This has to be a joke, I first thought, but it wasn't. The
e-mail forwarded to me, from someone dubbing himself an
"ex-pagan," was titled "and you thought your
liturgy was bad." An additional note read: "No wonder
the Anglican and Episcopal Church are on their way out." The
email contained a link to a video of the Clown Eucharist service
at Trinity Church at Wall Street that took place on May 22. Come
see the clowns, come dressed as a clown, and take communion. Ha,
ha, ha.
Trinity is the beautiful landmark church that stood in the shadow
of the Twin Towers and survived their collapse on September 11.
This is the church with the historic cemetery containing the
graves of Alexander Hamilton, the first treasury secretary and
author of much of the Constitution, and Robert Fulton, inventor
of the steamboat. George Washington worshiped regularly at
Trinity and was inaugurated as our first president just steps
away, on the balcony of Federal Hall.
This is also the church that was featured in the climactic scene
of last year's movie "National Treasure," and perhaps
this proximity with the fumes of Hollywood magic is what drove
the rector bonkers enough to imagine that a service of this type
was appropriate for the distinguished and historic Trinity
Church.
"It will likely be a surprise to see clowns inside Trinity
Church, but think about it this way: How we perceive the world in
light of our relationship with Jesus could rightly be called
foolish," Trinity's rector, the Reverend James H. Cooper,
wrote in an April 27 introductory letter. "Clowns represent
the underdog, the lowly, the remnant people. Their foolishness is
a call to unpretentiousness."
Oh, really? Well, I know a lot of people who are underdogs,
lowly, and neglected who absolutely loathe clowns. There's even a
Web site devoted to them:www.ihateclowns.com. Far from dredging
up happy emotions to praise the Lord, the clown image has many
times been used to conjure up evil personages.
Stephen King's Pennywise in the classic horror miniseries
"It" inspired nightmares in my own children when it
first aired. "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" is a cult
classic, but truth is indeed stranger than fiction. The serial
killer John Wayne Gacy, who confessed to killing at least 30
victims and burying them under his house, used to perform as Pogo
the Clown at street fairs and hospitals. In 2003, Troy Taylor
wrote an article about him called "The Clown that
Killed."
"Under the smiling mask of the clown was a depraved
fiend," Mr. Taylor wrote, and the article included a Chicago
Tribune photo of Gacy in full clown gear with the caption:
"perhaps the most chilling image of Gacy."
I'm going to give Rev. Cooper the benefit of the doubt that he
had nothing to do with the end result of the Clown Eucharist
service, but anyone watching the video on the church's Web
site,www.trinitywallstreet.org, might confuse it with the
traditional Halloween parade in Greenwich Village. Besides the
traditional clown costumes, there were several worshippers in
Goth makeup, and most disturbing of all was to see congregants on
the altar wearing Viking helmets with horns. Somehow, the image
of horns on an altar is more sinister and pagan than it is
evocative of a happy-go-lucky Christian celebration.
I'm all for variety in church rituals, as long as they don't
denigrate or obscure the spiritual meaning of the service. Since
my own parish has quite a large number of African immigrants, I
would dearly like to see a special Mass that would honor their
culture but still revere the solemnity of the rite. The Missa
Luba is a classic rendition of the Latin Mass sung by a choir
from the Congo. The music is awe-inspiring, and the Gloria from
this recording was used in Pier Paolo Pasolini's acclaimed film
"The Gospel According to St. Matthew."
Somehow Rector Cooper's idea of "Send in the Clowns"
reminds me of a routine on religion by the English drag comedian
Eddie Izzard. In his HBO special, "Dressed to Kill," he
said:
"Nowadays, Church of England is much more 'Hello, how are
you?' Much more a hobby-type. ... Do come in, you're the only one
today! Now, the sermon today is taken from a magazine that I
found in a hedge."
Describing a typical Anglican confession, Eddie Izzard jokes:
"Vicar, I have done many bad things."
"Well, so have I."
"What shall I do?"
"Well, drink five Bloody Marys and you won't remember."
If Trinity Church wants to be as entertaining as Comedy Central,
then I suppose that explains the motive for a Clown Eucharist
service, but as a way to express respect for one's faith, it's
just a sick joke.