Avoiding Catholic Marriage

[lak611]

That’s a good point. The thing that surprised me, however, was that the churches I saw in the Cleveland area did not appear to be old, ethnic churches, but newer, larger churches–as big as warehouses.

It all depends where you go. In the city of Cleveland proper, not the suburbs, most of the churches are old. The neighbourhood demographics have long changed and there are few parishioners now. Some of those old churches are big, but many are in the Gothic style. The newer churches tend to be in the suburbs, not the city. Then again, there are also many storefront churches in the city, mainly African-American Baptist churches.

 

[Goblin_Taters]

Originally Posted by lak611:

It all depends where you go. In the city of Cleveland proper, not the suburbs, most of the churches are old. The neighbourhood demographics have long changed and there are few parishioners now. Some of those old churches are big, but many are in the Gothic style. The newer churches tend to be in the suburbs, not the city. Then again, there are also many storefront churches in the city, mainly African-American Baptist churches.

Ah ok. Most of the places I’ve visted near Cleveland have been the suburbs, such as Lorain, Elyria, Avon Lake, and so on.

 

[lak611]

I’ve been to a few weddings and funerals, and to be honest, as strange as it may sound, I think I’d put them both on the same level in terms of how spiritually moving they are. It’s wonderful to see the happiness of a newly married couple who has just professed their love in front of God, but at the same time the way funerals are conducted (at least the ones I’ve been to) are so uplifting and beautiful, really emphasizing the resurrection of the body and eternal life. I wouldn’t say I “enjoy” them, but I will say that I’ve had very few experiences where I’ve felt as close to God as I do when I’ve attended funerals, even when it has been for someone who I was really close to.

I agree with you. I have not been to a wedding for about 15 years. I have been to two funerals this year so far. The funerals were very uplifting, especially with the emphasis on being baptised into Christ’s death and then sharing in His resurrection. I like the symbolism from baptism, with the sprinkling of holy water, the Easter candle, the white pall. On a secular level, the military ritual of presenting the flag after it was folded was quite moving as well (both funerals I went to were for veterans).