St. James the Apostle Celebrates a Kwanzaa Mass

I recently received a letter from a reader, detailing some concerns about the celebration of Mass at St. James the Apostle that integrated a Kwanzaa ceremony within it.

Although the Magisterium does not expressly say anything regarding the celebration of Kwanzaa outside of Mass, Sacrosanctum Concilium states clearly that the Mass cannot be changed or interrupted at will by the priests or the congregation.

Sacrosanctum Concilium #22: 1. Regulation of the sacred liturgy depends solely on the authority of the Church, that is, on the Apostolic See and, as laws may determine, on the bishop. 2. In virtue of power conceded by the law, the regulation of the liturgy within certain defined limits belongs also to various kinds of competent territorial bodies of bishops legitimately established. 3. Therefore no other person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority.

The practice of celebrating Kwanzaa at St. James has been around since at least 2002, as you can read in this Review Journal article from that year. It is implied in this article, though not directly stated, that Kwanzaa is inserted into the Mass ("...St. James is the only Catholic parish in the state in which African-American cultural traditions are integrated into worship...").

There are two issues that are important to highlight in the letter I received:

1. Heresy by those who proclaim the belief in Kwanzaa that humanity "springs from the corn", and
2. Liturgical abuse by inserting into the Mass a ceremony that does not have ecclesiastical approval as a valid addition to the Mass.

The letter I received is as follows:

Dear Faith Defender,

I am writing to you regarding St. James the Apostle. The parish prides itself on its African-American identity and has a Gospel Choir. The Gospel Mass at 11 a.m. on Sundays is more reminiscent of a Southern Baptist revival with the singers seeming more into their performance and the ensuing applause than in glorifying the One who gave them their talents. The standing ovations from the congregation confirm that its more like a concert than a Mass. The focus is definitely not on Christ, the Victim sacrificed for us.

I was in attendance the weekend of January 1st at their annual celebration of Kwanzaa, a secular ritual that is interjected into the Mass. Fr. Henry Salditos presided as they interrupted the Mass right before the Liturgy of the Eucharist to light the Kwanzaa candles, which were set on a table right next to the altar and an explanation of each of the symbols was read. It was something similar to what is in the content of this link. They explained that the ear of corn on the table was representative of the stalk from which we all sprang forth. The Church teaches what the Book of Genesis says -- that we were made in the image of God. He did not make us out of corn. This heresy went uncorrected by Fr. Salditos. In their explanation of the symbols, I don't recall any mention of THE Creator. The focus is on self and the community.

I researched a bit about this ritual and it seems that it was created in the 1960’s by an American Black Power activist named Maulana Karenga who originally created it to be an alternative to Christmas. Karenga was heard to say that "Jesus was psychotic, and that Christianity was a white religion that African-Americans should shun" (James Mtume. The quotable Karenga. Los Angeles: University of Sankore Press. pp.25). Karenga wanted African-Americans to adopt secular humanism and to reject all other practices, including Christianity, as mythical.

In regards to the question of ethnicity, the people of the parish may think that the celebration of Kwanzaa is similar to the Mexicans celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe, and that if they have a special celebration, then African-Americans should too. However, the feast of our Lady of Guadalupe is very much Catholic, as Mary is the Mother of God incarnate. Perhaps they could also liken it to the Filipino community celebrating Simbang Gabi, but that feast is also firmly part of Catholicism. Kwanzaa has nothing to do even with God -- the man who created it rejected Jesus. Karenga considers Christianity a "white man's" religion and calls it "spookism".

"The intention here is not to deny or diminish the importance of the African spiritual values, but to make a clear distinction between spiritual values and spookism. Spiritual values are profound commitments to the highest principles and most proactive practices of humankind, i.e., principles and practices which are most vital and effective in the protection and promotion of human life and development. Spookism, on the other hand, is intense emotional commitment to non-human-centered principles and practices which place humans at the mercy of invisible and omnipotent forces and thus, deny the right and capacity of humans to shape reality and their future according to their own needs and desires." (Karenga, Kwanzaa: Origin, Concepts, Practice, pp 44-45)

Whether for reasons of political correctness, fear of the “race card”, or simple misunderstanding of the Truth, the sacrilege and heresy during Mass is allowed to continue. Perhaps I should have walked out immediately. May God forgive me, but all I could think of at the time was to pray -- begging His forgiveness for the desecration of His altar and offering the terrible discomfort I was feeling within me as an act of reparation. I also prayed for the people who are in error and who perpetuate this ritual because they don't know better -- that they may come to the light and reject it. I hope one day that they realize that it's all about the soul and not the color of our skin. In the end, our soul is all that matters, our soul who will stand judgment before God. Before him, we are not black, white or any color.

God bless you and keep you safe.

I don't know if the Bishop is aware that this has been taking place for this many years. But if he is, he is allowing a secular, anti-Christian "celebration" to be invalidly honored during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and in a Catholic church.

Call to Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, you died on the cross for the salvation of all sinners regardless of race or color. We pray that you will assist Fr. Henry Salditos and Bishop Pepe to protect the integrity of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass so that it will not be invalidly altered for political purposes. Help us all to remain steadfast in defending Holy Mother Church under any adverse or difficult circumstances. We thank you for your Sacrifice on Calvary and we adore you, O Christ. 

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.