Clayton Emmer, who now lives in LA, but hails from the St. Paul-Minneapolis diocese, posts a summary of a video interview with the former St. Joan’s pastor who set it on its journey to Mass readings from Pablo Casals.

Segment 3:
Egan discusses his decision to move the 11 am mass from the Church into the school gymnasium, and to begin the practice of including a secular reading in the liturgy. The interviewer notes that "this has become an immensely important part of our worship today." Egan said he picked up this practice from something he saw in Europe. The Vatican never approved of this, but "Jesus didn’t say everything had to be approved by the Vatican."

The good news, according to Egan, is that "everything can be sacred… there is nothing secular… it’s all sacred."

Segment 4:
More discussion of Egan’s innovations in the liturgy, including the use of the penitential rite as a time to discuss current events (as they relate to sin in the world). He talks about the important role Gloria Steinem has had in the parish’s development… she was "the inspiration" for using non-sexist language in the liturgy and referring to God as Mother. The interviewer notes that, although it took a while for parishioners to get used to this, now "if they only hear Father (in the liturgy), they sense something is wrong." Egan notes that what some viewed as a scandal — Steinem’s involvement in the parish — led to the rapid growth of St. Joan’s: "you can’t beat popularity."