At their 11:30 Mass, which is their high mass, they have the interesting tradition of having the presider proclaim the Gospel from in the midst of the congregation. At the time of the Alleluia, the presider gets the Book of the Gospels and processes along the main aisle to about a quarter of the way up. This isn't very far, it's not a very big church, but it's far enough that the presider is standing among the people, with some actually behind him. And he proclaims the Gospel from there.
This photo is not from Old St. Joe's, but St. Ignatius in New York. But it has a similar feel to it; imagine that the presider was facing the congregation rather than looking away, and you'd have it. I found it a rather remarkable experience. Standing among the people eliminates the distance between the presider and the proclamation of the Word and the listening people. This heightens the connection made via eye contact, both between presider and parishioners and among the parishioners. It also creates this sense of a shared experience. Everyone is close to the action. And there's a feeling of something alive, of something all its own happening in our midst.
The style touches into the charge and immediacy of a theatrical production, without ever turning the proclamation into some kind of performance. I wonder a bit what it's like for those who are behind the presider; but otherwise, it's quite startling. If you're in Philadelphia, you should come check it out. And if you're not, and you have the opportunity to try different things at your worshipping community, you might try this. It has its risks -- it could easily devolve into the presider-doing-bad-Shakespeare -- but there's something there.
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