For 18 years, the Rev. William Rowe has done a little improvising while celebrating Mass on Sunday mornings at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Mount Carmel, Ill. Now those deviations have led to his resignation in an incident that may be tied to global changes to the Catholic liturgy. Last Sunday, instead of saying "Lord our God that we may honour you with all our mind and love everyone in truth of heart," during the opening prayer, he altered the phrasing to better reflect the day's Gospel message, in which Jesus heals a man with a troubled spirit. "We thank you, God, for giving us Jesus who helped us to be healed in mind and heart and proclaim his love to others," the 72-year-old priest prayed instead. Three days later, Rowe received a letter from Bishop Edward Braxton accepting his resignation. "The problem is that when I pray at Mass, I tend to change the words that are written in the book to match what I was talking about, or what a song is about," Rowe said in an interview.You see where toying with the Holy Sacrifice gets you! Certain Priests, and certain laymen need to catch up on their catechesis, maybe read a document on the liturgy or two, and realise that the Mass is not a time for personal opinion, nor is it a time for leisurely conversation.
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