Stranger than fiction: "Lenten Yoga"

I am not kidding. The following, edited for specific phone numbers and other identifying information, was a notice found placed in our church bulletin at this morning's Mass:

Lenten Yoga
Yoga with a Christ-centered focus is being offered by parishioner Jane Doe at 'Centered Love Yoga', beginning Thursday, February 22nd from 12:00-1:00 PM and continuing every Thursday during Lent. No yoga experience is necessary and all are welcome. Come and grow the Christ-light within your heart. These sessions are offered FREE to St. Local Papist's paishioners. For more information visit www.centered-love-yoga.com [not actual website].

Why is it that my wife and I stood and laughed in our kitched over this for nearly five minutes? It's not that either of us has a problem with yoga, whose asanas I use regularly in a stretching routine. I suppose its something similar to the incongruity my friend Kirk pointed out in some of the Catholic cruises about which we sometimes read these days -- the juxtapositions of hedonism and spirituality may soon bring us to see things like: "Come and join us for the 'Catholic Apologetics and Sushi-Making' Alaskan Cruise this summer!"

But, you know, the really incongruous thing I just remember is that the church refused to publish in its bulletin an ad I submitted for the St. Olaf College Choir when it came through town a few years ago. I suggested that any parishioners who loved the traditional treasury of Catholic choral music could come and hear this superlative Lutheran choir perform it exquisitely well. (Sigh . . . ) Perhaps they found that offensive. Not because it referred to Lutherans, but because it referred to the traditional treasury of Catholic choral music. Maybe if the St. Olaf College Choir had just thought to combine their traditional repertoire with some yoga . . . or at least some Tibetan Lama-style multivocal chant ...