The Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, mainly serves the Lithuanian community there, and according to the Daily Mail website, it is also the only one in the United States where mass is celebrated in Lithuanian every Sunday. Recently, however, singer Sabrina Carpenter also used it to shoot her music video.
However, the fairly routine rental of this space caused considerable ire from Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan after the new clip went public less than two weeks ago. The video works with the theme of men “falling” for the singer, and at the end of it, Carpenter walks into the church where their funeral is being held.
Colorful coffins are installed around the altar and the singer dances around them, among other things, in a rather daring costume. However, Brennan was upset not only by “behavior inappropriate for the church tabernacle”, but also by other facts. According to him, the given parish violated the diocesan rules by not finding out the circumstances under which the filming will take place, nor the content of the resulting video.
Bishop Brennan thus immediately relieved the parish vicar Jamie Giantiello, who will continue to act only as a pastor, and also celebrated a holy mass in the church, during which he rededicated the local altar.
“With this Mass, Bishop Brennan restored the sanctity of this church and repaired the damage caused,” the diocese said in a later statement.
