23 Ways to Identify a Faithful Parish

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netmil(name removed by moderator):
My apologizes Katherine. I did miss what you were saying. My problem is that I did not see the bigotry of my early childhood years. Obviously, my mother did not raise us that way.

My church was not that way.

The Polacks could actually be seen behind the blacks in the line! 😃
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No problem, and apology quickly accepted.

Heck, if i got you to think that maybe we progressives made one positive contribution to the Church in the past fifty years, I can go the bed happy tonight. 🙂

Now if I could ever find TWO positive things in the past fifty years…😃 , I’ld be getting that bottle of J.D. out again. :dancing:
 
netmil(name removed by moderator):
I saw this on another website, I loved it! It’s from Crisis Magazine so it may not be for the more Liberal of us…
  1. There is at least one daily Mass. Obviously, if a parish shares a pastor with other parishes, this may not always be possible.
    But barring that, a parish needs to offer daily Mass.
We have at least 3 Masses daily, 6 Masses on Sunday and 4 on Tues & Thurs
  1. Confession is offered for a set time… not just “by appointment
    only.” The absolute importance of that sacrament must not be
    diminished.
Confession is offered a half hour before EVERY Mass and 2 hours on Sat. It is also available by appointment
**
3. The tabernacle is inside the main church in a prominent place.
It’s always frustrating to have to play “Where’s Jesus?” when you
walk into a parish for the first time. I recall once when visiting a
church I’d never been in before, I confusedly genuflected to
everything from the cantor to a statue of St. Therese before I
figured out where the tabernacle was.

http://www.saintcyrils.org/images/Tabernacle-oval.jpg
  1. The church has kneelers. Period.
Got it
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Bobby Jim:
I don’t want to sound too critical or trite here, but it’s not necessarily about being comfortable. I was pretty uncomfortable with some things at my current parish that I felt were blatantly against the rubrics. But I was made even more uncomfortable by some of the homilies I heard, which opened my eyes to some of the sin and corruption in my own life, which lit a fire under me like nothing else to go to confession and try to live a holy life. This was after moving away from another parish that was much closer to being in line with the 23 criteria posted above, but during which time I was much more spiritually adrift. I’m still not fond of things that are against the rubrics, but I have a new awareness that God is at work in all of these places.

And whether it’s the 1950’s or 2000’s, and whether your parish has the most beautiful Gregorian chant or has clowns and dancing girls in the aisles, whether you like it or you don’t, every Mass is the same participation in the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary. The liturgy may be done more or less in accord with the norms of the day. But in the end, it’s not about us, or the personality of the priest, or anything else going on around us. It’s about Christ, who is present really and truly in every parish, from the most traditional to the most liberal, as long as there is a validly ordained priest to say mass, with bread and wine to consecrate. I can put up with a lot, as long as we have that. And even if my fellow parishoners won’t keep quiet before Mass starts, and like to hold hands at the Our Father, and have different taste in music than I do, they share in the very same baptism as I do; they are sinners just as I am, and they are members of the same body of Christ as I am. I can’t abandon them for another place where I think the liturgical grass may be a little greener to my way of thinking. Certainly if I did, I would find more people who share in the same baptism, more fellow sinners, and more members of the same body of Christ, which is fine, but why drive halfway across town when the same thing is practically at my doorstep at my own parish?
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This is a noble posting and I agree with it broadly. In practice, however, we have to make allowances. There are things that happen in parishes that are completely contradictory to the teachings of the Church. I would cite St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Minn./St.Paul or, here in my own city of Las Vegas, Christ the King Catholic Church, where they support the organization Dignity. If you look in canon law, starting in the 200’s section, if I’m not mistaken, lay Catholics actually have rights. For their parish to follow Church teaching should surely be one of them.
 
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katherine2:
Now if I could ever find TWO positive things in the past fifty years…😃 , I’ld be getting that bottle of J.D. out again. :dancing:
Click to expand...
It will be well aged!
😉
 
  1. The church doesn’t have a sign in the front that describes itself
    as a “Catholic Community.” I know, this one seems petty at first, but it tends to be true. If a parish has an objection to the word
    “church,” that’s a good indication that a larger problem exists. And
    if that parish magnifies the nonsense with a sign that says something like, “An Open, Inclusive Community of Catholic Christians Who Care and Share,” stop, turn around, run.
says Catholic church
  1. As you enter the church, you see people in the pews in prayer or, at least, reverent silence. If, on the other hand, it looks like
    social time down at the bingo parlor, that’s a bad sign.
    **
    yes
  2. The Mass is not intentionally altered through the use of
    inclusive language.
no inclusive language here
  1. The Mass is said according to the General Instruction of the
    Roman Missal and the instructions of the local bishop. Improvisation is great in jazz. Mass isn’t jazz.
*No jazz 😃 *
  1. The gospel is not being read, nor the homily given, by someone
    other than a priest or deacon.
scored another one
**
10. Latin has pride of place in the Mass. It’s right there in the
documents of the Second Vatican Council. That should be reflected in the liturgy itself.

got it
  1. The bread for the Eucharist isn’t made with added ingredients
    not allowed by the Church. Honey, for example.
no way
**
12. The liturgical music focuses on God, not the community. We are there, after all, to worship Him, not ourselves. And there’s never a good reason to sing songs about bridges over troubled waters. You can do that at home, Mr. Garfunkel.

