Smudging ceremony.

From Kathleen Rosilius in Elliott Lake, ON: I am researching "Native smudging" in Catholic elementary schools. Any comments?

From Maureen Remus in Coaldale, AB: We attended a Mass recently at St. Patrick's Church in Lethbridge where a smudging ceremony was performed with sweetgrass in place of the Penitential Rite. Is this licit?

Mr. Colin B. Donovan, STL, of EWTN, responded as follows: I understand that among Native Americans such rituals have significance, which could be, according to the norms of inculturation, adapted for liturgical use (among them alone, of course)--a kind of incensing. There is a process for doing this, one that determines whether the custom has spiritual significance among a particular people separable from the pre-Christian religion in which it was formerly practiced. This process ends with the recognition of the Holy See of the adaptation. Any adaptation not admitted in the norms requires such study and approval I do not know if such has been done and approved by the Holy See, but suspect that it has not, in which case it is gravely illicit for it to replace an entire, ancient and significant rite of the Liturgy. It is certainly the question to ask in all such cases of variation from the norms.

Fr. Leonard Kennedy responds by quoting the Vatican document Redemptoris Sacramentum (Instruction on certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist, March 25, 2004), Number 79: It is strictly considered as an abuse to introduce in the celebration of Holy Mass elements that are contrary to the prescriptions of the liturgical books and taken from the rites of other religions.