Dances With Nuns, at Our Lady of Shlomo: Religious Dissonance
Posted: Wednesday, October 12, 2011
by Paul Schroeder
alien / demonic attachment
Truth and history are stranger than fiction.
What happens when a Jewish Administrative Head of an all Catholic- Convent-attached nursing home is honored at a Catholic fund raiser dinner?
Hell can break loose for a moment and civilized, religious people's masks can slip just a bit to reveal primal feelings, beneath.
Imagine a vast ornate ballroom at an exclusive country club, replete with crystal and fine china, redolent with flowers, a ballroom overlooking a surrounding inlet of estuary dotted with small islands.
Good natured, genteel and charming, this assemblage of Catholics donors, Catholic entrepreneurs, and clergy quietly,formally converse as polished waiters begin to circulate.
White-gloved staff quietly serve the seated faithful salads, warm rolls, cognacs and vintage champagne to begin, as an oddly familiar voice at the microphone resonates a blessing,"In Christ's Name, Amen!"
It is a television movie-star, at the microphone!
Uncle Junior?!
Hidden at the fringe of this assembled room filled with devout Catholics, is a small cadre of interloper Jews, my wife and myself, my two children and another Jewish couple, friends of ours, all seated at a far end corner table nearest the microphone.
The voice at the microphone asked table eighteen, a table of nuns from the Convent, to join him on the dance floor.
He then called my wife, the evening's honoree, to join them.
The lights dim, the music swells and nuns, summoned to the dance floor, surround my wife and hold hands with each other.
Although the sight of a lone Jewish woman, surrounded by Catholic nuns, is a thing to behold, in itself, now
they all chant the words, in ancient Hebrew, to a dance of celebration, a Jewish joyous call to dance,"Hava Nagila"!
A circle dance of ancient Hebrews, performed by nuns,
a religious dissonance beyond both religion's historic ironies, stuns the room, all at once.
I shall never admit that,"Seeing is believing", in any of my paranormal palavers, but seeing IS indeed believing, in rare moments, and this is such a rare moment.
I include the U-tube link, below.
Surrounded by nuns singing,"Hava Nagila" as they dance in a circle, holding hands, Hora style, my Jewish wife smiles, loved and honored by these nuns, as their Chief Executive Administrator, for an idyllic Catholic nursing home-Convent.
UNCLE JUNIOR, from the television gangster series,"Sopranos", whose name is "Dominic", is the man at the microphone.
He is the M.C.
“I very much like your Christ, but do not at all like your Christians.
Ghandi”
Singing Hebrew words and melody along with the nuns, playing host to a Catholic- Church- Dinner with- Many- Dignitaries, he can be seen, baldheaded, in the far background, at the microphone.
Surreal, and spontaneous and via copious amounts of alcohol, nuns, under Dominic's direction, performed a gangster style Convent Hora as the band played," Hava Nagila".
Was this becoming an evening with Our Lady of Shlomo?
I did s notice, watching the room, that the dance of nuns, singing Hebrew as they circled my wife, provoked a discernible spinal stiffening in all of the High- placed Catholic officials in the room; they sat upright and silent, tight-lipped, watching in fascination, in a type of muted horror.
You could have cut the shock and dismay in the air, with a Challah bread knife.
The band had used all of its trumpets and keyboards to blast that Hebrew melody, at full volume.
During this dance, over my salad and wine, I had sensed a sudden tangible simmering, a sudden untoward, unspoken anger, an anger historically sustained, which had preceded pogroms and Inquisitions.
Murder of a God, deicide, is a crime most serious, with no
statute of limitations, to many a trained, devout Catholic mind.
All of the people at all of the tables had twisted uncomfortably in their seats as they had watched and listened in abject disbelief.
Within ten seconds after the music had stopped and applause had echoed, masks had been quickly put back in place and a timbre of relaxed conviviality and genteel politeness had reigned over the room once again.
It was at once both subtle and elusive and obvious as a trout in the milk.
I recall watching a frozen, stunned waiter stopped in mid gesture , during that loud, brash Hora of nuns, who surrounded my Jewish wife.
Over the din of the music I had jokingly shouted to him,"It's enough to shake your faith!"
Never taking his eyes from the dance, he had nodded slowly, his jaw forced open by the spectacle.
I leave you the link, below, as evidence and as witness, lest you think that I hallucinate these moments.
It was, after all a most wonderful evening.
Of the fifty tables, two are visible; my table knew the words, however, and no one else did.
It was more astonished dumbfoundedness mixed with an open and genuine resentment and dislike, rather than animosity
Had I grabbed the microphone and preached Talmud, there would have been animosity.
I would, however, suggest to all such devout and resentful Catholics, and to many devout and resentful Jews, as well, that if the whole world danced together more often, perhaps we would resolve ancient conflicts.
(link):
Nuns dancing the Hora
Yours in Christ,
Paul Schroeder
This Article has been viewed 709 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (6 total)A highly danceable moment pitched with ancient memories of outright dislike, secret plans against and complete disdain cloaked over with the pretence of love. And, to have a man who plays criminals in the midst. Oy vey times 3.Please log in to respond to this comment.And you're cute, too?!
You are a favorite fan!
Affection,
Paul
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Interesting indeed. I think I spotted Sister Colette, my Grade four teacher in the crowd. A memorable evening for sure. I love your take on it. Your wife is lovely by the way.Please log in to respond to this comment.You strikingly remind me of her, (she is touring Africa with my daughter) in visage, a sweet openness and naivete .Please log in to respond to this comment.Sister Colette is stone deaf and stone drunk and has a mustache as well as a mole replete with hair.Please log in to respond to this comment.
An enjoyable read and video Paul. I think you may have read more animosity into those guys than was actually there. I saw most of them were clapping in rythm with the dance.Please log in to respond to this comment.Of the fifty tables, two are visible; my table knew the words, however, and no one else did.
It was more astonished dumbfoundedness mixed with an open and genuine resentment and dislike.
Had I grabbed the microphone and preached Talmud, there would have been animosity.Please log in to respond to this comment.
Paul as the Alien? I see where you are going, I think.Please log in to respond to this comment.The Jew has always been the, "outsider", and can relate to Armenians, Native American Indians, Southern Slave Blacks, Earthlings, any peoples, systematically murdered.Please log in to respond to this comment.
Love this! Such a deal!Please log in to respond to this comment.And a Jew can't resist ,"a deal".......Please log in to respond to this comment.
Thanks for writing this- I feel I've met the real Paul Schroeder....Interesting article-brings up myriad metaphors in everyone's mind. Always-EllaPlease log in to respond to this comment.Underneath the surface mirth and humor is a deadly serious Paul and underneath THAT, is public parking........Please log in to respond to this comment.
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