Behold, a “Circus Mass,” complete with clowns and belly dancers—UPDATED

Behold, a “Circus Mass,” complete with clowns and belly dancers—UPDATED November 4, 2013

Really?  REALLY? 

Two first impressions:

  1. It’s German.
  2. And you would be hard-pressed to find anyone in the congregation under the age of 50.

Curiously, the celebrants aren’t wearing chasubles, just albs and stoles.  Which makes me wonder whether it is, in fact, a Mass, or some other liturgy (though it does indeed look like a consecration taking place…)

Take a look. This evidently occurred last December.
http://youtu.be/fzdBAX02KHE

UPDATE: A reader writes:

I’m just a musician who dabbles in liturgy and German, but I’m pretty sure that the “Circus Mass” you posted is not Catholic. In German the word for Mass is “Messe” and the word I usually see used for a Lutheran service is “Gottesdienst.” Notice also that one of the presiders wears a cross around his neck, something I have never seen a Roman Catholic priest do, although I’ve seen plenty of Lutheran pastors wear them.


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