(LifeSiteNews) — A liturgy featuring 18 clowns was held during the “Catholics Day” celebrations in Germany.

The German “Katholikentag” (Catholics Day) took place from May 14 to May 16 in Würzburg and featured hundreds of events, including church services, group prayers, discussions and debates, and cultural activities.

Among the events was a “clown church service” that took place at the Stift Haug Collegiate Church on May 14. The Liturgy of the Word featured 18 clowns and was held under the motto “Overconfident and upright” (“Übermütug und aufrecht”).

Instead of intercessions, the service featured newspaper readings, with the clowns expressing reactions such as surprise or shock to them.

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“It’s about engaging people,” said Sabine Kamps, one of the co-organizers who was also dressed as a clown. “We want to portray in a humorous way what is otherwise expressed through words.”

The diocese of Münster wrote that the sermon “on the theme ‘Being Found and Saved’ was likewise portrayed through various scenes—a market scene, a treasure hunt, a dance—and ultimately culminated in a colorful communal orchestra.”

“Thus, singing was accompanied by laughter during this service,” the diocese said in its report.

The term “Clown Mass” has become a way for traditionally-minded Catholics to describe irreverent Masses, often organized by “progressive” Catholics and sometimes featuring outright liturgical abuses. However, these irreverent church services do not necessarily feature actual clowns, as was the case at this event in Würzburg.

“Catholics Day” was criticized by faithful Catholics for featuring many heterodox events that often contradicted the Catholic faith. Among the participants of the event was the “Ecumenical Working Group on BDSM and Christianity,” which had its own booth at the “Church Mile.”

On its website, the group writes, “We are Christians from various denominations who explore eroticism and sexuality, particularly in the realm of sadomasochistic sexual preferences. We want to bring this topic out of the realm of taboo. We don’t have to darken the bedroom because of God. And rest assured: God loves you, even if you continue browsing our pages right now.”

Also represented at the Church Mile was the “Network of Catholic Lesbians,” which describes itself as a “spiritually independent, diverse, Catholic, and feminist network of women who love women.”