholic liturgical colour. Neither is a shawl a liturgical vestment.

The saffron colour and shawl are exclusive to Hinduism and Buddhism. Jains and Muslims wear white. So do Brahmin priests. It is only the ascetics who wear saffron. Sikhs wear orange (they generally prefer not to call it saffron), or blue and white.

Radical Hindus are described as “saffronised”. So, wearing a saffron shawl is not Indian culture. It is Hindu or “Hinduisation” of Catholicism.

There seems to be no doubt that saffron is the sacred colour of the Hindu religion, but a shawl is not in common use as most sants (“saints”), gurus, babas and holy men are either bare-bodied or saffron-robed.

There are some really occult explanations (as per Hinduism) for the shawl — such as at the Hindu dharma site:
http://hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?9683-Prayer-shawl-scarf,

https://www.quora.com/Why-is-the-color-Saffron-so-important-in-Hinduism-as-well-as-otherwise, etc.

A priest may NOT wear a saffron shawl, ANY shawl, while celebrating Holy Mass:

To: Michael Prabhu From: CCBI Secretariat ccbisecretariat@gmail.com
Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2016 18:07:28 +0530

Subject: (1) USE OF A SHAWL BY PRIESTS AT MASS (2) PLACING OF OFFERINGS/GIFTS

Your email has been directed to me as secretary of the Liturgy Commission, by Fr. Stephen Alathara. 

Well, there was never a time in the Church when priests were permitted to celebrate Mass or the Sacraments without liturgical dress. In other words, no priest can celebrate liturgy with a shawl or a stole on civilian clothes.

The CCBI has just published “Directives for the Celebration of the Liturgy”. It was released on the 20 September, 2016 at St. John’s, Bangalore. 

The vestments for Mass are an alb, cincture, stole and chasuble. The shawl takes the place of the chasuble. Concelebrants too put on the sacred vestments they customarily wear when celebrating Mass individually. However should a just cause arise (e.g. a more considerable number of concelebrants or a lack of vestments), they may omit the chasuble but never the Stole (RS 123, 126); (GIRM 209; GIRM 335; GIRM 345; Redemptionis Sacramentum 124). 

Do not use only the stole over the monastic cowl or the common habit of religious or ordinary clothes, the abuse is reprobated (RS 126); Liturgicae Instaurationes, n. 8c: AAS 62 (1970), p.701

Offerings of the People: Besides Bread and wine, other gifts including the money are to be kept in a suitable place at the side and not on the Altar or at the foot of the Altar. The Chalice is never to be carried in the offertory procession.  

You could order from the CCBI, the Directives.

Thank you for your interest in matters liturgical and may God Bless you!

Fr. Ayres Fernandes, Secretary of the Liturgy Commission of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, Bangalore (as instructed by Fr. Stephen Alathara, Deputy Secretary General, CCBI)

On page 1 (bottom picture), arati is being performed. Arati is indisputably a Hindu practice that got included using fraudulent tactics in the 12 points of the now-abrogated Indian rite Mass.

ARATI IN THE LITURGY-INDIAN OR HINDU? 76 pages

http://ephesians-511.net/recent/docs/ARATI_IN_THE_LITURGY-INDIAN_OR_HINDU.doc

SOME RELATED FILES

BINDI OR TILAK MARK ON THE FOREHEAD-INDIAN OR HINDU?” 58 pages

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/BINDI_OR_TILAK_MARK_ON_THE_FOREHEAD-INDIAN_OR_HINDU.doc

HINDU RELIGIOUS MARK ON THE FOREHEAD 27-JESUIT PRIEST WEARS MENINO GONSALVES

http://ephesians-511.net/recent/docs/HINDU_RELIGIOUS_MARK_ON_THE_FOREHEAD_27-JESUIT_PRIEST_WEARS.doc

HINDU RELIGIOUS MARK ON THE FOREHEAD 28-BISHOP DEREK FERNANDES WEARS

http://ephesians-511.net/recent/docs/HINDU_RELIGIOUS_MARK_ON_THE_FOREHEAD_28-BISHOP_DEREK_FERNANDES_WEARS.doc

SHIVALINGA AND THE HINDU DEITY SHIVA 15 pages

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/SHIVALINGA_AND_THE_HINDU_DEITY_SHIVA.doc

SHIVALINGA TABERNACLE OF JESUIT PRIEST SHILANANDAS CHURCH 14 pages

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/SHIVALINGA_TABERNACLE_OF_JESUIT_PRIEST_SHILANANDAS_CHURCH.doc

Categories: Hinduisation of the Catholic Church in India