*No Garfunkel here *
**
13. Extraordinary ministers do not outnumber the parishioners.
There’s a reason, after all, that we refer to them as EXTRAORDINARY ministers. We only use them when there are too many people for the priest and deacon to handle.

Never seen one at out parish. We have 4 priests and 2 deacons there isn’t a need
  1. If you’re able to find the mission statement of the parish (it’s
    often carried in the bulletin), make sure it says something about
    fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church.
SS. CYRIL AND METHODIUS PARISH IS A ROMAN CATHOLIC SLOVAK COMMUNITY THAT WELCOMES ALL WHO WISH TO LEARN ABOUT, EMBRACE, AND ACTIVELY PRACTICE THE ROMAN CATHOLIC RELIGION. AS A “FAMILY OF FAMILIES,” WE ARE DEDICATED TO THE PROPAGATION AND DEEPENING OF OUR CATHOLIC FAITH. THIS IS FACILITATED THROUGH THE TEACHING OF, AND ADHERENCE TO, THE MAGISTERIUM AND TRADITIONS OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.
  1. And while you’re thumbing through the bulletin, see if there are
    other good groups there, like the Knights of Columbus, Legion of
    Mary, St. Vincent de Paul, and Holy Name Society. A faithful Bible study group is also a great sign.
St Monica Sodality
Holy Name Society
Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima
Legion of Mary
  1. The parish offers some form of Eucharistic adoration.
every Wednesday from the morning Holy Mass until evening Benediction starting at 7:45pm.
**
17. The parish has an active Pro-Life ministry, as well as a
ministry that cares for the poor.

Yes
  1. The priest wears his collar. Now, obviously, if you see your
    local pastor jogging one morning, he’s not going to be wearing his
    clericals. But a priest should generally look the part. It’s an
    important witness to the secular world and a sign that he recognizes the great value of his own vocation.
Yes
**
19. The pastor isn’t afraid to preach on the tough issues: abortion,
divorce, contraception, cloning, etc. That’s not to say that every
homily should cover those topics. But a priest should truly believe
the Church’s teaching and defend them without pause.

Big Yes
 
  1. The parish’s marriage preparation program includes instruction
    in Natural Family Planning (NFP). And if someone involved in the
    program describes NFP as “the rhythm method,” go immediately limp and drop to the ground. With luck, he’ll think you passed out and will take you to the emergency room, far, far away from that parish.
Yes
**
21. The church has a vibrant religious education program for both
children and adults based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. You might also try to find out who’s involved in the program and where they received their own formation.

Weekly childrens Catechism
Girl’s Club
Boy’s Club
*Children’s group *
Youth Group
Adult Bible Study
Fr. Hardon’s 36-week home-study catechism course
**22. The church’s Website doesn’t link to dissident groups like Call
to Action, Voice of the Faithful, or Catholics for a Free Choice.

NO WAY!
  1. If there’s a literature rack in the church, look at the
    publications the parish is carrying. Dissident magazines or
    newspapers tend to go hand in hand with a dissident parish. On the other hand, should you see a copy of Crisis in the rack, join that parish. The pastor is clearly a man of great taste and refinemen.
  • No dissent*
100 percent! :dancing:
 
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rayne89:
netmil(name removed by moderator):
I saw this on another website, I loved it! It’s from Crisis Magazine so it may not be for the more Liberal of us…
  1. There is at least one daily Mass. Obviously, if a parish shares a pastor with other parishes, this may not always be possible.
    But barring that, a parish needs to offer daily Mass.
We have at least 3 Masses daily, 6 Masses on Sunday and 4 on Tues & Thurs
Click to expand...
  1. Confession is offered for a set time… not just “by appointment
    only.” The absolute importance of that sacrament must not be
    diminished.
Confession is offered a half hour before EVERY Mass and 2 hours on Sat. It is also available by appointment
**
3. The tabernacle is inside the main church in a prominent place.
It’s always frustrating to have to play “Where’s Jesus?” when you
walk into a parish for the first time. I recall once when visiting a
church I’d never been in before, I confusedly genuflected to
everything from the cantor to a statue of St. Therese before I
figured out where the tabernacle was.

http://www.saintcyrils.org/images/Tabernacle-oval.jpg
  1. The church has kneelers. Period.
Got it

