The Roman Catholic Church might just be at the cross roads. At one hand is the over two decades old Society of St Pius X (SSPX) ignited by the late Archbishop Marcel Refebvre and which has been agitating for the restoration of the pre-second Vatican Council way of worship.On the other hand is the now one decade old Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement which is seemingly working hard to propel the church towards the evangelical way of worship. Emphasizing on the Holy Spirit as the center-piece of the Church’s liturgy.
Indeed, the two extremes could never be more sharply epitomized in another setting other than in Africa and particularly in Kenya where the Reverbites have set camp at the exclusive Lovington suburb of Nairobi City.
Here in their Holy Cross chaplaincy, they have been attracting both the media and the anti – reformists’ old fogeys in their multitudes.On the other hand is a very spirited Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement that is clipping into most of the Catholic dioceses across Kenya.
One of the great faces in the propagation of this movement is a Kampala Catholic Priest Fr Anthony Musala who has been transversing the East African countries to spread the good news in this new version.
This Fr Musala isn’t just any other Roman Catholic priest. He is a different bag of beans all together. When he is given an altar and a chance to celebrate mass, he not only makes most of the post – second Vatican Council priests look morbid but it’s like he also has a magnet to attract huge congregations.
The Ugandan priest has a healing touch, literally. He also has a way of commanding the evil spells. This is besides his being a truly gifted preacher and an accomplished gospel musician. Indeed with his Gospel Groovers team, he is just flesh from winning a coveted regional gospel musician of the year prize.
His musical prowess translates that he doesn’t require any formal choir in steering the Eucharistic sacrifice.The priest has just concluded an overwhelmingly successful crusade at the St Benedict Parish of Ruaraka Deanery in Nairobi branded as ‘Popular Mission’ where with the co-host and also the Parish priest Fr John Paul Mwaniki, they have been moving tidal waves upon tidal waves towards the Charismatic way.
Another two energetic lay apostles are at hand to add spice to this spiritual delicacy.“The Catholic Church has for a long time been a sleeping giant," so booms Fr Musala’s voice through a number of high voltage speakers strategically positioned inside the dome shaped St. Benedict church. The Priest goes on to point out that something has all along been missing in the Catholic way of worship.
This he says “Is the personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Catholic Charismatic Renewal is there to establish (this) personal relationship with the Holy Spirit,” he concludes with finality.No doubt about how the movement wants things to move. During the nine days that Fr Musala celebrates Eucharistic Mass at Nairobi, a great deal of time is set aside for spirited praise and worship sessions. Most faithful attending the sessions appear ascetic as they engage to the choruses that are so different from the organized compositions that normally stream from the Church’s organ on any other ordinary Sundays.
Fr Musala leads by example as he dances with electrifying moves back and forth from the tabernacle to the other far end of the sepulchre. All the while his vestments are flying into the air the same way as King David’s as the Arch of the covenant entered Jerusalem. As he does his gigs, no one will ever guess that the young looking priest is actually over 50 years old. Least, his baby face wont remotely betray this fact.
This praise and worship soon leads to another phase of prayers. Now Fr Musala instructs various sections of the congregation to assume that they are selling various commodities in the market. “Each row must shout at their highest voice to convince the neighbouring row to buy their commodities,” goes Fr Musala.
Soon shouts of potatoes, tomatoes, bananas, carrots… all sort of market stuff fill the air. “Sometimes, God wants you to talk to Him like that, you are supposed to communicate to Him that way,” explains the priest to a now tentative audience. The practical example having ebbed down.
The Gospel Grovers now engage the worshipers in another worship song – this time a soft one.
The kind that moves the soul. Soon the congregation slides into an unprecedented state of speaking in tongues. At one corner, one Christian is just sobbing loudly while at the other, another one is writhingly hurling herself into the bear concrete. The Spirit has finally cometh.Among those in attendance is Mrs Michuki, wife of Internal Security Minister John Michuki.
She isn’t here by fluke, or to fetch any political mileage for her tough-talking husband. I gather she is a regular at this Ruaraka situated Church.
Madam Michuki might just as well have gone through the reformation dispensation from the Latin rites and she now seems keen to experience yet another transformation of the Church.
From the post second Vatican Council into the Charismatic Catholism.
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Sotto Voce