Can we make mass less "cheesy"..?

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I’m not a fan of the modern architecture. It looks very sterile to me. I’m glad you enjoy it though!
Very sterile indeed…! It’s a brand new Church you can still smell the varnish on the pews. But the experience I had there was beyond words. Mostly everyone there was young (like myself) yet they were all so reverent… I recall probably 90% of all the women in the Church (including young girls) wore head-dress… Some even had what looked like “doilies” on their heads…🤷

It was like new and old.

It’s hard to explain, I did’nt feel like I was in a Catholic Church… I was kind of scared, yet I liked it.
 
I guess you’ve never been to St. Patrick’s or Holy Innocents in NYC. Where are the holy statues, the high altar or the tabernacle? That Church looks rather Protestant.

This is where I enjoy going to Mass (EF, of course)… innocents.com
picasaweb.google.com/114979353658169613731/BishopPerryAtHolyInnocents#5526917122555860322

picasaweb.google.com/114979353658169613731/BishopPerryAtHolyInnocents#5526917140945051202
Wow, Holy Innocents is amazing, the archetecture, the statues- it all has so much detail… Amazing. I thought I even saw a pic of a pipe organ in there…:eek:(I love pipe organs).

But the experience I had here at St. Margarets became one of those odd/eirie moments that one can never forget… It was intelligent, clean, modern-yet-ancient. I wish I could explain it, but I cant.

Or maybe it’s just because that’s where I had my first Latin Mass experience… Who knows. 🤷
 
Second, if you really want to see the beauty of the Mass, go to a weekday Mass. You’ll be amazed. The response to the prayers is as loud as a Sunday Mass but with a 90% fewer people. The people that go to weekday Masses don’t have to be there, but they are. And they truly show their love for the Mass. Chanting and music is nice, but a weekday Mass with people truly devoted to their God is absolutely stunning.
Totally agree! And I’ll share my experience with this, if you’ll permit me. I go to the 12:05 Mass at Church of Our Saviour in NYC almost every weekday. There are usually a few dozen regulars there – all with serious-but-friendly and devoted faces. Before Mass, right at noon, we all say The Angelus. And we all know it(!) 😃 (What a wonderful tradition to keep alive.) Father Rutler – whom you folks may know from EWTN – celebrates Mass everyday. And, believe me, there’s nothing “touchy-feely” about Mass with him. In my experience, it’s said as seriously and as reverently as it can be in English (and he mixes in some Latin when he can – the Kyrie for instance). His homilies generally deserve a standing ovation, and little things that have happened during Mass in the past have literally brought me to tears. (Anyone ever see a homeless man put money in a collection basket before? Talk about “stunning.”) Finally – and this caught me totally by surprise the first time – no one shakes hands and “offers each other a sign of peace.”

No touching – imagine that! No “folk group” like the one I grew up with as a kid in the '70s playing “hymns” on 12-string guitars. No one from the laity doing the readings. No deacon giving rambling and confusing homilies. And – get this – butts off the pew when kneeling. (Well, most are anyway 🙂 ) In short, it might actually be what the O.P. truly wants, and it matches up with what the poster I’ve quoted has experienced. Mass leaves you feeling like you’ve gone to Mass – and not a social gathering, a performance, or anything else. P.S. there are plenty of bells, even during the week, where necessary. No music, however.
 
Wow, Holy Innocents is amazing, the archetecture, the statues- it all has so much detail… Amazing. I thought I even saw a pic of a pipe organ in there…:eek:(I love pipe organs).
And don’t forget TLM daily 👍
 
You sohuld have titled the thread: “Bread and wine, but no cheese, please!”
 
I couldnt help myself from swaying back and forth during the Our Father last Sunday out of pure sarcasm because it just seemed soooo sloooow and quite frankly, a little cheesy.
Why does mass have to be such a social event? Why do we need to turn our churches into something like a meeting hall as opposed to a temple where miracles take place…
Please feel free to critique my proposal.
You might go church shopping… there are many different types of Churches
our there… You might consider attending a Monastery Mass… you will
find different presentations of the same Mass at different Catholic Churches…

I attend Mass at a Benedictine Monastery where the Mass often goes
into a hour and half… It is very spiritual… We stand in a circle around
the Alter and the Priest as he says Mass comes and stands in front
of each of us… and speaks to us, as though he was doing the Mass for
each of us individually… It is very intense with these men in their robes.
Their deep faith is evident and it has always given me, such a feeling
of that verse… “The prayers of a righteous man availth much”…

You might go to a “charismatic”: service… that should get you into
the spirit of the service… in a new and more outward of faith kind
of way…

I imagine that feelings can be important to someone… and I do not
judge anyone their feelings… but remember the most important
part of the Mass… is the Prayer of the people for the people
as we stand there, and offer up our repentant prayers, to be
in contact with the Written Word of The Word of God.
and to receive the Eucharist Sacrament by which the Grace of God
can add to the sanctification of our witness to the people who
are in our lives as our neighbors…

However I appreciate your honest expression of your view…
 
Has anyone ever heard of Fr. Richard Vosko, who’s known for “modernist” Church renovations…?