Oh no you don’t!! Not in the back after they open the accordian wall!
But we do have Fr. Ben!
Welcome to my thread fellow parishioner! I am sooo blessed to be there!!!
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netmil(name removed by moderator):
To me it has to do with the Cathechism of my children.
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OK, again, I mean no disrespect here, as I’m not a parent and haven’t had to deal with these issues… but you would probably agree that the parents are the first and best instructors of their children when it comes to learning the faith. Now I recognize that some parishes may have some formal things in place that either you disagree with, or are against the rules (like Communion before first Reconciliation). So maybe that’s a valid reason to search out another parish. But I wouldn’t want kids to generally get the idea that the way we deal with problems is to walk away. Oh well - I guess I have pretty strong feelings about this, as probably do you. Best wishes to you and your family.
 
Bobby Jim:
OK, again, I mean no disrespect here, as I’m not a parent and haven’t had to deal with these issues… .
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I constantly had to undo the “Church School” teachings with real Cathechism.
When you have children, you will understand.
 
OK Bobby Jim how about Fr. Bob who likes to dance naked to the waist in a pair of white tights? Do I get to leave that Church. Has VOTF and every gay group but no prolife group, he got rid of it because it offended people. :eek:
Sorry my Church is a communuty of very happy social conservative TLM Catholics.
Kathy
 
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Pandora:
OK Bobby Jim how about Fr. Bob who likes to dance naked to the waist in a pair of white tights? Kathy
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Outrageous!!! During Ordinary Time he should have a clown mask on.

Where do you people think up these things?:whacky:
 
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katherine2:
Outrageous!!! During Ordinary Time he should have a clown mask on.

Where do you people think up these things?:whacky:
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Maybe from this “Ignatian Retreat”
in which a semi-nude Jesuit dances a mass?
 
netmil(name removed by moderator):
The Polacks could actually be seen behind the blacks in the line! 😃
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And the Irish behind them!!!

Get a life! If you are looking for injustice you don’t have far to go - look at the Irish Catholic - talk about persecution of the highest - try being an Irish Catholic of the North during the Civil war. Treated worse than dogs!!!
 
I live in a small mining town in northern minnesota. we have three catholic churches in our town. over the last twenty years we have seen much economic distress, there by driving many of our young people out of this area to bigger cities.last summer the diocese closed the church that I have known all my life, it also has a parochial school that has been closed and all the children go to one school(also parochial) at a different location. All three churches have been combined and we are free to attend anyone of the other two churches in town. Catholic community!!!I am insulted and hurt that anyone would think that this “term” is a bad thing. And for the Bingo church CRACK I also take offense. I am the youngest of 11 and on Sundays after church my father would load us up into the wagon and take us to the lake to burn off some energy and spend time togethar, but you better bet that at 4 o;clock when you heard him whistle you better get your butt to the car because dad had to get to bingo, to call numbers. We had to pay for our church!!! My father spent many, many, many, years of Sunday nights giving his time and talents, and treasures(his time with his children) to help our catholic community. And you know he helped pay that mortgage off many years before they thought it was going to be, all with knickles and dimes. My catholic community has a pastor, an associate pastor, a senior(retired) pastor and two deacons. they split their time amongst our two places of worship, and they do us great honor by leading our Catholic Community. the other 21 we’ve got, but what we really have is a community, Catholic, bound by the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. and I guess that is all that should matter.
 
Come on Kath he is progressive. You should meet him I’m sure you and Fr. Bob would hit it off right away. He also likes to girate on his way down the isle and as you know David danced naked and he tries to get as close as possible to it. :eek: It was too much to bare. I had to leave before I stuck my foot out and tripped him on one of his passes about the Church. He believe the Church is own personal theatre. :rolleyes: Girate and get down with the funky bad boy. Yeeha! So glad you progressive did so much for the Church. :eek:
Kathy
 
Hey Fr. Bob in the flesh. You bring back nightmare. Say your sorry!! :eek: :eek: :eek:
Kathy
 
Rara Avis:
Get a life!
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My Dad was 1/2 Irish, my mom 100% Pole but that response was because I did not catch that Katherine was stating that blacks were discriminated against in some Catholic Churches.

My point was that I have a black sister (she knows this) and my church did not treat blacks differently.
 
netmil(name removed by moderator):
Oh no you don’t!! Not in the back after they open the accordian wall!
Click to expand...
That area is part of the over flow area.😛
Most of the church has kneelers.

Thanks for the welcome.👋
 
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rayne89:
That area is part of the over flow area.😛
Most of the church has kneelers.

Thanks for the welcome.👋
Click to expand...
I actually try not to make it back there. Can’t you just wait until they break ground for the new church?

Look for my girls on the fourth Sunday at 9:30 mass.
They sing in the girls choir!
 
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