I happened to attend the Governor's Funeral on January 12th in Saipan. it was a very uncomfortable mass. I can't speak to whether the Archbishop was invited to preside or not, but the mass was spoken in Chamorro. Granted, I myself speak Chamorro and was able to participate in the mass, but I was very aware that maybe half of the Cathedral did not speak Chamorro. We had a sizeable contingent of military and political dignitaries (from several Pacific island nations), and I can only imagine the difficulty of trying to show respect by participating in the Governor's funeral when you can't follow along during mass. Apuron sped through his parts of the mass so fast I actually thought for a moment that he WASN'T speaking Chamorro. All in all - the memorial mass for a great stateman and leader of the CNMI was dampered by the Archbishop's presence. Simple as that.
RIP Governor!
ReplyDeleteArchbishop Anthony Apuron why must you do that. The lesson I learned from this story is to put down in writing the priest of my request to be the main celebrant at my funeral.
I think having the mass in chamorro was appropriate and fitting--it's ia beautiful language. Im sure the dignitaries did not understand the prayers and rituals but could still appreciate and participate in the solemnity of the occasion. As a dignitary i should not begrudge attending a mass in the native language of a place, nor expect a place to speak english just to accommodate non-native speakers. Now, the archbishop presiding over mass when he has not been asked and doing so without pure intentions for the sake of the deceased and to elevate himself, that is pathetic. And to speed thru it....well, that is telling. In any case, may the governor and his family find peace.
ReplyDeleteIt is important to note that it was a person who speaks Chamorro who objected to Apuron's use if it.
Deleteyes, i notice it was a chamorro who objected, perhaps i misread the commenter's point, and that it is not the use of chamorro itself but simply apuron's presence and use of the language without the sincerity of heart for the prayers he was saying that were objectionable.
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