"Where we worship shapes our prayer and how we pray shapes the way in which we live. Using metaphorical equations to design the worship arena my hope in any project is that the congregation will be transfigured by the very space it is helping to create or transform. I believe that places for worship become sacred when the celebrations of life-cycle events occur there. In this sense the building is designed primarily to house the assembly and its worship of God. It is not an object of devotion by itself nor is it a temple to honor the deity. The fundamental blueprint for the building is found in the memories and hopes of the community. This is why participation of the congregation in the building or renovation journey is extremely important."

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=468367
ourladyswarriors.org/dissent/disspeop.htm
 
I attend Mass at the first location…and it is very spiritual. You feel very reverent just walking in to the church.

I have been in some churches in the country that are similar. They were build by the settlers moving out through the midwest and rockies. Their sweat and blood was put into some of teh most beautiful churches I have even been in.

Sad thing is that the modern church has taken over. Some of the old beautiful churches have been demolished or gutted out for a modern look.

It is a shame.

I remember a church in Windhorst, KS that was beautiful but the local church fathers attempted to declare it unsafe as they did not want to pay for the upkeep etc…it was saved as a Historical Landmark…

visitdodgecity.org/index.aspx?NID=107
 
You should see the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul in San Francisco. WOW…it blows these pics away. Your jaw hangs open when you go in there. Seriously. It’s off the hook lovely…

Just look in my photo album and you’ll see some pics of it and Old St. Mary’s from when we went to San Francisco last Spring. Holy, holy, pious places
I attend Mass at the first location…and it is very spiritual. You feel very reverent just walking in to the church.

I have been in some churches in the country that are similar. They were build by the settlers moving out through the midwest and rockies. Their sweat and blood was put into some of teh most beautiful churches I have even been in.

Sad thing is that the modern church has taken over. Some of the old beautiful churches have been demolished or gutted out for a modern look.

It is a shame.

I remember a church in Windhorst, KS that was beautiful but the local church fathers attempted to declare it unsafe as they did not want to pay for the upkeep etc…it was saved as a Historical Landmark…

visitdodgecity.org/index.aspx?NID=107
 
You should see the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul in San Francisco. WOW…it blows these pics away. Your jaw hangs open when you go in there. Seriously. It’s off the hook lovely…

Just look in my photo album and you’ll see some pics of it and Old St. Mary’s from when we went to San Francisco last Spring. Holy, holy, pious places
As a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of the ecclesiastical architecture within the Archdiocese of San Francisco, and among other locations throughout the Bay Area. Moreover, an exceptional example is of Saint Ignatius Church at the University of San Francisco:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4058/4407694884_90c639c6ff_z.jpg

flickr.com/photos/so1150/4407694884/

P.S. Go Giants!
 
Amazing architecture. Just first rate. Too bad we’ve lost the piety and will to build such structures.

Our Giants looked pretty thin tonight, PA. Sanchez collapsed almost the minute he took the mound in the first. Horrible. The pen looked ragged, too. 6-1. Awful. We just have to pray that Cain can match Hamels though I seriously doubt it. But then again who’d have thought Cody Ross could hit TWO homers off Halladay! LOL
As a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of the ecclesiastical architecture within the Archdiocese of San Francisco, and among other locations throughout the Bay Area. Moreover, an exceptional example is of Saint Ignatius Church at the University of San Francisco:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4058/4407694884_90c639c6ff_z.jpg

flickr.com/photos/so1150/4407694884/

P.S. Go Giants!
 
Amazing architecture. Just first rate. Too bad we’ve lost the piety and will to build such structures.

Our Giants looked pretty thin tonight, PA. Sanchez collapsed almost the minute he took the mound in the first. Horrible. The pen looked ragged, too. 6-1. Awful. We just have to pray that Cain can match Hamels though I seriously doubt it. But then again who’d have thought Cody Ross could hit TWO homers off Halladay! LOL
Very true. In someways I am in agreement with your assessment of the will to build such sacred places in our current age. Yet, momentous projects do tend to appear now and then:

newmountcarmelfoundation.org/

The Giants certainly did not do well in the second game of the series. Nevertheless, I am hopeful that the Giants will persevere and come out on top in the end. I doubt any loyal fan would say otherwise. Lastly, we were so close in 2002 during The World Series and I would love to see them return, yet being victorious.
 
We have a better pen than Philly, starting pitching is as good, just don’t have the bats they have. Anything is possible. If we could beat Philly, we could beat the Yankees. They look pretty awful right now! The 2002 WS was a travesty. Typical heart-breaker for SF.
Very true. In someways I am in agreement with your assessment of the will to build such sacred places in our current age. Yet, momentous projects do tend to appear now and then:

newmountcarmelfoundation.org/

The Giants certainly did not do well in the second game of the series. Nevertheless, I am hopeful that the Giants will persevere and come out on top in the end. I doubt any loyal fan would say otherwise. Lastly, we were so close in 2002 during The World Series and I would love to see them return, yet being victorious.
 
This one:

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:...OrzItw&t=1&usg=__qPI73tWj4iMQiSYYcmFntyp25Og=

😉

But one thing I want to point out about the Iconostasis is that it can beautify even a simple, small church. You can’t compare smaller churches with cathedrals, basilicas and other large churches where tons of money went in. Obviously those built in middle-class suburbia has many significant disadvantages from funds to size of land to even building code. But I do hope that the interior is made better, especially around the altar.
 
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